UMBC (15-14, 7-5 AE)

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County will be making its first ever appearance in the conference tournament when they take on Binghamton tomorrow. The team was slated in the preseason coaches’ poll to finish in third place, and the team has done just that.

The youthful Retrievers are led by freshman Ashley Oscars, who compiled 360 kills and a .204 hitting percentage this season. UMBC has shown flashes of brilliance on the court, but the team’s youth can often work against it and lead to a breakdown.

In order to pull past Binghamton in the first round, UMBC needs to dig deep and utilize all of its resources. The Retrievers lost both games this season to BU, and in their last meeting with the Bearcats they were held to under 20 points in each game of a 3-0 Binghamton sweep. If UMBC cannot defend itself on Senior Day, it will be interesting to see how the Retrievers fare on Saturday.

Binghamton (15-16, 9-3 AE)

The Bearcats are on a quest to claim their second consecutive conference championship as they make their third straight trip to the AE tournament. The team has earned the second seed, the same spot they were predicted to finish in.

BU has the tools it needs to win in middle hitters Jacki Kane, who is the conference leader in blocks, and Megan Hoag, who has led the team in both kills and double-doubles this season. The Bearcats have had a stellar season, overtaking every team that walked into the West Gym, including Albany, Stony Brook and UMBC.

Binghamton also has experience on its side. All of the starters have not only played in the conference championship, but they have been to the Big Dance as well. If the girls are firing on all cylinders with digging, blocking and hitting, they are nearly unstoppable. If the Bearcats can get past the fact that they do not have the advantage of playing at the West Gym this weekend, they should fair well.

Stony Brook (13-16, 6-6 AE)

The Stony Brook Seawolves finished their 2006 season in fourth place in the conference, exactly where they were ranked in the preseason. The Seawolves will face No. 1-seeded Albany in an exciting first match this weekend on Albany’s home turf.

Last year, Stony Brook lost in the finals of the America East tournament to Binghamton, allowing the Bearcats to go on to the NCAA tournament.

The Seawolves split their season series with the Great Danes, and boast one of the elite athletes in the conference in junior outside hitter Morgan Sweany. Sweany is a three-time America East Player of the Week this season, as well as the team leader, tallying 483 kills and 322 digs this season.

Stony Brook has already proved that it can play fearlessly against the best teams in the conference and come out strong. The Seawolves were resilient against Albany in last year’s tournament, beating them in the first round of the conference championships despite having been swept by the Great Danes twice in the 2005 season.

Whoever wins this match will go on to face the winner of the Binghamton-UMBC match on Saturday.

Albany (17-10, 10-2 AE)

The top-seeded Albany Great Danes will kick off the conference tournament against Stony Brook after capturing the America East regular season title.

With its sweep against Stony Brook last Wednesday, Albany was able to clinch home-court advantage and the rights to host the tournament this weekend. The Great Danes ended their season with six straight conference wins, looking very strong in each of their games.

The Great Danes have been a powerhouse this season, bouncing back after a disappointing opening game against Binghamton to win 10 of their next 11. Their great play has been fueled by the desire to win after a disappointing end to their postseason in 2005. Albany lost to the Seawolves 3-2 in the first round of the AE tournament after the loss of one of their strongest players. Outside hitter Shelby Goldman went down during that match with a severe ankle sprain, and Albany was not able to rebound.

Look for Goldman, a senior who had 456 kills and 292 digs this season, to lead the Great Danes in their first match against Stony Brook.

Albany beat Stony Brook in each of their two matches this season, winning their first match 3-2 and sweeping them 3-0 last week.