The good news: They made the NCAA Tournament.
The bad news: They have to face Penn State in the first round.
The Binghamton University women’s volleyball team received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the America East Championship against the Stony Brook Seawolves on Nov. 19. The Bearcats will be making their first trip to the Big Dance since moving to the Division I level in 2001.
Binghamton (20-11) was placed in the State College Regional and will square off against one of the best teams in the nation, Penn State (29-2), in the opening round of the 64-team tournament. The brackets were announced on the NCAA Selection Show last Sunday.
“Penn State is a great team, but it should be a great experience to play against a team of their caliber,” said junior middle blocker Megan Hoag. “I’m very proud that we even made it to this point. We’ve surpassed most people’s expectations.”
Penn State is ranked No. 2 in the nation and captured its third consecutive Big Ten title with a perfect 16-0 record in conference play. The Nittany Lions have only lost twice the entire season, to No.1 Nebraska and to Stanford, the defending national champions.
The first round will kick off at Rec Hall on Friday as Cornell (19-5) faces Long Island (25-13). The Bearcats will then play Penn State at 7:30 p.m., and the two winners will meet on the following day in the second round.
Look for the Binghamton/Penn State preview in Friday’s issue of Pipe Dream.