The BU women’s volleyball team capped off regular season play with a win over the UMBC Retrievers on Sunday. The Bearcats (18-11, 10-2 AE) had their best showing since joining the America East by maintaining a flawless 6-0 conference record at home.
The Retrievers (11-18, 4-8 AE) made a valiant effort in their last game of the season by keeping Binghamton on its toes throughout the match. There were numerous lead changes, and UMBC was able to pull away a victory in the third game, but the Bearcats were able to seal the deal with a win in game four thanks to strong blocking. The Bearcats won by scores of 30-20, 30-26, 26-30, 30-22.
Junior outside hitter Katie Brody was on fire in the final game, racking up 22 kills on the day, while junior middle blocker Megan Hoag added 16 digs in the match. UMBC’s Christine Skala had 19 digs to became the Retriever’s all-time leader with 1,476.
“I’m so proud of how well we performed this season,” said sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Schauer, who contributed 10 kills. “We’re happy to finish with a win at home and can’t wait to head to Albany.”
The Bearcats’ efforts were recognized as Brody, junior setter Ashely Meffert and freshman outside hitter Brianna Strong were named the America East Conference Player, Setter and Rookie of the Week, respectively.
“It is such a humbling experience to be on this team,” said sophomore Ashley Hoin. “The girls have worked hard all season and it has paid off.”
The Bearcats, who were initially projected to finish sixth, were severely underestimated at the beginning of the season. The girls will enter the America East playoffs as the second seed and will square off against the Maine Black Bears in the semifinals on Friday night.