BALTIMORE – It took all ten sets in a span over 26 hours, but it was worth it.
UMBC (19-11) played brilliantly in the final three sets, vigorously rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the UAlbany Great Danes (14-15), 3-2, in the America East Volleyball Championship match before a frenzied crowd of 628 at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
The Retrievers who won for the 14th time in their last 15 matches, triumphed, 22-25, 18-25, 25-10, 25-19, 15-10. UMBC defended their first-ever America East title that they captured seven months ago and will advance to their fourth NCAA Championships.
UMBC junior setter
Andjelija Draskovic (Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia) earned America East Tournament Most Valuable Player honors and was joined on the All Tournament team by sophomores
Beste Ayhan (Istanbul, Turkey) and
Aysia Miller (Mililani, Hawaii). Draskovic dished out 51 assists in the title match and 105 in the ten sets of action.
"I am so proud of my team and my coaches and everybody on this campus that was with us this season and supported us every single moment," said Draskovic. "It can't be better."
Retriever junior
Emily Ferketic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took home the league's Elite 18 Award, which symbolizes the top performing student-athlete in the championships. Ferketic is a physics major and maintains a 4.0 grade-point average.
The Retrievers had rallied from two sets to one down and faced a match point against, before defeating Stony Brook in Friday's semi-finals. In the title match, after falling behind by two sets, UMBC totally wrested the momentum from the visitors and won an overwhelming 65 of the match's final 104 points.
"It was our leadership and the trust that we have in each other," said Head Coach
Cristina Robertson about the comeback. "We know that volleyball is not a sprint, it's a marathon and winning takes patience. It was about believing, believing that we have the skill and the patience to take it one point at a time."
UMBC has won an incomparable fourteen consecutive matches against America East competition this fall and have now won captured 17 in a row versus league competition.
Freshman outside hitter and America East Rookie of the Year
Mia Bilusic (Zagreb, Croatia) led the way offensively, with 23 kills and a 30.0 hitting percentage.
Both teams blocked ferociously, but the Retrievers amassed a season-high 30 assisted blocks. Freshman
Mila Ilieva (Vidin, Bulgaria) paced the effort with a season-best nine.
HOW IT HAPPENED
· UAlbany took control of the first set in the middle stages, outscoring UMBC 7-2 and taking a 19-14 lead en route to a 25-22 victory. Both teams blocked exceedingly well, totaling seven for the set, but the Great Danes hit a sterling .314.
· The Great Danes controlled the second set from the outset, increasing an early 6-5 advantage to 16-8 and coasting to a 25-18 victory. UA outhit UMBC, .270 to .057 in the stanza.
· UMBC jumped out a huge 16-4 third set lead, hit .500 in the frame and cruised to a dominant 25-10 set victory.
· UMBC opened the fourth set on a 14-5 surge and kept up the hitting prowess (.419) and emerged with a 25-19 victory. But UAlbany rallied late and gained some momentum heading into the fifth set.
· In that fifth set, the Retrievers charged out to a 5-1 lead, but UAlbany rattled off five consecutive points to take a 6-5 advantage. UMBC capped the comeback and the match on a 10-4 run as Bilusic and Ayhan ended the match with the team's 31st block of the match.
The NCAA Selection show will be on Sunday, November 28th on ESPNU. Time is TBA
