Coming off of two consecutive shutout losses, the Binghamton volleyball team managed to split a pair of matches this weekend. The Bearcats (6-18, 3-6 America East) fell to New Hampshire before topping Hartford two days later.
The weekend got off to a slow start for the Bearcats as they were shut out in three sets by the American East-leading Wildcats (16-8, 8-1 AE).
The Bearcats managed to play closely with New Hampshire, losing both of their first two sets, 25-23. Freshman outside hitter Erin Shultz led the BU attack throughout the match, finishing the night with 11 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore setter Sarah Ngo generated 29 assists and 10 digs for the Bearcats. UNH pounced on BU in the third and final set, securing the shutout with a decisive 25-10 victory.
Despite the loss, BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama was pleased with his team’s ability to hang tough with a top AE competitor.
“We stuck with UNH early on in the game, maintained our play well,” Kiriyama said. “We struggled towards the end, but I felt that we put all of our efforts into the game.”
Heading into the final game of the weekend, the Bearcats found themselves in search of a win over Hartford (0-24, 0-9 AE) to end their weekend on a positive note.
BU began the game with explosive play, taking Hartford down in the first two sets, 25-16, 25-18. Hartford fought back to win the prolonged third set, 32-30, to force a fourth.
In the fourth set, the teams found themselves even at 15. Schultz responded with two kills around an ace by freshman outside hitter Gabby Alicea. Following a Hartford timeout, Alicea served another ace to give Binghamton a five point advantage. The Hawks responded with a point, but Shultz and Alicea both answered back with a kill to raise the score to 23-17. Sophomore middle hitter Kristella Morina followed with a kill of her own, but the Hawks put another point on the board to cut the deficit, 24-18. Ngo found Morina for a kill on match point, solidifying a 3-1 game victory for Binghamton.
The freshman duo of Alicea and Schultz were largely responsible for BU’s third conference victory of the season. Alicea led the team with 19 points, five of which were aces. Shultz recorded 13 kills and four aces.
Kiriyama had hoped his team would step up offensively in order to come out on top against Hartford.
“We have played [Hartford] before, so we knew what to expect,” Kiriyama said. “We knew that if we could handle the ball well on our side … we would find success.”
Binghamton is set to return to action when it hosts conference rival UMBC on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the West Gym in Vestal, New York.