UMBC Sports Blog

Some teams just have another team’s number, and it seems that Albany has UMBC’s. In the opening round of the America East Tournament the Albany Great Danes got past the Retriever with ease in a three set sweep (25-19, 25-17, 25-11).

They recorded 21 attack errors, three service errors, and three blocking errors and hit -.034.

All-freshman team right side hitter Ali Loynachan led the team with six kills while sophomore middle blocker Iman Kennedy was second on the team with five kills, a team high six blocks, and team high .143 hitting percentage. Rookie of the Year Naomi Bush recorded three kills while second team all conference player Alyssa Lang recorded two kills with 11 digs. Sarah Joy and Ashley Oscars each recorded one kills in the game.

Kira Giles led the team with 15 assists.

With their season at a close, UMBC finished the year with a 13-13 record and will graduate four players: Pam Jarrett, Helen Smith, Oscars, and Giles.

Naomi Bush is the latest addition to an impressive list of freshman to play for UMBC. After averaging 2.48 kills per set, hitting .233, while having 68 digs, 29 blocks, and 10 service aces, she became the fourth Retriever in five years to win the Rookie of the Year award. She joins Sarah Ball (2005), Ashley Oscars (2006), and Alyssa Lang (2008) on the list of award winners.

Lang though though build on her rookie of the year performance last season with a second team all-conference year as a sophomore. This year she led the team with 232 kills (3.14 kps) and is second on the team with 186 digs (2.51 dps). She had eight double-doubles and 16 service aces.

The third Retriever to earn post-season honors was Ali Loynachan, who joined Bush on the all-rookie team. Though she missed seven games in the middle of the season she led the team in hitting percentage (.257). She had 132 kills (2.13 kps), 69 digs, 36 blocks, and 14 service aces.

It was not a pretty game for UMBC. They were getting ready to take on a hot New Hampshire team who won three straight going into the match.

They made it four with a sweep of the Retrievers 25-15, 25-21, 25-17.

Alyssa Lang led all hitters with 14 kills with 11 digs to go with it. Ashley Oscars and Ali Loynachan each had six kills while Kira Giles had 22 assists.

With the loss the team falls to the fourth seed in the conference tournament and will take on host Albany this weekend.

After beating Binghamton on their court earlier in the season, the Bearcats took revenge and dominated UMBC in the RAC to end their home season with a loss.

Binghamton won all three sets, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20, and didn’t even let UMBC get close in the end.

Alyssa Lang recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, but no other Retriever recorded over five kills in the match. Three of them, Ashley Oscars, Iman Kennedy, and Ali Loynachan did record five, but had a combined 10 errors on the day.

After the first set (25-18), came back to tie the game up by taking the second set (25-22) and they they played well in the next two sets it was Albany’s match as they took the final two sets (25-20, 25-21) to sweep UMBC this season.

Alyssa Lang led UMBC with 14 kills and added 11 digs while Naomi Bush had 13 kills. Ashley Oscars came one kill away from a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs. Kira Giles had a double-double with 23 assists and 14 digs while Allie Spaay had 24 assists and Pam Jarrett had 23 digs. Iman Kenned had seven kills with three blocks while Ali Loynachan had eight kills. The other two points came from Sarah Joy, who also led the team with four blocks.

With the team now at 5-3 in the conference they are tied with Stony Brook for second place as they split the series with them. they have just two regular season games left including a tough home game tomorrow against Binghamton and then on the road against New Hampshire next week to conclude the regular season.

For the fourth time in the 2009 volleyball season, freshman hitter Naomi Bush has been named the America East Rookie of the Week.

In a 3-0 sweep of Hartford Bush had nine kills with no errors in 14 attempts for a .643 hitting percentage. In the match she also had two blocks and one assists.

Freshman hitter Naomi Bush looks to be following in the footsteps of the great freshman in the years at UMBC before her as she is having a great season. Today against Hartford she his .643 with nine kills and no errors in a three set sweep, 25-20, 25-11, 25-16.

Alyssa Lang was second on the team with seven kills and Ashley Oscars has six, which is what is to be expected from those two night in and night out anymore, but Iman Kennedy stepped up for another big game with five kills while hitting .400.

Allie Spaay has come on strong lately and recorded 21 assists with six digs while Kira Giles had nine kills and five digs.

Sarah Joy had a tremendous game with five blocks.

About one year ago Volleyball’s Sabrina Hoeks suffered a left ACL tear and was forced to miss the end of the season, yesterday she suffered the same fate in practice but this time it was her right ACL. It is a very unfortunate situation for her because she worked so hard to get back, and she came back strong, but it happened again. I don’t know if it is good or bad that is was the other ACL because assumably if it was her left one again her career would be over, but because it is her right her could still play, but now she has two bad knees. It’s a tough situation but she’s been through this before and knows how to come back strong.

After dropping Stony Brook a few days ago 3-0, the Seawolves returned the favor and swept the Retriever in the second match of the home-and-home, this time pleasing their fans.

The Retrievers kept the match very close and even pushed the second set into extra points (25-20, 26-24, 25-21), but they couldn’t get over the hump in any set.

Ashley Oscars lead the team with 12 kills and 11 digs for the double double, while Alyssa Lang came one kill away from a doble as she also had 10 digs.

Allie Spaay and Kira Giles split the assists, 16-16.

The Retrievers now have three straight home games before concluding the season on the road and are still in position to win the conference and get home court advantage.

Iman Kennedy hit a team high .800 with four kills.

It took just three sets for the volleyball team to get past the Seawolves. Stony Brook kept the sets close but UMBC got the sweep: 25-22, 25-20, 25-19.

Alyssa Lang led the team with five kills and was tied to second on the team with three digs.

Iman Kennedy was second on the team with four kills and led hitting .800.

Naomi Bush was second on the team hitting .600 with three kills.

Allie Spaay recorded seven assists and four digs while kira Giles had eight assists.

Next up for the 12-8 (4-1 AEC) Retrievers is Stony Brook again in New York for the second part of the home-and-home series.