Just days after losing to New Hampshire in the regular season finale, the Binghamton volleyball team will make the 367-mile trek back to Durham for a rematch. This time the stakes will be much higher though, as the teams will play for a spot in the America East (AE) Championship game.
This AE semifinal matchup is one that is familiar for BU (13-13, 7-5 AE). The Bearcats faced off against UNH (19-10, 10-2 AE) in last year’s semifinal as well.
“We’re excited to get back to the tournament this year; it’s always a hard road to get there,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “We had to play well during the stretch run here and the team responded well.”
The Bearcats certainly played their best volleyball in the closing matches of the season. After starting 2-3 in conference, with blowout losses to Albany and UMBC, BU turned a corner, beginning with a match against the very team it will play on Friday.
BU defeated UNH, 3-1, in an upset that gave the Bearcats their first win against UNH since 2012. The win sparked BU’s four-game winning streak, which ultimately helped it clinch a spot in the conference playoffs.
BU’s strong finish helped propel Kiriyama and his assistants to win the 2016 AE Coaching Staff of the Year Award.
“We have had a good stretch here toward the end of conference [play],” Kiriyama said. “Hopefully we can carry that over and have a couple good matches here this weekend.”
This marks the third straight season the Bearcats have advanced to the AE Playoffs. The Bearcats have not made it past the semifinals since 2012, when they won the title.
“We have really good team chemistry this year, probably better than I’ve seen in a long time,” he said. “We have a little more depth on our team and they’ve been playing well together, so it’s going to make a big difference this year.”
Kiriyama is not the only one who thinks the chemistry is a key for this team.
“We’re all very close off the court and we’re very close on the court which hasn’t been the case in most years,” said senior libero Bailey Walker.
Although the team chemistry is at an all-time high, BU will need more than that to beat first-seeded UNH. BU’s defense was a key factor in its victory over UNH last month.
The Bearcats held the Wildcats to a .113 hitting percentage, tallying 11 blocks and a season-high 93 digs. To pull off the upset on Friday, they will need to replicate this defensive performance.
“We need to block a little bit better [Friday],” Kiriyama said. “I think our players will be up to task.”
BU’s offense will be just as important as its defense against UNH. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann, who leads the team in kills, had 18 in BU’s win over UNH. Kornmann was named AE Rookie of the Year for her efforts this season. She has spearheaded a balanced attack that features five hitters with over 140 kills on the year.
The catalyst of the Bearcats’ balanced offense is junior setter Sarah Ngo, whose passing efforts have helped keep each of their top five hitters involved.
“We’re definitely scouting them out this week during practice,” Ngo said. “We know their weaknesses and we are going to play off of their weaknesses with our strengths.”
For the five BU seniors on the roster, this may be the last time they will be on the court together. However, their experience could prove important in the Bearcats quest to the AE title.
“You work all season to get to this spot, so it’s definitely a lot of pressure and having five seniors, talking everyone down and keeping everyone together and calm and relaxed definitely helps,” Walker said.
Since back-to-back losses to BU and Albany earlier this season, the Wildcats won eight straight.
UNH senior middle back Demi Muses leads the conference in kills per set, with 3.64. Her teammate, senior setter Keelin Severtson, is the averaging a conference best 10.9 assists per set. It is clear this dynamic duo will be hard to stop.
“We have our work cut out for us, New Hampshire is a great team,” Kiriyama said.
First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham, New Hampshire.