CAMBRIDGE,
Mass. - The
championship picture became a little more cloudy in America East volleyball on
Friday night, as UMBC upset Albany to put the top five teams all within two
games of each other with three playing dates remaining in the conference.
Five teams
are battling for four spots, with only Hartford and Providence being eliminated
from playoff contention. Stony Brook is the odd team out, but has played one
fewer match than fourth-place UMBC. Binghamton trails Albany by just half a
game with the two teams playing on Sunday afternoon.
Recap
Friday, November 2
at Binghamton (10-16, 7-3 AE) 3, Hartford
(8-17, 2-7) 0
Box
Score
-
The
Bearcats swept Hartford for the second time this season after hitting .350 as a
team.
-
Kristin
Hovie had a match-high 13 kills, while Iva Partaleva had 12 and Amanda Dettmann
had a double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs.
-
Hartford
was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss and UMBC's win.
-
Binghamton
is now just a half game behind Albany for first-place in the conference.
-
The
Bearcats now own a 19-3 advantage all-time in the series. The Hawks have not
won at Binghamton since Oct. 19, 2002.
at UMBC (13-14, 6-4) 3, Albany (10-14, 7-2) 1
Box
Score
-
The
Retrievers had 10 team blocks and hit .240 to claim a, 3-1, win over Albany,
beating the Great Danes for the first time since 2007.
-
It
is only the second time in the last five years that Albany has lost multiple
conference matches in a season.
-
Hannah
Schmidt led the Retrieves with 18 kills and 10 digs.
-
The
teams split the first two matches, with UMBC taking the opening frame and
Albany evening the match with a win in the second.
-
UMBC
only trailed briefly at the beginning of the third set, and went on an 11-4
spurt to take a 20-11 lead.
-
The
teams were tied late in the fourth set at 17, but the Retrievers scored eight
of the final 12 points to win the match.
at Stony Brook (10-12, 5-4) 3, Providence
(1-26, 0-10) 0
Box
Score
-
Stony
Brook kept pace with UMBC for the final spot in the America East Championship
with a straight-set win over Providence.
-
It
was the third-straight win for the Seawolves, who were led by freshman Melissa
Rigo's 17 kills and 11 digs.
-
Stony
Brook hit .366 in the match while holding Providence to a .086 hitting
percentage.
Upcoming Matches
Sunday, November 4
New Hampshire (14-11, 6-3) at Stony Brook
(10-12, 5-4), 1 p.m.
-
The
Wildcats beat the Seawolves, 3-1, in the first meeting between the schools on
Oct. 5. New Hampshire had three players in double-digit kills, with Morgan
Thatcher notching a match-high 18.
-
New
Hampshire has a slight, 13-12, edge over Stony Brook in the all-time series. The
Wildcats swept the Seawolves in the season series last year before falling in
the America East semifinals.
Hartford (8-17, 2-7) at UMBC (13-14, 6-4), 2
p.m.
-
UMBC
swept the Hawks in the first meeting between the two teams on October 5. The
Retrievers held the Hawks to a .098 hitting percentage and registered 10 team
blocks.
-
The
Retrievers are 18-2 all-time against Hartford, with one of Hartford's two wins
coming last year. Hartford has not won at UMBC since the Retrievers joined the
conference in 2003.
Albany (10-14, 7-2) at Binghamton (10-16,
7-3), 5 p.m.
-
The
Great Danes swept the Bearcats in the first meeting, notching a .354 hitting
percentage.
-
Albany
owns an 19-6 advantage in the all-time series with Binghamton, winning each of
the last four matches.
-
Binghamton
can take over sole-possession of first place with a win.