The Binghamton University volleyball team bounced back from last week’s upset against UMBC, displaying a fine offensive performance that last week’s loss had lacked, as they topped both the University of New Hampshire and Providence College 3-1.
On Friday night, the Bearcats claimed their first conference win of the season, as they knocked off the University of New Hampshire Wildcats 3-1. BU was finally back at home for the first time this season after 16 straight away games, and neither the team nor the crowd disappointed.
‘It was a nice crowd tonight,’ head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. ‘We’re always happy to be home and [the team seems] to play well here so we were definitely looking forward to this match.’
In the first set of the match, BU came out with an energy that electrified the impressive home crowd. The Bearcats seemed determined to redeem themselves from last week’s upset.
‘We didn’t have our best match there [against UMBC] and [the team] had something to prove tonight,’ Kiriyama said. ‘I thought they did a really fantastic job that first game.’
BU dominated early in the first set, scoring five straight points to make the score 8-2 before UNH called a timeout following back-to-back kills by sophomore middle blocker Alex Roland. The BU offense continued to roll, hitting .667 on the set, and hung on to the lead for the remainder before finally winning it 25-15 off a kill by senior captain Michelle McDonough. The Bearcats posted three aces in the first set alone, all coming from seniors Mercedes Montford, Sandra DeVito and McDonough.
In the second set of the match, BU struggled to retain its momentum as the Bearcat offense appeared to lose its spark, hitting just .154 on the set. After a tight back-and-forth start, the Bearcats managed to go up 19-16 following a kill from senior outside hitter Anna Lejina and an ace by freshman defensive specialist Xiomara Ortiz. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Wildcats answered with four consecutive points of their own, three of which came from attack errors by BU, making the score 20-19. The Bearcats put up a final fight, taking the lead one final time before a kill by UNH junior Lauren Laquerre ended it, 25-23.
In the third set of the match, BU came out appearing to have recaptured their momentum as the offense showed life once again. Binghamton took an early 10-2 lead after a nine-point run, on the strength of a game-high four aces by Lejina. The Bearcats did not surrender the lead for the rest of the set, going on to win it 25-18. The Bearcats posted a .231 hitting percentage, led by four kills from McDonough and three more each from Lejina and DeVito.
The final set of the match proved to be the closest, with both teams unable to hold the lead for long. McDonough, Ortiz and setter Julie Chambers each had an ace in the set, bringing the Bearcats’ total for the night to 11. BU found itself up 21-15 before four consecutive UNH points, two BU errors and a kill by UNH freshman Destiny Tolliver that would shrink the Bearcats’ lead to one, the score now 24-23. Back-to-back kills by Lejina finally ended the set and gave the Bearcats a 26-24 victory. The two kills by Lejina gave her 14 on the night, tying her with fellow outside hitter McDonough for a game high.
‘We just had to rely on our outsides all night and they were the ones that had some key hits there toward the end of that match,’ Kiriyama said. ‘I thought our outsides did a nice job of just exploding up there and they got a great amount of kills for us.’
Junior setter Julie Chambers, who leads the America East Conference in assists, added 32 more to her season total. Ortiz had a game-high 14 digs and Montford led BU with three blocks.
The Bearcats entered their second match of the weekend Sunday hoping to maintain momentum as they faced off against the newest member of the America East Conference, Providence College. Momentum still intact, the Bearcats took their second conference win of the season, beating the Friars 3-1.
The Bearcats opened the first set with three straight kills in a fashion that echoed the energy of Friday night’s match against UNH. The Bearcats would hold the lead until three straight points by Providence tied the game at 12. A kill by DeVito was swiftly followed by a four-point Providence run off a kill by junior Lauren Fletcher and three BU attack errors, giving the Friars their first lead of the set, 16-13. Neither team was able to retain the lead for long, and a final four-point run by the Bearcats, with timely kills coming from Montford and Lejina, would give BU the victory, 25-23.
The second set of the match would prove to be the easiest-earned for BU and the most impressive offensively, as they posted a .321 hitting percentage that earned the Bearcats a 25-11 win. Chambers opened the set with an ace for the Bearcats and Lejina followed with one of her own three plays later. Another ace from Lejina and one from Montford would give BU four total in the set, demonstrating another strong serving performance by the Bearcats.
‘It was our serving, I thought, [that] made a difference in the first couple games and then it made a difference at the very end there, too,’ Kiriyama said.
It was a difference that the Bearcats needed in the final two sets, when Providence found a resurgence, putting up a fight until the final point. In the third set, the Friars changed the tone of the match completely, demonstrating a high-quality offensive performance of their own as they led the Bearcats the entire set before finishing it off 25-12. The Bearcats managed only 10 kills on the set, earning them their lowest hitting percentage of the night, .061.
‘We didn’t execute well at all,’ Kiriyama said, regarding the final sets. ‘I thought we could’ve executed a lot better, especially on defense ‘ blocking and digging ‘ We relied too much on our outsides for hitting.’
In the final set of the match, Providence continued to show energy as the Bearcats fought to preserve their own. While neither team was able to retain a substantial lead, the Friars did hold the upper hand for much of the set. With the Bearcats trailing 17-13, four consecutive kills between Lejina, McDonough and Montford finally tied the game at 17. The Friars showed life once again, however, going up 23-18 in one of their biggest leads of the set, with only two points needed to force a fifth game. The Bearcats answered with a seven-point run that was fueled by four kills from McDonough and a DeVito ace, and the Bearcats went on to win the set 25-23.
McDonough ended the day with a game-high 22 kills, while Ortiz posted 15 digs on defense.
‘Obviously, the two wins help out a lot and we’re glad to get [them] this weekend,’ Kiriyama said. ‘But we know we gotta pick it up for the rest of conference because it’s gonna be a battle.’
The Bearcats will travel to Hartford to play the Hawks at 6 p.m. Friday, where they will look to extend the streak and take their third conference win of the season.