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The University of Maine volleyball team’s bid to go from worst to first fell one match short on Saturday when the University of Albany captured the America East championship by defeating the Black Bears 3-2.
UMaine led the match 2-1 but the Great Danes were able to force game five, which was the first time in championship history a match has gone five games. The Black Bears led the game 9-6 and Albany fought back to tie it at 13. Albany’s Ashley Green recorded a service ace to give the Great Danes a championship point which they converted, taking the tie-breaker 15-13 and breaking the hearts of the UMaine faithful on hand at University Gymnasium in Albany.
“I am very proud of this team,” said head coach Lynn Theehs following Friday’s win over Northeastern. “From day one they have done everything we have asked of them. They have shown more heart and determination than I could have ever imagined. I am so impressed with the way they leave everything on the floor.”
Albany took game one of the match 30-20 behind strong serving from Eileen Rodriguez, the NCAA’s career leader in service aces. UMaine fell behind in game two 9-14, but following a timeout a rally started that gave them a 19-15 lead. The Black Bears held on to tie the match 1-1 with a 30-28 victory.
UMaine put the pressure squarely on the Great Danes by jumping out to a 7-0 lead in game three. The Black Bears wouldn’t give up, taking game three 30-22 with a chance to win the championship in game four. Maine led game four 7-2 before Albany took control at 10-15 and cruised to a 20-30 win to force the tiebreaker.
Junior Kaili Jordan, who had 13 kills and 10 digs, and senior Carmen Morgan, who had 18 kills and 15 digs, were named to the all-championship team for their efforts. UMaine also got strong performances from senior Brittany Howe, who had 16 kills, and sophomore Shelly Seipp, who had 55 assists. Morgan, Howe, Jordan and junior Shannan Fotter were named to the America East All-Conference team as well.
UMaine advanced to the championship by defeating Northeastern 3-2 on Friday night. The teams exchanged 30-19 and 19-30 wins in the match’s first two games. Maine took a 2-1 lead by winning game three 30-25, but the Huskies forced a tiebreaker by taking game four 30-28. The Black Bears dominated the final game, out hitting Northeastern .286 to .120 en route to a 15-12 win for the 3-2 match win and a trip to the title match against Albany.
UMaine was led Friday night by Jordan’s 17 kills and 17 digs, while Seipp had 45 assists and 13 digs. Morgan had 12 kills and 18 digs, and junior Leah Guidinger had 13 kills and 13 digs.
The loss to Albany wrapped up a historic season for the Black Bears, who posted a 17-11 record, their best since the program was reinstated in 1999. Despite being picked to finish last in the preseason coach’s poll UMaine went 10-4 in conference play and appeared in just their second America East tournament.
Bangor Daily News