No. 1 Albany Great Danes (26-3, 11-1 AE)

The Great Danes are the defending conference champions and know how to tear their opponents apart. Every player on the court is a threat, as Albany leads the America East in almost every statistic. Junior outside hitter Shelby Goldman is ranked second in kills, junior setter Blair Buchanan is first in assists and senior Eileen Nicole Rodriguez leads the conference in service aces with 89. This is a team of seniors and juniors whose enormous amount of depth, talent and experience will pull them through the playoffs. Not to mention, they are playing on their home court where they have lost one game all year, and were 6-0 in the conference.

No. 2 Binghamton Bearcats (18-11, 10-2 AE)

The Bearcats have been the biggest surprise of the 2005 season, as this was supposed to be a rebuilding year after the team lost its three most important players last year. Binghamton has pulled together though, proving all of the doubters wrong, and enter the tournament as the second seed. Outside hitter Katie Brody ranks fifth in the America East in both kills and points, while sophomore middle blocker Jacki Kane leads the conference in blocks. This team has refused to lie down in the past and hopes to win its first conference playoff game tonight. Last year, the Bearcats were swept in the first round by Albany.

No. 3 Maine Black Bears (11-12, 8-4 AE)

It’s do or die for Maine. The team, comprised of upperclassmen, knows this is its last shot at capturing the title of conference champions before the remaining squad of freshman are left to rebuild the team that once was. The girls are backed by experience and know how to battle through the playoffs. Senior middle blocker Shannan Fotter and junior setter Shelly Seipp are second in the conference in assists and aces, respectively. Maine lost in a gripping 3-2 battle to the Great Danes in last year’s AE Finals. The Black Bears might still be bitter about last year’s loss and would love to dethrone Albany, but have to go through Binghamton first.

No. 4 Stony Brook Seawolves (11-7, 5-7 AE)

The Seawolves are making their third playoff appearance in the last four years, but are huge underdogs as they just edged out UMBC and New Hampshire for the final spot. The Seawolves only have a .393 winning percentage on the year and will face Albany in the semifinals. Albany swept Stony Brook 3-0 in both meetings this season, and has fallen twice to Binghamton and once to Maine. The team is led by sophomore outside hitter Morgan Sweany who leads the league in kills and junior libero Claire Lindner who is second in digs. Though Stony Brook wants to pull out a win, it is doubtful they will be able to upset Albany.

Tonight – America East Semifinals

No. 1 Albany vs. No. 4 Stony Brook at 5:30 p.m.

No. 2 Binghamton vs. No. 3 Maine at 8 p.m.

The Championship will be played tomorrow at 5 p.m.

All games will be played at University Gymnasium (Albany, N.Y.)