The Binghamton University volleyball team was plagued by errors at the Georgetown Classic, losing all three matches this weekend.
‘We put in a good effort, but it was frustrating for us to not be able to pick up a win, but they played hard,’ BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. ‘They pushed East Carolina into five sets after being down 0-2. We’re always trying to improve each week.’
In the first match of the weekend, the Bearcats (4-9) dropped three tight sets to the Georgetown Hoyas. Senior captain Michelle McDonough carried the team with 15 kills and 10 digs hitting from the outside position. Freshman libero Xiomara Ortiz helped pick up the defense with 16 digs and junior setter Julie Chambers contributed 25 assists.
But the Bearcats could not pull off the win, losing 25-23, 25-18, 26-24. With nine errors in just the second set, the team could not bounce back.
‘A lot of it [that needs work] is offensive execution, which includes everything from serve receive, setting and hitting,’ Kiriyama said. ‘So, we’re working on that. We hope we get a little bit more efficient at it.’
The Bearcats were out-hit .281 to .155 and only secured one block as opposed to the nine blocks from the contesting Hoyas.
The second day of the tournament was not any more successful as the Bearcats lost both matches of a doubleheader.
In the morning game, Binghamton took a beating from Furman University, losing 25-13, 25-23, 25-13.
Senior Anna Lejina notched a team high of 11 kills, attacking from the outside, and McDonough was just behind her with eight kills. The captain also protected the court with 10 digs, while Ortiz contributed to the defense, as well, with 16 digs.
Chambers’ match-high 26 assists were not enough, as the Bearcats made 11 errors in the first set and another nine in the third set. The Bearcats’ glimmer of hope was in the second set, hitting a percentage of .282, but ended up dropping it by a mere two points.
The final game of the weekend had the Binghamton volleyball team vying to salvage a win. After surrendering the first two sets of the match to East Carolina, the Bearcats competed vigorously to take the third and fourth sets. They could not hold up against the Pirates though, losing the final set 15-11. This was the Pirates’ first win of their season after losing 11 straight.
McDonough had a stellar performance, accumulating 20 kills and 20 digs. Her hitting percentage was up to .294. Fellow outside hitter Lejina added 15 kills and 15 digs to the match, but also committed 15 errors.
‘We had one player that really stood out for us, which was Xiomara Ortiz, and I thought she played some stellar defense and passed well throughout the weekend,’ Kiriyama stated. Ortiz defended the back row and picked up 25 digs in the finale.
Chambers ended the match with 50 assists, four aces and eight digs. BU committed 10 errors in the first set and accumulated a total of five blocks throughout the match, as compared to the Pirates’ 17 blocks. The Bearcats ended the tournament without a win under their belt.
The team will be traveling to Loudonville, N.Y. tomorrow to take on Siena College at 7 p.m.