A team’s character can be seen in the way it handles adversity — some are crushed, but a select few will rise to the occasion. Over the weekend, the Binghamton University women’s volleyball team showed that they aren’t a team that will just lie down when times are tough.
The Bearcats (11-9, 3-1 America East) rallied back from a two-set deficit in their first match of the weekend home stand before finally losing in the fifth set. The team bounced back from the heartbreaking loss, taking their match on Sunday in three sets. Despite the 1-1 weekend, Binghamton has still won four of its last five matches overall and is currently tied for second place in the conference.
The Bearcats wore pink ribbons and headbands over the weekend, as part of the “Pink Campaign” being run by the Binghamton athletic program in conjunction with the American Cancer Society. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about breast cancer and fund raise for the ACS, a cause that Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama is happy to support.
“It’s always a pleasure to work with [the American Cancer Society],” he said. “It’s a great cause that affects a lot of lives, and we’re just happy to be able to contribute any small way that we can.”
The Bearcats’ first match of the weekend came on Friday against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The Retrievers (11-8, 3-1 AE), like the Bearcats, came into the match with a 2-0 conference record. It was clear from the very outset that it would not be an easy match for either team, as the two sides battled during a long first point, which went the way of the Retrievers. UMBC jumped out quickly, taking a 3-0 lead to open the match. BU rallied back, eventually taking an 8-7 lead. They would hold that lead for most of the set, though never by more than four points. The Retrievers tied up the set at 19 and went up 23-20. Following a time out called by Kiriyama, the Bearcats rallied back to cut to a 24-23 deficit, but a kill by freshman outside hitter Naomi Bush put the set away for UMBC.
The second set played out very similarly to the first one, as the teams played a thrilling back-and-forth. Binghamton went up 20-18, tying the largest lead for any team thus far in the set. Coming out of a time out, the Retrievers scored the next four points to go up 22-20. It was a lead that the Bearcats could not overcome, as they fell 25-22.
“I didn’t think we passed that well those two games,” Kiriyama said. “It makes the blocking a little bit easier and our offense a little bit more predictable when we can’t pass.”
Facing a two-sets-to-none deficit, BU was threatened with a sweep by the Retrievers at the West Gym. For most of the set, it was unclear who would come out on top, especially as no team would build a lead of more than two points for nearly the entire set. The Bearcats eventually went up 24-21, but they allowed three consecutive points by UMBC to tie the game. When it counted most, though, the Bearcat front line came alive, as they came up with two huge blocks to secure the 27-25 win.
The fourth set would prove to be unlike any of the previous ones. It was a set in which Binghamton never trailed, hitting .368 and committing just two errors to take a much easier 25-17 win.
“I thought our middles came alive in those games,” said Kiriyama in explaining the turnaround. “And they’re an integral part of our offense. They did a good job.”
Carrying significant momentum, the Bearcats entered the fifth set poised to complete the comeback. However, the Retrievers had other plans. Binghamton could never take the lead, as multiple miscues kept them just a few points back for the majority of the set. Up 8-7, UMBC rallied when it counted, going on a 7-2 run to finish off the match in their favor.
Sophomore Alyssa Lang, who won last year’s America East Rookie of the Year award, led the Retrievers with a match-high 20 kills. The Bearcats received eight blocks from senior Dawn Lammert and another five from freshman Alex Roland, which contributed to the team’s 14 blocks on the whole. Juniors Anna Lejina and Michelle McDonough each put up 14 kills. It was a tough loss for Kiriyama’s squad, but he kept it in perspective.
“The match was tight,” he said. “We lost the first couple of games, they were really close. It could’ve gone either way. We just didn’t execute when we needed to. It’s disappointing to lose, obviously, but we’ve got to keep going here; we’ve got to keep looking ahead. We know we’ve got tough matches every time we step on the court, it’s going to be tough. There’s nothing easy from here on out.”
The Bearcats’ next match would show that they could, in fact, move on from such a difficult loss. Facing Stony Brook University (10-10, 2-2 AE), Binghamton made a statement from the start, winning the first set 25-12 with the help of a 13-3 run and a .556 hitting percentage. The second set played out similarly, with BU winning 25-18. While the final set was far more competitive, the result was still the same, with the Bearcats winning 25-22. McDonough had a match-high 15 kills, and the team as a whole hit .330 with nine blocks. Four different players had at least three blocks, including Lammert and Roland.
“I just thought they executed well,” said Kiriyama. “Our blocking really set the tone for the entire match. I thought we blocked well, got our hands on a lot of balls, which enabled our overall defense to shine … I think they were a little bit more focused after that loss. I think they realized the importance of every match and every point.”
Roland was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday, after putting up 12 kills and eight blocks over the weekend. It was the second time she won the award this year.
Binghamton’s next matches come against three-time America East tournament champion University at Albany (14-8, 4-0AE). The teams are scheduled to play on Friday at 7 p.m. at Albany before heading to the West Gym on Sunday at 5 p.m.