The Binghamton volleyball team won two out of three matches last weekend, outplaying Brown and Central Connecticut, but falling in dramatic fashion to New Mexico State.
The tournament kicked off Friday night when the Bearcats (6-7) overpowered Brown (2-8) in a 3-1 victory.
BU pulled ahead after deadlocking with Brown early in the first set. Junior middle hitter Kristella Morina added two kills and a block before sophomore outside hitter Gaby Alicea tacked on an ace. Ahead 24-22, BU sophomore Erin Shultz delivered an ace to confirm the first win of the match. The Bears bounced back to win the second set, 25-15. Brown freshman outside hitter Makena Ehlert added five digs to the board, while sophomore setter Elisa Merten contributed seven assists.
The Bearcats hit an impressive 35.5 percent clip in the third set. The fourth was a defensive forfeiture for the Bears. They committed 10 errors, allowing BU to control the set and win by 12.
Morina led Binghamton with 17.5 points while junior Sarah Ngo added 36 assists.
On Saturday, the Bearcats kicked off a tight match against New Mexico State (9-4).
In the opening frame, NMSU jumped out to an 11-2 lead before BU’s offensive onslaught completed the comeback. Morina made a kill and Alicea served an ace to begin the rally. Ngo later assisted freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann and senior middle hitter Bianca Anderson on kills before notching an ace. Anderson later tallied a kill to complete the comeback set victory, 25-23.
The rally from a nine-point deficit to win the set was the largest comeback by the Bearcats since September 2014.
“They started playing more aggressively and showing a lot of energy on the court, both serving-wise and hitting-wise,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama.
The Bearcats lost the match after dropping three close sets 27-25, 26-24 and 25-21.
In its final match, BU swept Central Connecticut State (5-7).
The Blue Devils committed multiple errors early in the first set to allow for the Bearcats to pull ahead. With a 10-5 lead, Ngo found Kornmann for a kill. Anderson teamed up with Kornmann for a block to take a commanding 13-5 lead. Alicea and Shultz each tallied two late kills, pushing BU to a 15-point victory.
Central Connecticut improved its performance in the second set, but still fell short, 25-23. In the third set, Alicea tallied a kill and then a consecutive ace to give BU a 7-3 lead. Shultz mimicked the same kill-ace combination, expanding BU’s margin. At a score of 22-14 in favor of BU, sophomore setter Kaelan Haag posted a kill and CCSU made two attack errors to secure the 25-14 victory.
“We blocked a lot better in that game and gave the hitters a tough time, but [Central Connecticut] didn’t handle the ball as well as they usually do so that helped us out,” Kiriyama said. “They hit .000 on the match — we played pretty solid defense against them.”
Alicea led the team with 14.5 points, hitting .348 for the match. Shultz added 12 points and 12 digs, while Ngo compiled 28 assists and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
Morina and Shultz gained all-tournament recognition after a weekend of remarkable performances. Morina totaled 32 points, including 14 blocks, while Shultz put up 36.5 points and 19 digs.
As the Bearcats continue to inch closer to a winning record, Kiriyama hopes to better his team’s offensive play while maintaining their overall fervor on the court.
“If we can keep control of the ball on our side, we’ll be a hard team to stop,” he said.
Binghamton is set to take on Albany on Friday in its America East home opener. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the West Gym in Vestal, New York.