Binghamton volleyball hosted the Binghamton Invitational Tournament this weekend, winning all three matches against its opponents.

Binghamton’s doubleheader against Mercyhurst and Canisius on Friday resulted in a pair of 3-0 sweeps, while its final match against Bucknell saw the Bearcats secure the crown in a 3-2 comeback victory.

“This weekend was huge for us, to be able to have three wins consecutively under our belt,” said Binghamton head coach Allie Yaeger. “We haven’t been able to do that all season, so I think it gives confidence to the girls. It gives them a taste of winning, which we need with how young we are as a team.”

Game one saw Binghamton (4-6) take on Mercyhurst (2-8) to open the weekend’s tournament on Friday morning. In the first set, the Bearcats quickly took the lead thanks to a four-point run to go up 9-6, and they would not give up the lead for the rest of the set, winning 25-19.

Set two was a much closer battle, with Mercyhurst at one point holding a 19-14 lead. However, the Bearcats brought the match to a tie after a five-point run, thanks in part to back-to-back kills by sophomore outside hitter Briana Binagi, eventually winning the set 27-25.

The third set once again saw Binghamton take an early lead that it refused to relinquish, winning 25-19 and sweeping the Lakers. The game also marked the return of America East Preseason All-Conference selection with sophomore right side hitter Viktoria Dimitrova, who racked up 31 kills over the weekend.

“We’ve been waiting a while to get her back into the starting lineup,” Yaeger said.

“This is a good weekend to play these teams and get her out there and just see what she looks like, so it’s exciting to have her back,” Yaeger continued. “The biggest thing is that she stays healthy for us.”

Game two saw the Bearcats face Canisius (1-8) later in the evening on Friday. The first set saw the two teams going back and forth, with Binghamton maintaining a slight edge over Canisius until a 9-2 run gave it a 23-14 lead, resulting in a 25-16 victory.

The second set was Binghamton’s most dominant of the season, crushing the Golden Griffins 25-9, thanks in part to seven kills from reigning AE Rookie of the Week, freshman right side hitter Maya Coblentz-Brown. The third set once again saw Binghamton control the lead for most of the set, winning 25-19 and securing their second sweep of the day.

“It’s nice always to win, and it’s nice to come off two wins,” Yaeger said. “I think it was great that Bucknell came off two wins as well, so we were kind of playing for the championship match there.”

Game three was the Bearcats’ closest of the weekend, as they took on Bucknell (3-6) on Saturday in the final match of the invitational. In the first set, the Bearcats and the Bison exchanged leads multiple times before Bucknell went on a 7-3 run to close out the first set 27-25. The two teams traded the next two sets, leaving Bucknell up 2-1 going into the fourth set.

Facing an 18-14 deficit in the fourth, Binghamton proceeded to go on an 11-2 run, winning the set 25-20 and forcing a fifth. In the last set, teams traded blows until Binghamton went on a four-point run to close out the set 15-12, leaving the game with a final score of 3-2 and cementing the Bearcats as the winner of the invitational.

Coblentz-Brown, senior outside hitter Merima Smajlovic and graduate student setter Alexandra Koleva were named to the all-tournament team.

“Momentum is everything,” Yaeger said, following the victory. “I talk about that word all the time. When you get the momentum with the sport of volleyball, you can do so much stuff — it doesn’t matter how many points you’re down.”

The Bearcats are set to compete in the Michigan State Invitational next week. Tip-off for their first game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.