Coming off of an uninspired showing last weekend, during which it committed 33 errors, the Binghamton volleyball team hopes to tidy up its play against Hartford and UMass Lowell at home this weekend.
The Bearcats (6-8, 0-1 AE) struggled to feed off of the energy emanating from the West Gym in its home opener last Friday, falling to Albany, 3-1. The Great Danes’ powerhouse defense posted 16 blocks, stifling the Bearcats’ offense into a lowly .068 hitting percentage.
“It was a tough match for us,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “I thought Albany did a good job. Their defense was tough and they had nice blocks. We just couldn’t get our offense going. We’ve got to find a better way to get our hitters involved. Maybe include different sets to the hitters to keep the defense off-guard.”
On Friday, Binghamton will take on Hartford for the first time this season. The Bearcats defeated Hartford (4-10, 1-0 AE) in both of their meetings last season. Prior to the season, the Hawks were chosen by the conference’s coaches to finish sixth of seven teams. If BU plays to the best of its ability, its first conference victory is a real possibility.
Binghamton has relied heavily on its dynamic offense this season. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann’s talent has added versatility to BU’s attacking efforts.
Kornmann leads Binghamton in kills and overall points this season. Her efforts, combined with those of sophomore outside hitters Gaby Alicea and Erin Shultz, have been the driving force behind the Bearcats’ offense.
“We’re continuing to rely on all three of them to shoulder most of our offense, being the outside hitters, right-side hitters and pin hitters,” Kiriyama said.
This season, Alicea has scored 130 points, averaging 2.83 points per set, while Shultz has added 122 points, at 2.84 points per set. The two have accounted for nearly a quarter of Binghamton’s total points this season.
“[Alicea and Shultz] have come a long way since their freshman year; they do a good job,” Kiriyama said.
Binghamton’s best shot to triumph over Hartford is to get on top early on in the match. The Hawks have been outscored by opponents in all sets but the fifth so far this season. They have struggled to a .146 hitting percentage, which is the second worst in the conference.
Hartford sophomore outside hitter Paulina Modestow and junior setter Astrid Mangual will both be key to the Hawks’ play. Modestow leads her team and is second in the AE with 171 kills on the season, while Mangual is third in the conference with 472 assists.
BU will have to fall back on its defense to counter this dynamic duo.
Senior middle hitter Bianca Anderson and junior middle hitter Kristella Morina, BU’s leading blockers, have been essential to the Bearcats’ defense this season. They must continue to elevate their play this weekend to complement their teammates on offense. Anderson’s blocks per set have jumped up to 1.02 so far this year, from 0.76 last season. Morina’s blocks have fallen to 0.85 this year, but only by a 0.09 margin from the 2015 season.
“Defense is important, so we continue to work on that, both on our blocking and also our digging,“ Kiriyama said. “We’re hoping to be a little bit more efficient in trying to convert more balls in transition.”
Sunday’s game against UMass Lowell (5-10, 0-1 AE) may pose a slightly more authentic challenge for Binghamton, but the Bearcats also managed to shutdown UML in both conference matches last season.
The River Hawks are coming off a conference opening loss to Hartford. UML jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Hartford stormed back to take the match, 3-2. UMass Lowell also had a rough year hitting the ball. The River Hawks are dead last in the AE in hitting percentage, having recorded at a .142 clip so far.
UMass Lowell’s defense has been its strong point this season. The River Hawks rank fourth in the AE with 91 blocks this season. UML also has one of the conference leaders in digs. Sophomore libero Lindsey Visvardis is third in the conference with 215 digs, and fourth with 3.91 digs per game.
The first serve against Hartford is set for 7 p.m. Friday, while Binghamton’s match against UMass Lowell is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be held in the West Gym in Vestal, New York.