With a four-game winning streak on the line, Binghamton is set to travel to New Hampshire today to take on first-place UNH in the opening round of the America East (AE) Tournament.
This past weekend, the Bearcats (9-18, 6-6 AE) ended their regular season with a three-set victory on the road at UMass Lowell. With the win, BU extended its winning streak to four consecutive games and has won 12 out of its last 16 sets played. Despite a rough start early in the season, the Bearcats are gaining momentum and making noise in the AE Conference at the right time, earning their ninth playoff bid in 11 seasons.
“It’s good to get back,” BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. “That was our goal, and they played strong, hung in there and fought their way into the tournament.”
Unlike Binghamton, the UNH Wildcats (19-8, 11-1 AE) have exhibited stellar play both in and out of conference this season. UNH finished in first place in the America East regular season standings and heads into Friday’s match having dropped just one AE game all season. The Wildcats have shut out their conference opponents a total of nine times this season, including twice against BU.
“We’re looking to play our game the way we have the last couple of weeks,” Kiriyama said, “We want to control the ball as best we can on our side, and continue to put the pressure on them.”
Players to watch out for in Friday’s match are junior middle blocker Demi Muses for UNH, and senior right side hitter Megan Burgess for the Bearcats. Muses has had a great season to date and leads her team in overall points as well as kills. Muses is also among the leaders in assists for the Wildcats and is certainly a contributor to UNH’s threatening offense and strong defense.
For BU, not only is Burgess a leader in points and kills, but the senior also offers leadership and experience to her relatively young teammates. Other Bearcats who have impressed this season are sophomore setter Sarah Ngo and freshman outside hitter Gabby Alicea, both of whom were nominated for America East Weekly Awards for their performances this week against UMass Lowell.
First serve is set for 7 p.m. on Friday from the Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham, New Hampshire.