The Binghamton volleyball team set out for the Akron Invitational on Friday hoping to capture its first victory of the 2014 season. It returned home empty-handed.
The Bearcats (0-7) dropped all four of their matches this weekend, remaining winless on the season.
“It’s tough,” BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. “It is disappointing for them. They know they are getting better. There are still things to work out, but they are still focused on conference play and so they know that this is preparation for conference.”
Binghamton opened tournament play against Ohio Valley conference-member Austin Peay (3-5). The Bearcats fell behind early — dropping their tenth-consecutive set along the way — before seizing the second set, 25-18, to end their skid. Despite that small feat, they would go on to lose the match in four sets, a theme that would persist throughout the weekend. They also ended the day with a four-set loss to the tournament’s host, Akron (5-3).
“We had some good stretches, but really inconsistent play,” Kiriyama said of the team’s performance. “We saw some individuals play well at times, but not all of them at the same time.”
The Bearcats returned to play on Saturday, taking on Bryant University (3-6). Binghamton jumped out to a strong start, winning the first set, 25-22, in its first set advantage all season. However, mistakes dismantled the Bearcats throughout the remainder of the match. They finished this four-set contest with a hitting percentage of only .144, committing 26 attack errors and recording just three blocks compared to Bryant’s 10 and nine, respectively.
The tournament finale for BU featured a match with Drake (7-1), in the first meeting of the two squads. The teams split the first two sets before Drake pulled away by narrow margins, capturing the third set, 27-25 and the fourth, 25-21, to end the Bearcats’ weekend. Binghamton again committed 26 attack errors in the contest.
As usual, the Hovie sisters led the Bearcats’ offense throughout the tournament. Sophomore outside hitter Allie finished with 40 kills and 42 digs over the four games, while senior outside hitter Kristin added 41 kills and 22 digs.
“Kristin Hovie had a pretty nice weekend all around,” Kiriyama said. “Just as a leader on the court and with her performance.”
Providing a silver lining to their cloudy season’s opening, the Bearcats may have found an answer in regard to their middle hitter position this weekend. Entering the season with very little experience at the position, freshmen Alexis LaGoy and Kristella Morina have learned the ropes quickly — LaGoy’s weekend featured 38 kills while Morina contributed 10 against Drake, a team-high she shared with Kristin Hovie and outside hitter Megan Burgess.
“I thought Kristella Morina came in and did a nice job,” Kiriyama said. “She didn’t get a whole lot of chances to play, but she finished strong and she actually played pretty well when she was out there. It was nice to see her to step up and step in there at the last second.”
Though they lost seven consecutive games, Kiriyama continues to see growth as his young team gains much-needed experience.
“There was improvement overall,” Kiriyama said. “I thought certain individuals played a lot better this weekend, and [there were] some pleasant surprises during the weekend so it was good to see that. Overall, there is improvement. It is going slow, but at least we are headed in the right direction.”
The Bearcats are slated to return to action today as they travel to Loudonville to take on Siena. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Alumni Recreation Center.