Vestal, N.Y. -- Middles Michela De Marzi and Mila Ilieva combined for 21 kills with only one error and 15 blocks to rally the UMBC Volleyball team past host Binghamton in four sets (17-25, 25-22, 29-27, 25-16) on Sunday afternoon.

UMBC improved to 13-7 overall and 6-2 in America East play.

De Marzi had a season best 13 kills on .571 hitting and the lone attack error from the duo, while Ilieva had 8 kills on .444 hitting. 

Mia Bilusic had a match-best 18 kills on .295 hitting with 12 digs and added three aces, a block and an assist.

Hannah Howard collected a match-high 18 digs and five assists, while Aysia Miller had 25 assists, seven digs, three kills and two blocks. Serin Maden had 23 assists and six digs as well for the Retrievers.

How it Happened:

• After BU took the first set, the teams traded big runs in the second as the hosts used a 4-0 run to take a 17-16 lead and force a UMBC timeout
• The Retrievers would score five of the next six points, with Bilusic kills being the final three points of the run to take a 21-18 lead, but the Bearcats reeled off three-straight to tie the set
• After Bilusic's fourth straight kill was answered by a Binghamton kill to knot the score at 22, UMBC would score the final three points of the set on a block from De Marzi and Kamani Conteh, a BU error and a kill from De Marzi to tie the match at one set apiece
• The third set was even more wild than the second as the teams alternated 4-0 runs just to start the set
• Binghamton went on a 7-1 run to take a 13-11 lead midway through the set, and the lead grew to 17-14 before the Retrievers eventually tied the set at 20 on a block by Ilieva and Emily Ferketic
• The hosts would score the next three to take a 23-20 lead, but UMBC called timeout and answered with a 3-0 run of its own. 
• The Retrievers fought off a pair of set points and eventually won the set, 29-27, thanks to a kill from Conteh and a ball handling error on the Bearcats
• UMBC never trailed in the fourth set, taking an early 2-0 lead and eventually stretching it to 12-5.
• Binghamton would close the gap to 14-10, but a kill by Ilieva followed by back-to-back kills from Bilusic made it 17-10 and the Bearcats would get no closer than five points the rest of the way

UMBC closes the regular season with a pair of matches at The Peake next weekend. The Retrievers host NJIT on Friday night at 7 p.m. for Maui Wildfire Awareness Night, before welcoming UAlbany to baltimore for Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m.