The Binghamton University women’s volleyball team dropped a heart-wrenching battle to Cornell University on Wednesday. The Bearcats jumped out to 1-0 and 2-1 leads before conceding the final two sets, falling in a tightly contested five-set match (25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 22-25 and 16-18). The nonconference match dropped Binghamton (6-15, 3-2 America East) to 1-6 on the season in five-set matches.

“It’s hard to pinpoint,” Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama said when asked about his team’s struggles in five-set matches. “We’re competing hard, we just haven’t executed down the stretch.”

The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead in the first set, after kills from senior middle hitter Alex Roland and freshman hitter Megan Burgess brought the Bearcats’ lead to 6-2. Cornell (5-11, 1-4 Ivy League) battled back and eventually tied it before the Bearcats went on a 7-3 run late to eventually put away the first set. The teams resembled two heavyweight boxers in the set, consistently trading blows that left one another bruised and bleeding.

Binghamton lost the second set, and was dead even with the Big Red in the third before finishing strong with a late 4-0 run. The squad then dropped a heated fourth set to force a fifth. The Bearcats had three match points but could not convert, letting victory slip from their grasp. BU committed some untimely mistakes and ended up losing the final stanza, 16-18.

“[The differences in the game] were probably unforced errors,” Kiriyama said. “We needed to control the ball better and cut down on our unforced errors. We committed a few big ones late.”

Cornell posted a .206 kill percentage to Binghamton’s .194 and outhit BU 62 to 58. The match was the worst hitting performance the Bearcats have had in the past eight matches.

The teams were dead even with defense up front, each recording nine blocks.

Four Bearcats players racked up double-digit kills, and sophomore setter Amanda Dettmann continued her consistent play with a double-double. Binghamton recorded a season-high 82 digs, thanks in large part to junior libero Xiomara Ortiz, who also had a night to remember, totaling a career-high 32 digs.

After such a tough loss, Kiriyama said he remains confident in the team’s mindset as the Bearcats prepare to host Stony Brook University to kick off homecoming weekend.

“The team realizes the importance of this match,” he said. “They’re focused on the upcoming one, they don’t look back. We realize that every conference match is a big one.”

The match with the Seawolves (7-10, 2-2 America East) is set for 6 tonight at the West Gym.