The fate of the Binghamton University volleyball team’s season may depend on the outcome of two matches this weekend. The Bearcats are set to face off against Stony Brook University on Friday and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Saturday.
Binghamton (11-13, 3-4 America East) is clinging to the fourth and final spot in the AE playoffs, just one game up on the University of New Hampshire. The Bearcats lost to the Wildcats in three sets in their last match. Though Binghamton won three of its first four conference matches, they have now lost four of five in the America East.
“I think they lack a little bit of confidence right now,” said Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “They’ve just got to start to perform just a little bit better and work on the fundamentals and hopefully the rest will work itself out.”
Juniors Michelle McDonough and Anna Lejina have led the offense, ranking second and third, respectively, in kills per set in the AE. Fellow junior Lindsey Mueller is second in the conference in assists. Senior co-captain Dawn Lammert, who is third in conference in blocks, was named to the District I Volleyball All-Academic First Team. The team is chosen by College Sports Information Directors of America and presented by ESPN The Magazine. Lammert is a candidate for the Academic All-America team to be selected later this year. According to an America East press release, Lammert has a 3.94 GPA and is pursuing a master’s degree in biology.
The Bearcats’ last conference win this season came against the Stony Brook Seawolves on Oct. 18. Binghamton won the match 3-0, taking the first set by 13 points. McDonough led the team with 15 kills, while also adding in nine digs. Lammert had five blocks, while junior Sandra DeVito had four.
Stony Brook (12-11, 4-3 AE) is in third place in AE, a game ahead of BU. The team features conference kills leader senior Harmonie Calinda, as well as junior Ashley Headen, who is second in blocks per set and first in hitting percentage. The Seawolves are coming off a pair of home conference wins, the latest one against Hartford University. They are a perfect 3-0 at home in conference this season.
UMBC (13-9, 5-2 AE) proved to be a tough challenge for the Bearcats the last time the two teams met. The Retrievers won the first two sets by a total of five points, setting themselves up for a three-set sweep. However, the Bearcats rallied back, taking the next set 27-25 and the fourth set 25-17. Carrying momentum and on the verge of a remarkable comeback, Binghamton was unable to finish what it started, giving up the decisive fifth set 15-9. Sophomore Alyssa Lang had a match-high 20 kills to lead the Retrievers, while Mueller posted 50 assists. The teams combined for 23 blocks, 13 of which came from the Bearcats.
UMBC, who is in second place in the conference, has proved to be strong defensively, leading the conference in opponent’s hitting percentage and ranking second in blocks. Lang, who won the America East Rookie of the Year award at the end of last season, leads the team in kills. Junior Sabrina Hoeks is the conference leader in service aces per set.
The last time the Bearcats missed the America East tournament was in 2003, when they finished fifth in the conference. The Wildcats trail Binghamton by just one game and will play winless University of Hartford this weekend.
The Bearcats and Seawolves are set to play Friday at 7 p.m. in Stony Brook. BU is then scheduled to travel to Maryland to play the Retrievers on Saturday at 6 p.m.