All season long, the Binghamton University women’s volleyball team has worked toward one goal: the America East Tournament. This afternoon, the Bearcats begin their efforts of realizing that goal.

Today at 4 p.m., Binghamton (15-14, 9-3) plays third seed UMBC (18-12, 7-5). The winner will play the winner of the match between Albany and Maine in the finals to determine the America East Champions, and who will get a shot in the NCAA Tournament. All games will take place at the home of the top seed, Albany. The Bearcats and the Retrievers have already faced off twice so far this season. The Bearcats won both times in four sets, although not by large margins, so the match will not be a cakewalk.

“They’re a tough team,” Binghamton head coach Glenn Kiriyama said of UMBC. “They’re always very competitive. They’ve got some good athletes on the team. They’re one of the best serving teams in conference and one of the best blocking teams, too.”

To succeed in the match, Binghamton will have to be able to contain Alyssa Lang, a freshman outside hitter who has taken the America East by storm. She has won a conference-record eight America East Rookie of the Week honors this year and leads her team in kills. Kiriyama praised her ball control and athleticism, calling her a “good all-around player.”

However, the Bearcats have some award winners of their own. Reigning America East Player of the Week Anna Lejina, a sophomore outside hitter, and fellow sophomore outside hitter Michelle McDonough have each been named Player of the Week twice this year. Another sophomore, setter Lindsey Mueller, has been named Setter of the Week three times. According to Kiriyama, the keys to the Bearcats’ last win against UMBC were consistent blocking and strong serving streaks.

Binghamton will likely have to repeat that performance if they wish to make it to the finals. No matter what happens this weekend, the Bearcats have accomplished a great deal in conference play. Despite starting the year with a very poor 4-11 record, Binghamton used a strong conference performance to push its record all the way back above .500, which was no small feat.

If Binghamton defeats UMBC, it will play in the conference finals on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Albany. However, BU knows better than to look past their current opponent.

“It’s going to be a tight game,” Kiriyama said. “Both matches were very close, and we’re just fortunate to come out on top both times. So we know we’ve got our work cut out for us, and we’ve just got to prepare as well as we can.”