Playing in its eighth five-game match of the season on Friday, the Binghamton women’s volleyball team won its last two sets against UMass Lowell to secure its second conference victory of the season.
With starting junior libero Bailey Walker out with an injury against the River Hawks, junior defensive specialist Kasey Muchnicki, making her first collegiate start, delivered. The junior set a career high, with 31 digs.
“Kasey really stepped it up tonight,” BU sophomore setter Sarah Ngo said. “It was really cool for me as a setter to get those really nice digs.”
Binghamton (5-15, 2-4 America East) opened the game with a tight first set, but the River Hawks (4-17, 1-4 AE) managed to surge ahead with a 15-12 lead. BU narrowed the lead down to two, 15-14, but once again, UML pulled away, scoring four of the next five points.
With UMass Lowell at set point, 24-20, Binghamton rallied to cut the deficit to just one point, but it was too little, too late as the River Hawks closed out the the period, 25-23.
Binghamton came back with a vengeance in set two, taking an early lead, 12-8. After two River Hawk points closed the gap to two, Binghamton went on a tear in which Ngo racked up two assists and made a kill of her own. The Bearcats didn’t look back, capturing the set 25-16.
Set three was a close battle, as Ngo connected with senior right side hitter Megan Burgess to spark a short burst by BU as it took a 14-13 lead. The score remained close the entire way, but UML pulled out the tight set, 26-24.
With the River Hawks leading 2-1 in the match, BU came out strong in the fourth set, taking a commanding 18-13 lead. UML fought back to make the score, 22-20, but Binghamton put it away with three straight points, two of which came off assists from Ngo.
After a Binghamton win to tie the game at 2-2, the deciding fifth set saw even more tightly-contested points. After UMass Lowell recorded the first point, Ngo connected with Burgess to even it up and then with freshman outside hitter Gabby Alicea to take the lead. Binghamton then rallied with four of the next six points, all of which came off of assists by Sarah Ngo.
Although BU secured an early lead, the Bearcats allowed UML back into the game as the River Hawks tied the set at 13. But a Ngo-to-sophomore middle hitter Kristella Morina kill followed by the deciding point by freshman setter Kaelan Haag put the set and the game to rest at 15-13, as Binghamton took the match, 3-2.
Burgess led the team with 20 kills, while Ngo contributed a career-high 61 assists, good enough to earn the sophomore AE Setter of the Week honors.
“I thought Sarah [Ngo] did a nice job getting the hitter some nice sets there, especially in the fifth game,” BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama said.
After the win, Binghamton sits fifth in the conference standings.
The Bearcats are scheduled to return to action next against non-conference opponent Siena on Thursday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the West Gym in Vestal, New York.