Morgantown, WV – Despite missing a pair of starters, the UMBC volleyball squad produced its best match of the young season, sweeping a strong Robert Morris team, 3-0, in the first match of the Mountaineer Classic.
The Retrievers (4-8) routed Horizon League leader RMU (6-4), 25-12, in the first set and coasted 25-19, 25-19 in sets two and three.
"I am proud of the way we competed this morning," said head coach Cristina Robertson. "We have been through a lot of adversity throughout this early part of our season and the way we showed up and competed against a solid RMU team is admirable. We played with a lot of heart, executed well, and we gave it our all."
UMBC got solid performances throughout the makeshift lineup. Freshman Mia Bilusic (Zagreb, Croatia) led the offense with 13 kills, while junior Emily Ferketic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) registered seven kills and just one late error. Junior libero Kayla Tomas (Silver Spring, Md./Blake) led a balanced defense, recording a team-high 10 digs, while junior setter Andjelija Draskovic (Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia) dished out 20 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
· In the first set, UMBC jumped out to an 8-2 lead, sparked by three kills apiece by Bilusic. She recorded eight kills in the first set in the decisive 25-12 triumph.
· In the second set, the Retrievers used a 7-2 run to increase a 9-7 lead to 16-9 and held the Colonials at arm's length until the finish. A key kill by sophomore Beste Ayhan (Istanbul, Turkey) at 22-19 kicked off the final 3-0 surge.
· Trailing 6-5, Draskovic earned four straight points on her serve and Tomas followed with five consecutive points in a 11-3 surge to give the Retrievers a 16-9 advantage.
STAT CHECK
· UMBC hit .221 for the match, but held RMU to just .019.
· Five Retrievers registered five or more digs as they amassed a 46-31 advantage over the Colonials.
NOTABLE
· UMBC closed the series deficit with RMU to 9-8
UP NEXT
UMBC takes on host West Virginia at 5:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
