UMBC (14-7, 6-2 America East Conference) completes the regular season with road contests at Bryant (Fri., Nov. 11, 7:00 p.m.) and UAlbany (Sun., Nov. 13, 4:00 p.m.) this weekend.

The Retrievers have clinched a spot in the following weekend's America East Tournament in defense of a pair of 2021 league titles.  

RETRIEVER NOTEBOOK

• UMBC closed the home slate with a four set loss to visiting New Hampshire (15-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-17) on Sunday afternoon.
• The Retrievers have won five straight road matches. They have won nine of their last 11 and 13 of their 17 matches overall.   
• 2022 America East honorees
  • Mia Bilusic, So, Player of the Week, Sept. 13, Oct. 4
  • Kamani Conteh, Sr., Player of the Week, Sept. 20
  • Serin Maden, Fr., Setter of the Week, Aug. 30, Sept. 7, Sept. 13
  • Aysia Miller, Jr., Defensive Specialist of the Week, Sept. 7, Sept. 27
• UMBC currently leads America East in assists (12.31), kills (13.14) and service aces (1.93) per set.
• Junior Mia Bilusic (4.18) and senior Kamani Conteh (4.15) are 1-2 in the league in kills per set. Bilusic is also tops in services aces (0.50), while freshman Serin Maden is far and away the leader in assists at 10.4 assists per set through 81 sets in 2022. Junior Aysia Miller has retaken the conference lead in digs per set (4.25) – the libero is playing her third different position (setter, outside hitter, libero) in three seasons on Hilltop Circle.
• Through matches of Nov. 10, Bilusic was 18th (tied) in the nation in services aces per set, while Maden was 41st in assists per set.
• The Retrievers are 11th nationally with 1.93 aces per set.

A GLANCE AT THE BULLDOGS   

• Bryant has clinched a spot in the America East Championships with a 5-3 record and lead the conference with 18 overall victories (18-10).
• The Bulldogs had a couple of impressive victories this season, knocking off Rhode Island and Syracuse in a four-day span in mid-September. They has won six out of their last seven matches entering play versus UMBC and Binghamton this weekend.
• Bryant leads America East in opponent kills, only allowing 11.67 per set. In addition, they lead the league with 14.31 digs per set.
• Alysa Wright is ranked third in the conference in hitting percentage at .324.
• UMBC won the earlier match-up, 3-0, at Chesapeake Arena on Oct. 1. Bilusic led the way with 13 kills, while Conteh added 11 kills and 10 digs. The two programs have met once prior to this season, back in 2005, and UMBC captured a 3-1 victory on a neutral floor at UConn.

 
A GLANCE AT THE GREAT DANES    

• UAlbany needs to defeat UNH and UMBC and hope for a Wildcat loss at NJIT to have a chance at post-season play. The Great Danes enter play on Friday with an overall mark of 7-18 and 2-6 conference record.
• The Great Danes have dropped six of seven, but the victory was a 3-2 decision over league-leading Binghamton on Oct. 21.
• Alexa Harris leads UAlbany with 3.1 kills per set, the fourth-ranked figure in America East.
• The Great Danes enjoy a 34-14 series lead over UMBC, but the Retrievers have won five straight, including a pair of America East Championship victories.