THE BASICS:


RESULT: UMBC 3, Hartford 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-16)
LOCATION: RAC Arena (Baltimore, Md.)
RECORDS: Hartford (5-15, 2-5 America East), UMBC (13-7, 5-1)

THE LEAD:
Carmen Freeman delivered 15 kills to lead first-place UMBC to a 3-0 victory over the Hartford volleyball team on Friday night.
 
The freshman added 14 digs to garner a double-double, while Kristin Watson added 16 digs to lead all players for the Retrievers. Paola Rojas added nine kills and five blocks, while Marissa Duncan posted six blocks for the home squad.
 
Jenna Bridges led the visitors with 11 kills, while Montrashay Worley delivered 11 digs. Megan Anderson posted four kills to go along with 26 assists in the defeat.
 
SET-BY-SET
• The two squads started even in the opening set, with four Bridges kills in the first five points to make it a 6-5 UMBC lead. But the Retrievers went on a run at that juncture, pushing the lead to 15-7. The Hawks slowly chipped away cutting it to just 21-18 after a Katy Henchy kill, but the home squad was able to rally to finish off the set, 25-20.
• The second saw UMBC jump out to an 11-6 advantage early, but the Hawks battled back to cut it to 15-12 following an Abby Nash kill. From there, the Retrievers were able to get the lead back to 19-13, and the squads traded points the rest of the way as the home squad took a 2-0 lead.
• UMBC opened an early 3-0 lead in the third, but the teams traded blows to an 11-9 score after a Bridges kill. But the Retrievers caught fire at that time, rolling off seven straight for an 18-9 lead on the way to a 25-16 victory.
 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return to the Hartford Volleyball Gym for a non-conference affair when they face Bryant on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m.