BALTIMORE – The UAlbany volleyball team looks to continue its undefeated start in America East play, traveling south to Baltimore to play UMBC on Friday, October 7th at 5 p.m. then to Long Island to take on Stony Brook on Sunday, October 9th at 1 p.m.
Each match will be aired live online for free on AmericaEast.tv.
The Great Danes stand in first place in the America East at 3-0, riding a seven-match winning streak after home four-set victories over UMass Lowell and Hartford for a 9-6 overall record. UMBC snapped a three-match winning streak last Friday with a three-set defeat at New Hampshire to go to 10-4 overall and 1-1 in the league. Stony Brook also fell to New Hampshire in three last weekend, coming into the weekend at 4-13 overall and 0-2 in the America East.
UAlbany earned a season sweep over each UMBC and Stony Brook last year. UAlbany defeated UMBC in five on the road and three at home last year, leading the overall series 26-6. UAlbany won all three matches over Stony Brook in 2016, including a victory in the America East Tournament semifinals, having a 28-12 all-time series lead over the Seawolves.
Last season, UAlbany earned a perfect 6-0 record in America East regular season matches on the road.
UALBANY PREDICTED TO FINISH FIRST IN AMERICA EAST: With five first place votes, UAlbany was predicted to finish first in the America East in the league's preseason coaches poll for the first time since 2013. The Great Danes are coming off the program's top season since 2011 with a 17-9 record, tying for the league regular season title. UNH got the other two first place votes to place at second while Stony Brook is at third in the poll.
UALBANY PLAYERS CHASING RECORDS: Two UAlbany players have etched their names to the record book. Amanda Dolan stands with 385 total blocks for 3rd place in program history, 31 away from 2nd. Chris Hofer holds the UAlbany record with 597 blocks from 1984-87, while Kamisha Kellam has the DI record with 416 from 2005-08.
Mikala McCauley is currently in the UAlbany record book, standing 6th in program history with 2,821 assists. She is four away from 5th. The UAlbany record is 5,049 by Blair Buchanan from 2003-06.
Laini Leindecker, the newest member of the 1,000-dig club with 1,004 in her career, is approaching a milestone mark in kills. She stands with 931 kills in her career, 69 away from 1000. Only three UAlbany players in program history have earned 1,000 kills and digs.
McCauley is also approaching the 1,000 dig mark, standing with 883 in her career. Nina Holmes earned 1,005 digs in two years at Feather River College.
LAST TIME: UALBANY WINS TWO AE HOME MATCHES: UAlbany opened at home with a couple of America East victories over UMass Lowell (25-18, 17-25, 25-14, 25-20) and Hartford (25-6, 16-25, 25-17, 25-17).
Laini Leindecker combined for 24 kills, 25 digs and five aces in the matches while Chloe Evering hit .315 with 23 kills. At setter, Mikala McCauley tallied up 78 assists, 23 digs, nine kills and two aces.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY: UAlbany's front row currently leads the America East with 2.40 blocks per set, almost a third of a block more than second-place Binghamton. Amanda Dolan, with 1.16 blocks per set, and Akuabata Okenwa, with 0.98 blocks per set, stand first and fourth in the league respectively.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: The America East leader in kills per set with 4.19, junior Abbie Mirabella has a UMBC-best 197 kills and 17 aces, adding 86 digs. In the middle, senior Zoya Trendafilova hits .277 with 121 kills and 23 digs. Setting for the Retrievers is sophomore Claudia Lopez, who is second in the America East with 10.28 assists per set to total 442, adding 85 digs.
Sophomore middle blocker McKyla Brooks is the America East leader in hitting percentage at .315, having 164 kills and 28 blocks. At opposite is freshman Maria Poole, who comes into the weekend with a team-best 16 service aces, adding 117 kills. Sophomore Morgan Kath is the team's setter with 566 assists and 98 digs.
LAST MEETINGS: UAlbany closed out its home schedule last season with a shutout victory over UMBC (25-13, 25-22, 25-16) on Nov. 8, 2015. Mikala McCauley had a near triple-double with 26 assists, 10 digs and eight kills while Laini Leindecker notched nine kills and 10 digs. Makenzie Morgen led the Retrievers with seven kills and 11 digs.
UAlbany knocked Stony Brook out of the America East Tournament semifinals on Nov. 20, 2015 with a three-set victory (25-18, 25-19, 25-15). Amanda Dolan hit .500 for 10 kills and five blocks to lead UAlbany while Leindecker also had 10 kills, adding six digs.. For Stony Brook, Taylor Wilson finished with eight kills and 13 digs.
