BALTIMORE -- The four-time defending America East champion UMBC Volleyball team will welcome two graduate transfers to the roster ahead of the 2024 season, head coach Kasey Crider announced on Tuesday. 

Abby Erickson and Ramonni Cook will compete in for the Retrievers in their final seasons of eligibility.

"We felt really confident in the group that we are returning for the upcoming season, " said Crider. "Ultimately, we felt the bar was pretty high to add additional people to our roster, so we were pretty picky in our approach the transfer portal. To find not one, but two really solid additions speaks to the work Jaime Kosiorek did over this past semester. We anticipate both Abby and Ramonni to have big impacts on our level of play this season, and I couldn't be more thrilled to get to share this year with them both."

Abby Erickson

Erickson is a 6-1 middle blocker who spent the previous five years at Toledo. She started all 31 matches for the Rockets last season. She was the team leader in blocks last season with 102. Erickson was third on the team in kills (227) and hit .278 on the season. The Powell, Ohip native is a three-time Academic All-MAC selection after graduating with a 3.79 GPA in Chemical Engineering.

Coach Crider on Abby: "Abby provides us the only thing we felt was missing from our roster the past few years: the ability to kill the slide. Combine that with her blocking physicality and her unique depth of experience, and it's pretty easy to see how she fits here. But most impressive is Abby's demeanor. This is the type of person you want your kids to be like and you want to have in your circle. To share a year of her life is a gift for which we are extremely grateful."

Ramonni Cook

Cook is a 6-1 opposite who spent the previous four years at Pacific. She played in all 29 matches for the Tigers, starting 13. Her 47 blocks were third best on the team, and her 164 kills were fifth best on the high-powered Pacific offense. She was a West Coast Conference Honorable Mention in 2021, as well.

Coach Crider on Ramonni: "Ramonni is an opposite that has a very good arm and is another level of physical athlete that our league doesn't see often. She is a top level jumper with elite size and an extremely powerful arm. She'll be in the mix on the pins for us, and we anticipate her scoring lots of points and giving opposing attackers fits as a blocker. Her easy-going nature will make any transition easier for both her and the program."

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