It all comes down to the final weekend for the Binghamton University volleyball team.
The Bearcats (12-16, 4-6 America East) must win their final two games of the regular season in order to have a chance at earning a spot in this year’s America East tournament. BU, who will play both of this weekend’s games at home, is scheduled to take on University of Hartford (12-16, 3-7 AE) on Friday before facing off against University of New Hampshire (9-18, 7-3 AE) on Sunday.
Even if the Bearcats do win both games, their postseason aspirations will ride on whether or not last-place Providence College (8-20, 2-8 AE) can knock off University of Maryland, Baltimore County (15-11, 5-6 AE), who currently sits half a game ahead of Binghamton in the America East standings.
Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama is confident in his team’s ability to extend its season into the playoffs.
“We’re hoping to come out with a lot of energy and effort and play good ball Friday and Sunday,” he said. “We know we have our work cut out for us with Hartford, who we lost to last time we met.”
The Bearcats’ last match against Hartford was a grueling five-set affair on Oct. 16 in Connecticut. Binghamton played its longest set of the season that day, coming back in the third frame to win 29-27.
“We’re confident we can play them better, and hopefully the result will be better than last time,” Kiriyama said.
The Bearcats are coming off an impressive four-set victory (19-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-23) over Providence last Friday. Although his team’s defense was strong, Kiriyama said that there is still room for improvement late in the season.
“Strategy-wise, we’re working on our blocking and our defense behind the block in practice,” he said. “Hartford’s a strong hitting team, so we’re trying to gear up for that. We also need to pick up our passing game. I think we’ll be OK — our team is confident going into Friday’s match.”
On Sunday, the Bearcats will hold a ceremony honoring the team’s seniors and soon-to-be graduates: defensive specialist Jen Fiorentino and setter Julie Chambers.
Kiriyama commended what the two have brought to the team and the University.
“They’ve both contributed a lot to our program,” he said. “We’ve utilized Jen in many situations, and she’s come through in some tough situations for us. Julie has been starting the last couple years in different roles for us. They both work hard, and they push others to work harder.”
Following the ceremony, Binghamton will take on UNH in what will be the team’s final regular season match this year. When Binghamton faced off against the Wildcats on Oct. 14th, the Bearcats pulled off a four-set victory (26-24, 21-25, 25-19, 27-25) on the road. UNH currently sits in second place in the America East conference standings.
Although BU is only 2-2 in America East conference matchups at home this season, Kiriyama said the team is happy to be playing at the West Gym in the most crucial games of the year.
“It’s nice to be in front of the home crowd, and it’s always a benefit to be at home,” he said. “We’ve had some good matches at home, and having the experience of winning on the home court is definitely a benefit for the team.”
Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday against Hartford and at 1 p.m. Sunday at 1 p.m. against UNH. Both matches will be played in the West Gym.