The Bearcats volleyball team plans to make like Michael Vick and put down the UMBC Retrievers tomorrow at the West Gym in their sixth conference match of the season. They are gearing up for what will be a hard-hitting and challenging game.

‘It’s going to be a tough match,’ said head coach Glenn Kiriyama. ‘They are going to be a rough team, but we look forward to playing them.’

The first-place Retrievers have had a phenomenal record this season in the America East Conference (4-1) and overall (19-5). The team swept all three AE Conference Weekly awards last week including Rookie of the Week, Player of the Week and Setter of the Week. In their last match, UMBC beat defeated reigning AE champion Albany 3-2, the team Binghamton fell to in its last match. The Retrievers lead the Bearcats in kills, digs and assists and placed first in the conference in digs this season.

Binghamton University will need to keep an eye out for Retriever sophomore Ashley Oscars who was crowned Rookie of the Year last season and holds last week’s AE Conference title of Player of the Week. Oscars led UMBC in its matches last week, averaging league-bests in kills (4.86 kpg) and points (5.50 ppg). Another formidable opponent is Setter of the Week sophomore Kira Giles who has averaged 12.56 assists per game in the last two games, as well as 3.78 kills per game. If this was not enough, this UMBC heavy-hitter surmounted a career-high of 68 assists in the Retrievers’ win over Albany. Giles has recorded a double-double in the last three matches and totals 11 for the season.

The Bearcats, despite having lost their last home conference match against Albany, are not shaken.

‘We are just trying to play one match at a time,’ said Kiriyama. ‘They will be a challenge but ‘ we are definitely up for them.’

In order for them to succeed, they will have to play a solid defense, passing and blocking with control.

‘Hopefully if we do that well everything else will fall into place,’ explained Kiriyama.

The volleyball squad will have to rely on everyone for this match, especially their extraordinary middle hitters, who have been key in winning their victories. Both senior Jacki Kane and sophomore Dawn Lammert have taken the center stage carrying a lot of the offensive load for the team. They both lead the AE stats in blocks and in total have surmounted over 230 this season. Both Bearcats also lead the team in attacks. With 548 career blocks, Kane moves to third place on the all-time Binghamton University block list, placing her with Bearcat Alum Anne Crocus (’04).

The match will take place in the West Gym at 6 p.m. The Bearcats will then travel to Maryland to play another match against UMBC on Sunday.