For Binghamton University’s women’s volleyball team last weekend, the most important thing in Arizona was not Senator John McCain; it was giving it their all in the Northern Arizona University Invitational.
John Bruno/Staff Photographer
The Bearcats took two of three matches in the first tournament of the season, sweeping both Rutgers and Akron, but dropping all three games in their match against Northern Arizona University.
There were a lot of positive points the team took away from each match in the tournament, despite the loss in the last game. The Bearcats had a combined total of 136 kills, 126 sets and 119 digs from all nine matches, exceeding what their opponents put up against them.
In their season opener against Rutgers, the Bearcat offense dominated the court and broke the school’s Division I hitting record with a .393 percentage. The Bearcats turned in their second highest hitting percentage (.355) in Division I history against Akron the next day.
The Bearcats opened the NAU Invitational on Friday, demolishing Rutgers (25-14, 25-16, 25-11). Senior Jaclyn Strader made Bearcat history during the game, breaking the record of former BU athlete Ashley Meffert in career digs. Strader has a total of 1,272 digs in the four years she has played for the Bearcats.
Michelle McDonough, a sophomore who posted a match-high nine kills, starred on the Bearcats’ offense, while junior Dawn Lammert, a defensive machine, made seven kills and three blocks. The Scarlet Knights made a total of 24 errors and posted 20 kills, while the Bearcats had a total of 43 kills.
The Bearcats gave an encore of their performance on Saturday, beating Akron in all three matches (25-17, 25-21, 25-21).
Sophomore Anna Lejina, senior Brianna Strong and McDonough each posted double kills. Sophomore Lindsey Mueller posted 41 assists, marking the 12th time in her career that she passed the 40 mark in assists.
“Our offense really clicked well,” said head coach Glenn Kiriyama, according to a Binghamton University press release. “Our hitters did well and hit for a high percentage and it was a really strong team effort all the way around.”
It seemed as if the Bearcats exhausted all their efforts dominating the Zips, because when it came time to face host Northern Arizona in the finals, it was their time to get swept (20-25, 14-25, 21-25).
The Bearcats had 28 errors and could only post a .116 hitting percentage. Strong had a team-high nine kills while Lejina and McDonough posted eight kills apiece. The Lumberjacks’ Lexi Sullivan posted a match-high 11 kills while her teammate Alex Fell recorded 12 digs. Although the Bearcats lost the game, they placed 41 kills, four more than NAU.
Lejina made her Binghamton debut in stunning fashion as the Bearcat posted a team-high total of 34 kills and 14 digs during the tournament. Lejina governed the court with a .500 clip, putting up 18 kills during the game against Akron, and was named to the all-tournament team, as the Latvian native averaged 3.78 kills a set and hit at a .353 percentage.
Mueller had the team-high 12 assists per game, while senior Ashley Allen led the Bearcats in blocks with a total of 10.
Another player named to the all-tournament team was McDonough, who averaged 3.38 kills and two digs per set.
“We got some things to be proud of, but we know we have a lot of things to work on,” Kiriyama said.
The Bearcats are slated to play in the Pitt Classic in Pittsburgh on Friday, where they will first face Ohio at 11 a.m. followed by Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 11 a.m.