NEWARK, NJ - The NJIT women's volleyball team put up quite the fight against the two-time defending America East Champions from UMBC on Friday evening, but ultimately fell 3-0 to the Retrievers at the Wellness and Events Center.

NJIT led late in both the first and second sets, but couldn't hold on as UMBC took the first two frames 25-23 and 26-24, respectively, to go ahead 2-0 in the match. The Retrievers carried the momentum into the third set, winning 25-15 to clinch the victory and improve to 3-0 in conference play.

Courtney Branch continued her impressive senior season on Friday evening, hitting .545 with six kills and no errors on 11 attempts. The middle blocker, who leads the America East in hitting percentage (.399) and solo blocks (18) also finished with four blocks (two solo).

Seniors Emma Godwin and Adriana Goetz-Morales each recorded a team-high eight kills, while junior Elley Torres chipped in with seven. Senior Juliana Impaglia led the squad with 27 assists to go along with eight digs and a pair of service aces. 

NJIT returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to West Hartford, CT, to take on Hartford. First serve is slated for 7pm as the Highlanders will look to sweep the season series from the Hawks.