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.

UMBC (2-4):
OH: Ashley Oscars
MB: Iman Kennedy
MB: Sarah Joy
RH: Ali Loynachan
S: Kira Giles
L: Pam Jarrett

Key Reserves:
OH: Sabrina Hoeks
OH: Alyssa Lang
S: Allie Spaay
L: Helen Smith
L: Brighid Casey

UMBC is once again taking on a good team in the early parts of the season. Villanova is 5-2 right now and is always a top notch team in the Big East. While UMBC isn’t expected to win, it would be very nice to see improvement from their last game. Naomi Bush may still be injured from the last game in which she was helped off the court in the third set, so expect Sarah Joy to get back into the starting lineup, if not only to jus give Bush the day off in a non-conference game. Against George Mason the Retrievers lost a sloppy game. If they show improvement and play an overall better quality game, it will be good, even if they lose.

(Soccer Preview will be up late tonight after I get done working my real job…so will a result post for this game)

UMBC (2-3):
OH: Ashley Oscars (52 Kills, 4 Service Aces, 35 Digs)
MB: Iman Kennedy (42 Kills, 2 Solo Blocks, 16 Assisted Blocks)
MB: Naomi Bush (30 Kills, 3 Service Aces, 19 Digs)
RH: Ali Loynachan (38 Kills, 11 Service Aces, 25 Digs, 14 Assisted Blocks)
S: Kira Giles (122 Assists, 1 Service Ace, 26 Digs)
L: Pam Jarrett (53 Digs, 4 Service Aces, 0 Blocks)

Key Reserves:
OH: Sabrina Hoeks (36 Kills, 8 Service Aces, 12 Assisted Blocks))
OH: Alyssa Lang (5 Kills, 0 Service Aces, 5 Digs)
MB: Sarah Joy (13 Kills, 0 Solo Blocks, 9 Assisted Blocks)
S: Allie Spaay (66 Assists, 2 Service Aces, 11 Digs)
L: Helen Smith (8 Digs, 2 Service Aces, 1 Kill)
L: Brighid Casey (12 Digs, 5 Service Aces, 1 Assist)

George Mason (5-2):
OH: Kelley McCarter
MB: Laura Turner
MB: Kelsey Bohman
RH: Ran Yin
S: Fernanda Bartels
L: Koala Matsuoka

Key Reserves:
OH: Rebecca Walter
OH: Noelle Fanella
MB: Danielle Cook
L: Katrina Boryc
***No Stats for George Mason Available***

As good as Alyssa Lang was last season, her reign of terror may be over, but that is not because of down play, it’s because Ali Loynachan and Naomi Bush are both so much better and taking her out of the pictures as there is only so much playing time to share. Lang is still very talented, but what Bush and Loynachan bring to the team is just impressive. George Mason is a good team but it will be interesting to see what the young duo does against them at home. Also, Iman Kennedy has been getting better and better each game and may be a force to recon with for a while.

OH: Ashley Oscars (33 Kills, 3 service aces, 19 digs)
MH: Alyssa Lang (DID NOT PLAY)
MB: Iman Kennedy (19 Kills, 1 solo block, 6 assisted blocks)
RS: Ali Loynachan (21 Kills, 5 Service Aces, 15 Digs)
S: Allie Spaay (58 assists, 2 service aces, 10 digs)
L: Helen Smith (8 digs, 2 service aces, 0 assists)

Key Reserves:
OH: Sabrina Hoeks (24 Kills, 5 service aces, 3 digs)
OH: Naomi Bush (DID NOT PLAY)
OH: Bianca Sande (0 Kills, 0 service aces, 2 digs)
MB: Sarah Joy (13 Kills, 0 solo blocks, 8 assisted blocks)
S: Kira Giles (43 assists, 0 service aces, 7 digs)
L: Pam Jarrett (27 digs, 4 service aces, 2 assists)

Assuming Alyssa Lang and Naomi Bush are no longer suspended after an altercation in practice, it is very likely both get significant playing time in this tournament. With Lang’s talent you also have to assume she will find a spot on the floor. It’s possible she moves back to Libero but Helen Smith has been playing to well to be moved. Ali Loynahan and Ashley Oscars also don’t look like they will be moved from the starting lineup. The one spot I could see Lang moving into is a hybrid position of middle hitter. Some teams occasionally use a middle hitter instead of a second middle blocker and it’s very possible she moves into that, or she plays back more and the team plays a 6-2. This is the tournament to see what the team is actually made of, if Lang is in.

Starters:
OH: Ashley Oscars
MB: Iman Kennedy
MB: Sarah Joy
RS: Ali Loynachan
S: Allie Spaay
L: Helen Smith

Ashley Oscars did what she does best, hit the ball. She racked up 20 kills, hitting 20.9%, and added nine digs to go with it.

Freshman Ali Loynachan added 10 kills and Iman Kennedy is proving Ian Blanchard right as she had 12 kills and the team’s only block.

But none of them could do what they did if it wasn’t for a great match by Allie Spaay, who proved she is a capable setter getting 55 assists.

While Pam Jarrett did not start she is certainly a great call off the bench and she racked up 21 digs.

Match Two: Northeastern 3, UMBC 2

Starters:
OH: Ashley Oscars
MB: Iman Kennedy
MB: Sarah Joy
RS: Ali Loynachan
S: Kira Giles
L: Helen Smith

While UMBC did not win, Northeastern is a solid team and UMBC took them to the brink. Oscars had another fine offensive game with 13 kills while Loynachan one again impressed, earning 11 kills. They had 10 and nine digs, respectively. But against Northeastern the kills just didn’t come. Other than them, one 13 kills were recorded. Kira Giles set them up nicely, earning 43 assists.

Middle blocking is a slight worry right now. There has only been one block in two matches which accounted for 10 sets. That number must raise if UMBC wants to be successful.

Both Loynachan (21 kills, 15 digs) and Oscars (33 kills and 19 digs, inlcuding a double double) earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

Outside Hitter: Ashley Oscars (306 kills, 23 service aces, 220 digs)
Middle Blocker: Iman Kennedy (41 blocks, 56 Kills, 2 digs)
Right Side Hitter: Alyssa Lang (319 Kills, 44 service aces, 317 digs)
Setter: Kira Giles (759 assists, 15 service aces, 198 digs)
Libero: Pam Jarrett (396 digs, 24 service aces, 31 assists)
Setter: Allie Spaay (375 assists, 10 service aces, 76 digs)

Key Reserves:
OH: Sabrina Hoeks (102 kills, 22 service aces, 105 digs)
OH: Bianca Sande (INJURED IN 2008)
OH: Naomi Bush (FRESHMAN)
MB: Sarah Joy (40 blocks, 78 kills, 11 digs)
RSH: Ali Loynachan (FRESHMAN)
L: Helen Smith (34 digs, 9 service aces, 2 assists)
L: Brighid Casey (FRESHMAN)

The volleyball team may not have a better chance than this season to win a conference championship and make it to the NCAA tournament. They have a great mix of talented experience and youth still reaching their potential. The team will once again revolve around Ashley Oscars. Even though Alyssa Lang was arguably the best player on the team it is still based on Oscars. She draws defenders over to her side of the court and that opens up Lang on the right side. While the team will miss Sarah Ball they have plenty of options at hitter to make up for her. Sabrina Hoeks was having a great season until a knee injury ended it, Bianca Sande returns from a shoulder injury that kept her out in 2008, and freshmen Naomi Bush and Ali Loynachan are both hitters that Blanchard thinks can make an immediate impact.

At middle blocker the team will have to replace Bridget Scheetz, who was one of the best middle blockers in UMBC history. Iman Kennedy was very raw at the start of the season but eventually worked her way into a starting role towards the end of the season to earn the most improved player award. At 6-3 with a wing span that reaches near 7-5, she has the potential to have a breakout season if she progresses like she did last year. Behind her is Sarah Joy, Hoeks, Sande, and Bush.

There shouldn’t be any worry at setter this year. Senior Kira Giles has had a brilliant career while sophomore Allie Spaay is coming off a great freshman season and still has a lot more potential. It is possible that only one will start, which would be Giles, but Ian Blanchard will likely go with two, adding Spaay to the starting six.

The Libero’s, or defensive specialists, will be a very experienced group on the floor. Two seniors, Pam Jarrett and Helen Smith, are both solid options on the floor and have both has solid careers so far. Jarrett will once again be the starter while Smith is coming back from an injury. Brighid Casey will provide depth.

While it is unknown what formation Blanchard decides to start, he has plenty of talented options to fill any of them.

UMBC though returns a lot of talent. While they lose three very talented players: Sara Ball, Bridget Sheetz, and Sara Hill, the return of Kira Giles, Ashley Oscars, Pam Jarrett, Alyssa Lang, and Allie Spaay gives UMBC a very dangerous group to work with.

Sara Ball is the biggest loss. She will not be able to play because of a teaching job. He leadership was unquestioned but Ashley Oscars is very vocal and could step into her role as a senior. Bridget Scheetz will not be academically eligible and will leave a hole in the interior blocking. Sara Hill has left for personal reasons.

While those three are big losses the team has plenty left to make a run. With another year experience for Spaay, Lang, Iman Kennedy, and Sara Joy, they have depth as well. Kennedy has the ability to step in for Scheetz and be very successful because she is 6-3. Helen Smith, Sabrina Hoeks, and Bianca Sande also return to provide talent and experience.