Smith Leads 'Cats Past UMBC, 3-0, Into AE Tourney

Sunday, November 12

Baltimore, MD

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

(13-13, 8-4)

University of Maryland Baltimore County

(14-12, 6-6)

New Hampshire

UMBC

Photo by: Greg Greene

11/12/2017 5:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BALTIMORE – Kennedi Smith (The Woodlands, Texas) and Emma Patlovich (Lake Bluff, Ill.) both recorded a double-double- to lead the University of New Hampshire volleyball team to a 3-0 victory against UMBC in Sunday afternoon's regular-season finale at RAC Arena.

The set scores were 30-28, 25-20, 25-22. With the win, UNH clinched a berth in the 2017 America East Championship tournament, which will be held Nov. 17-18 at University at Albany.

Smith recorded a match-high 15 kills and team-high 16 digs for her 10^th double-double of the season; she also contributed two service aces. Patlovich notched her fourth double-double of the year with 23 assists and 11 digs.

Gabri Olhava (Mount Prospect, Ill.) tallied 13 kills on a .458 hitting percentage and also had three blocks. Mali Jereczek (Green Bay, Wis.) narrowly missed a double-double with 17 assists and nine digs.

UNH improved to 13-13 overall and 8-4 in America East, and finished tied for second in the final conference standings. UMBC ends the season at 14-12, 6-6.

Up Next

New Hampshire plays Binghamton University in an America East Championship semifinal Nov. 17 (4 p.m.) at Albany's University Gym.
The semifinal winners advance to the Nov. 18 (5 p.m.) title game and the champion – which has been the UNH Wildcats each of the past four years – earns a berth in the NCAA tourney.

UNH		UMBC
51	Kills	37
23	Errors	20
.184	Hitting Pct.	.128
49	Assists	36
4 / 8	Aces / Serve Errors	2 / 3
73	Digs	72
5	Blocks	11

THE DIFFERENCE

New Hampshire found a way to close out each set, as the Wildcats fended off a pair of set points to capture the first set, 30-28. In Set 2, UNH's eight-point lead dwindled to one point, but the 'Cats reeled off four consecutive points to end the set at 25-20. Then in the third set, UNH closed with a 5-1 run to end the match.

SET 1

There were 11 tie scores and five lead changes in the first set.
Trailing 21-18, UMBC won four consecutive points to surge ahead.
With the score deadlocked at 22, back-to-back kills by Hannah Petke (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; 9k, 6d, 3blk) and Emily Tanski (6k, 12d) advanced New Hampshire within set point, 24-22.
The Retrievers won the next three points, however, to create set point in their favor, 25-24.
Another Tanski kill kept the 'Cats in the set, however, and moments later the home team squandered another chance to close out the set when consecutive attack errors transformed a 27-26 UMBC lead into a 28-27 score in UNH's advantage.
The Retrievers also fought off that set point on an Ashley Ramos kill, but then another attack error gave the 'Cats a fifth set point, and this time Olhava sent the ball down to the court to end the set in favor of UNH, 30-28.

SET 2

UNH led wire-to-wire in the second set as the Wildcats took an early 4-0 lead and extended the advantage to 11-3.
UMBC closed within 15-12 to prompt the Wildcats to call a timeout. The Retrievers continued to narrow the gap, however, and pulled within one point at 21-20.
New Hampshire surged ahead 23-20, at which point UMBC called time out. Out of the break, the home team committed two attack errors to end the set and give the 'Cats a 2-0 lead in the match.

SET 3

There were 15 ties and five lead changes, as the teams alternated points until UMBC won consecutive points to take a 7-5 lead.
UNH responded with a 3-0 spurt to surge in front, 8-7.
The back-and-forth battled continued until kills by Petke and Tanski, sandwiched around Jereczek's service ace, gave UNH a 15-12 lead.
The Retrievers called time out and won four consecutive points out of the break to regain the lead, 16-15.
That prompted a New Hampshire timeout, but UMBC won three of the next four points to build a 19-16 advantage.
Two kills by Smith and one by Molly Wotton (Dover, N.H.) forged a 19-19 tie.
The Wildcats trailed by one point when consecutive kills by Smith and Olhava put UNH ahead, 22-21, and forced a Retrievers' timeout.
That didn't halt New Hampshire's surge, however, as another Olhava kill and then one by Tanski extended the score to match point, 24-21.
UMBC fended off one, but Olhava ended the match with her 13^th kill of the day.

UNH NOTEBOOK

New Hampshire ended the regular season on a three-match win streak, and the Wildcats have won eight consecutive sets.
The 58-point first set was the longest of the season (by point total).
UNH improved to 8-4 in three-set matches.
Olhava's .458 hitting percentage was the fourth-highest mark by a Wildcat this season.
The 51 kills marked the highest total by UNH in a three-set match this season, as did the 73 digs.

KEEPING UP WITH THE 'CATS
For the most up-to-date information on the volleyball team, visit UNHWildcats.com. For additional information on the UNH volleyball team, like the squad on Facebook or follow the 'Cats on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @UNHVOLLEYBALL.