Heading into its semifinal matchup against New Hampshire this weekend, the Binghamton volleyball team had the odds stacked against it. BU (13-14, 7-6 AE) was tasked with defeating the regular-season champion and three-time defending champion Wildcats (24-10, 12-2 AE). Although the Bearcats had taken down UNH once before this season, they failed to muster a similar performance, falling in a three-set sweep.
“They were a solid team; it was tough to really get anything going,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama.
Despite a competitive start in the first set, the Bearcats committed costly mistakes and were unable to level UNH’s offensive pressure. After BU’s first-set loss, it fought a neck-and-neck battle in the second.
BU came out strong in the second, jumping to a 4-0 lead to start it off. However, mistakes continued to cost the team, which allowed UNH to take a 12-7 lead in the second set.
Sophomore outside hitter Gaby Alicea controlled the front line in the second, notching a pivotal kill late in the set to tie the score at 18. Defensive support from freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann and junior middle hitter Kristella Morina mediated UNH’s offense and allowed BU to take a 21-20 lead. However, UNH collected itself and strung points together to take the second set, 26-24.
“We just didn’t execute,” Kiriyama said. “We had a few errors there, a lot of unforced [errors]. New Hampshire executed well with their offense and we just had a couple of miscues and that’s all it really took.”
In the third set, the two teams swapped the lead throughout the first half of the set, and the Bearcats showed no signs of giving up. After a kill by Morina to tie the score at 18, the Wildcats tallied four straight kills to give themselves a five-point lead.
With their backs against the wall, the Bearcats showed signs of life with a kill to make it 24-20. However, the Wildcats executed well in the ensuing possession, securing a 25-20 third-set win and match victory.
“We did some good things defensively,” Kiriyama said. “But really it was tough to get anything going on our side, offensively.”
With the loss, BU finished its season with a 13-14 record an its 10th postseason appearance in 12 years. Multiple Bearcats received individual awards for their play this season. Both Alicea and junior setter Sarah Ngo received Second-team All-Conference recognition this season, and were both main contributors in Friday’s match against UNH. Alicea was the match leader with 13 kills while Ngo kept the offense composed with 30 assists and 16 digs.
In addition to the All-Conference nominations, Kornmann was selected as the America East Rookie of the Year, in addition to being named First-team All-Conference. Kornmann had a breakout freshman season, ranking second in the conference in both points and kills. Kiriyama was selected as the America East Coach of the Year for his contributions to the BU program.
BU is set to bing back nine of its 14 players next season, including its top four kill leaders. Coming back for her final season will be Ngo — the centerpiece of BU’s offense, who ranked fourth in the conference in assists.
“We’re looking to work on a few different things for different positions,” Kiriyama said. “It’s a team effort here, so we’re just looking to improve.”