The Binghamton volleyball team continued its recent hot streak over the weekend, sweeping UMass Lowell and Hartford. The Bearcats (12-11, 6-3 AE) have now won four straight matches and have moved up to third place in the America East (AE) conference standings.
“It definitely helps our confidence level,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “[We’ve] been able to play at a high level for an extended streak.”
Binghamton’s first match of the weekend was against UML (6-18, 1-8 AE). Earlier in the season the River Hawks had pushed the Bearcats to the edge of defeat, forcing BU to come back and win a five-set thriller.
Early on, it looked as if this match would follow a similar pattern as the first matchup. The Bearcats squeaked by in the first set, 26-24. From that moment on, however, the Bearcats dominated. They won the second set, 25-14, before clinching the match with a 25-15 set win.
“They’ve been able to bounce back when times get difficult in the match,” Kiriyama said.
The momentum did not stop there for the Bearcats as they carried their great play into Sunday against Hartford (5-7, 2-7 AE). BU took the first set easily, 25-18.
In the second set BU showcased its offensive prowess in a 25-18 victory. The Binghamton attack proved overwhelming, allowing the Bearcats to wrap up the third set, 25-16. The four straight wins for BU matches the streak the squad went on at the end of last season to grab the final spot in the AE Tournament.
The key for Binghamton through this streak has been its offense. BU’s hitting percentage has been drastically better in the past four matches (.238) than it was in its first 19 matches (.183).
One key to this is the balance within the Bearcats’ offense. In the past two matches, Binghamton’s five hitters, each of whom has 125 kills or more on the season, reached double digits in kills.
“For a balanced offense, the setter is the key and she makes the decisions on who to set,” Kiriyama said. “[Junior setter] Sarah Ngo has been doing a nice job with keeping everyone involved, and trying to find the hot hitter at the right time.”
Ngo has averaged 9.42 assists per set this season, and is third in the conference in this category.
Binghamton may have a balanced offense, but the clear leader of its front line is freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann. She has racked up 251 kills this season and continues to impress in conference play.
Kornmann earned her first AE Rookie of the Week award last week and followed that up by winning both Rookie of the Week and Player of the Week for her performances this past weekend.
As happy as Kiriyama is with his team’s play, he knows the Bearcats must keep it up with three matches remaining in conference play.
“The rest of the schedule on out is going to be really good teams that we have had difficulty with,” he said. “We know we have got our work cut out for us.”
BU’s next match is against UMBC, which gave the Bearcats plenty of trouble in their first matchup this year. The Retrievers (14-7, 5-3 AE) swept BU in a home game in early October.
“We didn’t have a great match the first time around,” Kiriyama said. “We’re just hoping to continue how we’ve been playing the last three weeks … and hopefully we can execute a little bit better this time around.”
BU is set to take on UMBC on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the West Gym in Vestal, New York.