It’s time to turn up the heat.

This weekend the Binghamton volleyball team will play the two most important games of their season against Stony Brook (12-14, 5-4 AE) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (12-13, 5-4 AE); all three teams are locked in a dog fight for position in the upcoming America East conference tournament.

After a crushing 3-0 loss to Albany this past Monday, the Bearcats (12-14, 6-2 AE) have been knocked down to second place, with UMBC and Stony Brook right on their heels in third and fourth place, respectively. To say that notching wins No. 13 and 14 onto BU’s belt this weekend would be important is a huge understatement.

“These games are going to define who we are as a team for the rest of conference,” said sophomore libero Jaclyn Strader. “We really need to step up our game, especially since we are coming off a loss.”

Today marks the beginning of the difficult road leading up to the America East championship, as Stony Brook travels to the West Gym for a 7 p.m. matchup, the first of the two big matches for the Bearcats this weekend.

It was not pretty for the Bearcats the last time they matched up against Stony Brook this season. The Seawolves handed BU a 3-1 loss as the team’s star hitter, Morgan Sweany, slammed down 25 kills. Sweany is ranked second in the conference with 4.49 kills per game, and shutting her down could be the key to a Bearcats victory. BU will also need their front line to step it up with blocking and strong hitting.

“I feel like Stony Brook isn’t a very cheerful team, so if we bring a lot of enthusiasm to the court, that will really set them down,” Strader said. “Also, Sweany is a very mental player, so if we can shut her down, we can do well.”

The Bearcats have proved that with home court advantage they can take down any challenger, as they have won 13 straight home games. BU also defeated the Seawolves in last year’s conference championship.

“We are really focused on getting the tournament at our place, so we need to get as many wins as we can under our belt,” said senior outside hitter Katie Robertson. “When you are at the top it’s the easiest to fall, and I think everyone is rooting against us at this point.”

On Sunday the team hopes to replicate its win over UMBC from earlier in the season, as they travel down to Maryland to face the Retrievers. Junior Jacki Kane had 10 blocks in the teams’ last meeting.

“The conference is really up for grabs; on any given day, if a team comes out gunning, it’s easy to get knocked out,” Robertson said. “If we want to be in the top four we have to make sure we’re bringing home W’s and not L’s.”

BOXXXXXXXXX: Tonight marks both Senior Day and the Bearcats’ last home game of the season. BU will be bidding a fond farewell to Megan Hoag, Ashley Meffert, Shadi Movahedian and Katie Robertson. Come out at 7 p.m. tonight to support the seniors in this critical conference match.