BALTIMORE – For the second time in seven months UMBC and UAlbany will play for the America East Volleyball Championship. Both teams won semifinals matches on Friday evening at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
The first semifinal featured three match points in an instant classic as the top-seeded Retrievers bested No. 4 Stony Brook in front of a captivated fanbase. The Great Danes will play in the championship match for the fourth time in as many seasons after defeating No. 3 UNH in straight sets to conclude the night.
Semifinals Recap
#1 UMBC 3, #4 Stony Brook 2
- Stony Brook, which had lost the regular-season finale in three sets to UMBC, took the first set 25-22.
- The Seawolves led 23-21 in the second set but never got to set point. The Retrievers capitalized on their second set point to win 27-25.
- The third set was the opposite as the Seawolves reached set point first and the 27-25 score favored the underdogs.
- The fourth set went UMBC’s way 25-19 to force a decisive fifth set.
- Both teams reached match point but the Retrievers finished with a kill from First-Team All-Conference choice Grace Rigsbee to end the set at 17-15.
- This match was the first in which UMBC was pushed to five sets by a league opponent all season long.
#2 UAlbany 3, #3 UNH 0
- UAlbany won the first point of the match and led for the majority of the first set, prevailing 25-21.
- UNH could not slow down the Great Danes’ attack in the second set, mustering 13 points before the Great Danes reached 25 on .500 hitting.
- The tournament’s number-two seed capped the match with a 25-17 victory in the third and final set, forcing eight Wildcats errors.
- The Great Danes hit .348 in the match, the highest by any team in the semifinals.
- Junior Malea Stanton had a match-high 41 assists, tied for the most in a three-set match by an America East player this season.
The #AEVB championship match features each of the previous two champions as the Retrievers aim to defend their title. The Great Danes are in search of their second championship in three seasons. The top-two seeds will play for the conference's NCAA berth Saturday at 4 p.m. on AmericaEast.tv.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for box scores, highlights and recaps from Friday’s action in addition to live coverage links for Saturday's championship match.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEDigitalNet on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEVB hashtags to join the conversation.
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