Leading one set to none, the Binghamton University volleyball team found itself ahead against a team it had never beaten in its Division I history. The Bearcats could not hold on, though, as they dropped Wednesday’s match at Syracuse University, three sets to one. The Bearcats (5-10) finish their non-conference schedule having lost four of their last five matches.
The team started off the match strong, leading the first set, 14-11. The two teams kept the score close, as the teams were tied at 22. The Bearcats were able to finish off the set with a pair of kills from seniors Anna Lejina and Michelle McDonough, winning 25-23. The Bearcats’ hitting percentage was up to .371 and they recorded 17 kills. But in the absence of starting setter junior Julie Chambers, they could not capitalize on their lead.
‘I have to admit, it was difficult [without Chambers],’ said Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama. ‘As soon as we found out she wasn’t going to be playing, we started training our right sides to set. But they did a good job for the short time they had to prepare for, but it was difficult.’
Without Chambers, the Bearcats turned to senior Sandra DeVito and sophomore Iva Partaleva to help the team. DeVito and Partaleva, who are hitters, were able to contribute 24 and 11 assists, respectively. Yet, on such short notice, the offense was not as solid.
The Bearcats fell short in the remaining three sets, as Syracuse’s offense sparked. In the second set, the Bearcats’ eight kills were balanced by seven errors as the Orange took the set 25-14. In the third set, BU had 13 kills to just two errors, good for a .393 hitting percentage. However, the Orange were just a little better, hitting .423 and taking the set 25-17. The fourth set was the worst of the match for the visitors, as the Orange won 25-11. Syracuse had 18 kills in the set to the Bearcats’ six.
‘For about the first half of the match, we did pretty well,’ Kiriyama said. ‘But then we didn’t play so well in the last half. I thought our passing broke down. Our serving was not effective.’
The Orange’s outside hitter, Noemie Lefebvre placed 17 kills, leading Syracuse to its 18th win of the season.
On the Bearcats’ end, the team recorded just two blocks in the match, a match after recording 10 blocks in three sets. Senior captain Michelle McDonough recorded 14 kills, spiking from the outside position. Fellow senior outside, Anna Lejina notched 12 kills and picked up 11 digs. Freshman libero Xiomara Ortiz boosted the defense with 17 digs. But it was not enough to get a win in this season’s last non-conference match.
With the non-conference schedule over, Binghamton’s focus turns to America East conference play, which begins this weekend. The team is prepared to defend its championship, according to Kiriyama.
‘We’re all looking forward to it,’ he said. ‘We’re pretty confident going into it. It will be a challenge. [University of Maryland, Baltimore County] is always a tough opponent. The games are always pretty close. It will be a fight this weekend.’
The first conference game of the year will come against UMBC. While the Bearcats were chosen in the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll to finish first in the conference, UMBC was selected to finish third. Last season, UMBC finished the year tied for second place with Binghamton, University of New Hampshire and Stony Brook University with a 5-5 conference record. UMBC and Binghamton also both finished the year with 13 wins. While the Retrievers lost in the first round of the America East tournament, the Bearcats went on to win the title. In the team’s two head-to-head matchups last year, each team beat the other on the road. The Bearcats lost 3-2 at home on Oct. 16, but beat the Retrievers 3-0 in Baltimore on Nov. 7.
The Bearcats will travel to Maryland to take on UMBC this Sunday at 2 p.m. for the first conference game of the season.