After getting off to the worst start in its Division I history, the Binghamton University volleyball team rebounded this weekend, taking two of three at the UConn Toyota Classic.
The Bearcats (2-6) picked up their first win of the season on Friday against Howard University (0-8), sweeping the Bison 3-0 following five straight losses to open the year. With one in the win column, the Bearcats continued to impress early Saturday, topping College of the Holy Cross (3-3) 3-1. The Bearcats had their momentum halted in the title game later that evening, however, falling to the University of Connecticut (4-2) in three straight sets.
“I thought the team played a couple of nice matches,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “We had a couple of nice wins against Howard and Holy Cross, and we competed well against UConn, too. I thought the team has made improvements and that’s what we’re sort of looking at.”
In Friday’s opener against Howard, solid play from a wide array of BU players propelled the Bearcats to their first victory of the year. Junior middle block Alex Roland and junior outside hitter Iva Partaleva led the offense with eight kills apiece, while sophomore libero Xiomara Ortiz anchored the defense, collecting 13 of the team’s 49 total digs.
Binghamton took the first two sets against Howard 25-20 and 25-16, respectively.
In the third set, with BU needing one more to take the match, sophomore middle hitter Grace Vickers quarterbacked an impressive 9-0 run with a match-best four service aces. Vickers, whom Kiriyama calls “one of the harder workers on the team,” tallied a total of five kills and eight digs in the match. The Bison proved unable to keep up, and BU completed the sweep with a four-kill frame from Roland to grab the set 25-17 and garner its first victory of the year, 3-0.
Binghamton kept things rolling early Saturday, as it knocked off Holy Cross in four sets. The Bearcats again saw contributions from a slew of players, including a pair of rookies. Freshman outside hitter Kristin Hovie led the Bearcats with 13 kills, while freshman setter Amanda Dettmann shone with a match-best 45 assists and six kills of her own. The duo also combined for 20 digs.
Vickers, Partaleva and Roland contributed with 11 kills apiece, while Ortiz collected a match-best 22 digs. Roland also led the team with 10 blocks.
“I think the team realizes they lost a couple of dominant players, so they realize each of them has to contribute,” Kiriyama said. “It is gonna be a team effort this year and everyone from the defense specialist to our setter to our hitters need to contribute.”
Binghamton split the first two sets with Holy Cross, taking the first in comeback fashion 25-22 before the Crusaders evened the score with 25-15 victory in the second.
Four kills from Hovie highlighted a 9-0 BU run in the third set to propel the Bearcats to a 25-19 victory, one shy from earning their second win of the season.
The fourth set got off to a slow start for the Bearcats, who quickly fell behind 11-5. BU then notched six straight points, including three kills from Partaleva, to tie the game. The set remained close, but the Bearcats were able to jump ahead, and a kill from Roland sealed the win as the Bearcats took the set 25-20 and the match 3-1.
Binghamton’s two-match win streak skidded to an end later that day, however, as the Bearcats fell to the host Huskies in three hard-fought sets.
In the opening set, the Bearcats jumped ahead early but a 7-1 run by UConn would give the Huskies an 11-7 lead. The Bearcats battled back to within two, but were unable to catch up, dropping the first set 25-21.
UConn rolled past BU 25-13 in the second set to put the Bearcats at the edge of defeat.
In the third set, the Bearcats offered a valiant battle for survival, pulling even with the Huskies after back-to-back kills from Vickers tied the score at 12. UConn quickly jumped ahead, however, and despite one final push from the Bearcats, UConn took the set 25-22 and handed Binghamton its first loss of the tournament, 3-0.
Vickers and Partaleva led the Bearcats with 11 and eight kills, respectively, in the match. Dettmann notched another 24 assists and eight digs, while Ortiz tallied a team-best 17 digs of her own. Hovie added six kills and six digs in the match.
Vickers and Dettmann were named to the all-tournament team for their performances.
Binghamton is scheduled to take on Siena College at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the West Gym.