After falling to Albany in its conference opener, the Binghamton volleyball team took down Hartford and UMass Lowell at home this weekend to record the first two wins of its America East (AE) season.

BU (8-8, 2-1 AE) began its weekend with a matchup against Hartford (4-11, 1-1 AE) on Friday night. Prior to their matchup with the Bearcats, the Hawks kicked off conference play with a win over UMass Lowell (5-12, 0-3 AE).

The Bearcats, who looked to rebound after a lackluster performance against the Great Danes, fired on all cylinders against the Hawks, sweeping them in straight sets in Friday’s match.

“The games have been close,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “[The team has] been able to execute at the right times, and the experience of the returners has made a big difference in these games.”

It was evident from the start that Hartford was overmatched. The Hawks failed to match Binghamton’s intensity, falling to an early deficit in the first set. An early 11-2 Binghamton lead quickly turned to 17-5, and shortly after, Binghamton took the first set, 25-7. The remaining frames turned out to be more competitive, but Binghamton easily secured the sweep and match win.

Junior setter Sarah Ngo distributed the ball well for the Bearcats all night, keeping BU’s offense well balanced. She had 29 assists on the night, many of which went to sophomore outside hitter Gaby Alicea, senior middle hitter Bianca Anderson and junior middle hitter Kristella Morina. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann led the Bearcats with 10 kills.

Sunday’s match against UMass Lowell was neck-and-neck throughout, with competitive play on both sides of the net. Binghamton grabbed the first set, 25-13, but dropped the next two, 25-18. The Bearcats gutted out a fourth-set win, 25-23, to force a decisive fifth set.

Yet again, dominant play from Ngo allowed Binghamton to secure the fifth set, 15-10. The victory marked BU’s first five-set match of the year and pushed the Bearcats to .500 on the season.

Alicea, Kornmann and sophomore outside hitter Erin Shultz each had 10 kills in the match, many of which came off of Ngo’s clutch assists.

A continuing theme for Bearcats is the outstanding play of Kornmann. In the two matches played this weekend, she tallied 20 kills and four blocks, hitting an impressive .500 against Hartford.

“She’s got tremendous potential to develop into a dominating player in our conference,” Kiriyama said. “As long as she continues to work hard and improve, I think she’ll do some amazing things in her future.”

The Bearcats are set to return to the court on Friday against Stony Brook. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Pritchard Gymnasium in Stony Brook, New York.