The Binghamton volleyball team fell to UMBC after four sets on Sunday afternoon. The Bearcats got off to a rough start losing the first two sets, but they won set three before eventually losing the match in set four.

In the first set, UMBC (14-10, 9-0 America East [AE]) controlled the lead throughout the entire competition. The Retrievers got out to an early lead by playing solid defense and converting a majority of their attacks into kills. The Bearcats (6-13, 2-5 AE) quickly fell back as UMBC went on a 6-0 run right after BU tied it at four. Following that point, Binghamton did not come within less than five points through the set as the Retrievers won 25-14.

The second set played out similarly to set one, as BU dug themselves into a hole going down 3-11 early. The Bearcats weren’t able to gain any traction, as they once again were unable to come within five points after going down by eight. The Retrievers took the set, 25-15. UMBC’s lack of mistakes was a determining factor in the first two sets, only making two errors in set one and four in set two. BU was unable to string consistent offense and had some trouble keeping its serves in play.

In set three, however, Binghamton played with a different mentality and sense of urgency. They once again fell behind before coming back late. Trailing by as much as seven, BU clawed back to tie the match at 20 thanks in part to four consecutive attack errors by UMBC. The blockers came alive in the set and were a primary factor in winning. Graduate student middle hitter Elis Gadelha led the pack with eight blocks in the match.

“The blocking really picked up, that was impressive to watch,” said Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama.

From there, BU took control and won the set 25-21 after UMBC’s hitter made contact with the net on a close last point. The BU defense kept it competitive in the third set. The blockers were getting into a good position and neutralized UMBC’s hitters that were having success getting kills throughout the first two sets.

“Overall our defense is pretty good, our offense sort of sputtered a little bit there but definitely our defense is a positive for us,” Kiriyama said.

Ultimately in set four, the Bearcats could not complete the comeback and were closed out 25-17. BU’s offense started hot, making accurate passes and getting kills. Binghamton trailed 10-9 early before the Retrievers ran away with, going on a 13-4 run. However, their offense was not consistent throughout the match and the Bearcats made a lot of unforced errors. BU’s defense had a tough time making passes and returning the Retrievers’ attacks.

“We have to stay aggressive out there,” Kiriyama said. “We just have to get our offense going … work on better passing just to be able to set the middle.”

Despite the final tally, Binghamton kept it somewhat close, only being edged out in points by six. UMBC sits in first place in the AE and has not lost a conference matchup yet, including a 3-0 sweep of BU earlier in the season.

“They didn’t give up, they fought well,” Kiriyama said.

Binghamton will return to action against UNH on Friday, Oct. 29. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at West Gym in Vestal, New York.