The America East women’s volleyball playoffs don’t start for another two weeks, but this weekend could have serious postseason implications for Binghamton University. The Bearcats will be facing two tough opponents in UMBC tonight at 6 p.m. and Albany on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches are at home — the last home games of the regular season.
The UMBC Retrievers (16-10, 5-4AE) are third in the conference, directly behind Binghamton. The team comes off a much-needed win against America East opponent New Hampshire, which snapped a four-match losing streak. One of those losses was a close home loss to the Bearcats.
“We’re definitely not looking past them,” said Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “They’re always very competitive. They’ve got some good athletes on the team.”
Kiriyama then added, “They’re one of the best serving teams in conference, and one of the best blocking teams, too.”
The major headliner on UMBC is the ultra-talented outside hitter Alyssa Lang. The freshman has won America East Rookie of the Week honors a conference-record eight times.
“She’s not tall,” Kiriyama said, “but she’s one of those athletes that just goes up there and has good ball control and bangs away on the outside. But she’s a good all-around player, so they use her on the court the whole time.”
Tonight’s game against UMBC is also Senior Night. Senior co-captains Jaclyn Strader and Ashley Allen will both be recognized for their leadership and contributions to the team. For both players, this season is their last chance to repeat the success of their freshman years, when the Bearcats won the America East Tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bearcats follow up with a clash against first place Albany (17-8, 9-0). The Great Danes beat the Bearcats in Albany the last time the two matched up, with a relatively healthy margin of victory in each set. That is currently the only blemish on BU’s conference record, a favor they are looking to return.
“Albany … is a really tough opponent,” Kiriyama said, “and they’ve looked really good. But we get them at home and we’re hoping that we can put together a better match than we did the first time against them.”
He went on to call them a “dangerous team,” explaining that what makes the team so tough is the experience they have, including backgrounds in beach volleyball.
While the Bearcats already have a playoff berth secured, this weekend is all about securing a high seed and building confidence. And with these matches against the first and third place teams, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. BU currently sits in second place. So what is the plan of attack? According to Kiriyama, Binghamton plans to just play its style of volleyball.
“We just want to be able to execute well on our side, be able to run a pretty quick offense and really spread out the court, make it more difficult for them to play,” he said.
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SIDEBAR*****************************
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All season, Binghamton University’s women’s volleyball player Michelle McDonough has been a mainstay, consistently putting the team in a position to win. Last week, she was recognized nationally for her play. McDonough was named to Collegiate Volleyball Update’s “Top Performer of the Week” list — one of 11 players nationwide.
McDonough, a sophomore outside hitter, was also named America East Player of the Week. She averaged five kills per set in her matches against Cornell, Hartford and Stony Brook en route to her second Player of the Week honors of the season.
On the year, McDonough has recorded more kills than any of her teammates and ranks third in digs and fourth in blocks. Her 3.45 kills per set rank second in the conference. According to her coach, she only improves as the year goes on.
“She’s gotten better and better as the season’s progressed,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “Right now, she’s hitting really well and the opponents are having a hard time keeping up with her.”
The Illinois native was a member of last year’s America East All-Rookie Team. Now, with her national honors in hand, McDonough will look to push her team to the national championships by winning the America East Tournament. With her help, the Bearcats have secured a place in the playoffs. This weekend, they will need her fierce play to make a statement to their conference foes.