The Binghamton University volleyball team headed into the weekend desperately seeking a revival after back-to-back losses landed the team in a tie for second place in the America East with only four regular season games left to play. In facing two teams they had beaten earlier in the season, the Bearcats were able to regain winning form this weekend as they knocked off Providence College 3-0 on Friday and the University of New Hampshire 3-1 Sunday afternoon.
In its first victory of the weekend, BU swept last-place Providence College on the road in three straight sets in the kind of dominant offensive performance that had been typical for the Bearcats during their five-game win streak earlier in the season.
A kill by senior outside hitter Anna Lejina and a block by seniors Mercedes Montford and Michelle McDonough opened the first set of the match and would establish the tone for a set in which BU would never trail. With the score 24-14, BU a single point away from an opening-set victory, the Friars would make one final run, posting five straight points before a kill by McDonough finally ended the streak and gave Binghamton the 25-18 win. Eight kills by Lejina in the set solidified the Bearcats’ dominant offensive performance. Junior setter Julie Chambers contributed 14 assists in the set.
In the second set of the match, the score remained tight early on before three straight Bearcat points broke a 12-12 tie. Later, a four-point run allowed the Bearcats to finally pull away with a comfortable six-point lead that Providence would be unable to catch, as Binghamton won 25-17.
In the third set, with the score tied at 11, BU set off on an offensive tear, marked by eight straight points, which would give the Bearcats a 19-11 lead. The Friars threatened to come back, at one point pulling within as few as three points, but were ultimately unable to erase the deficit. An ace by Chambers, who would end the night with more assists than the entire Providence team combined, sealed the victory for the Bearcats, 25-19.
BU cruised to the 3-0 victory on a .337 hitting percentage, marked by strong individual performances from Lejina and McDonough, who posted 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Combined, the two seniors were just two kills shy of the 28 total posted by the Friars.
‘They’ve been our go-to players,’ Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama said of Lejina and McDonough. ‘They’ve been our most consistent hitters on offense. They’re a big [part] of the team. They do a lot for us and I think all the girls understand how much they give to the team.’
Sophomore middle blocker Alex Roland added seven kills of her own, while freshman libero Xiomara Ortiz balanced out the squad defensively with a match-high 14 digs.
On Sunday, BU traveled to the University of New Hampshire, looking to build off momentum from Friday night’s victory to take out the Wildcats. The Bearcats did just that, knocking off UNH 3-1 in a hard-fought and crucial win that would reward BU with sole possession of second place in the America East standings.
The first set remained close right up to the very end, with a kill by UNH junior Amy Keding shrinking BU’s lead to a single point, the score 23-22. In the succeeding play, however, BU was awarded the point off a Keding service error and Roland followed with a kill to give the Bearcats a 25-22 win.
Back-to-back kills from McDonough and Lejina would give the Bearcats a 15-14 lead in the second set, but it was short-lived as the Wildcats answered with three consecutive points to pull ahead once again. With the game coming down to the wire, BU found itself one point shy of a win, leading 24-23. The Wildcats responded once more with three straight points that would end the set 26-24 and tie the match at one win apiece.
BU took an early lead in the third set and held the edge until three straight UNH kills tied the score at 23. This time, however, it was the Bearcats’ turn to respond, which they did with back-to-back points, including a game-ending ace by Sandra DeVito, to win the set 25-23.
The fourth set of the match would prove to be the final one. After a kill by Lejina put the Bearcats within a point of the win, back-to-back UNH points tied the score at 24 and threatened to push the match into a fifth set. The Bearcats prevented the extension and took the set 27-25 and the match 3-1.
Chambers had a big day both offensively and defensively, recording 35 assists and 19 digs, team highs in both categories. She was named America East Setter of the Week for her performance over the weekend. McDonough and Lejina led BU once again with 18 and 13 kills, respectively.
‘[The team] fought hard this weekend,’ Kiriyama said. ‘They continue to work hard. Their confidence is high going into this coming weekend, but ‘ each match is gonna be tough. We’re working on a lot of different things and hopefully we’ll be able to finish strong.’
BU is set to close out regular season play this weekend at home against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. on Friday and Hartford at 2 p.m. on Sunday, both in the West Gym.