BALTIMORE -- UMBC Athletics will begin an immediate national search for a new head volleyball coach as Cristina Robertson resigned to accept the head coaching position at Florida International University.  

The Retrievers are the two-time defending America East champions and are coming off an undefeated (12-0) conference season in 2021. They also made their second-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they battled No.3 and eventual national semifinalist Pitt on the road. 

In her fourth season this fall, Robertson guided the program to new heights. She and her staff were again honored as the America East Coaching Staff of the Year as the team went undefeated in America East Conference play to earn its second consecutive regular season title. The Retrievers would go on to win their second straight tournament championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

Six different Retrievers earned All-Conference honors. Loren Teter, Mia Bilusic and Grace Rigsbee earned All-Conference First Team honors, while Andjelija Draskovic earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team and Mila Ilieva and Bilusic were named to the All-Rookie Team. Off the court, Aysia Miller and Teter both earned spots on the All-Academic team. Teter became the first Retriever ever to earn AVCA All-Region honors, and was the second player in program history to be named America East Defensive Specialist of the Year. Bilusic earned America East Rookie of the Year and Emily Ferketic 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.