Home or away, all Binghamton volleyball knew this weekend was winning.

The Bearcats (14-15, 8-2 AE) swept both Stony Brook (12-15, 5-5 AE) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (12-14, 5-5 AE), in three straight games, putting UMBC in third place in the conference standings, ahead of the Seawolves by just one in the loss column. The Bearcats sit in second after the weekend action.

It was appropriate that on Friday night, in their last game at the West Gym, the seniors led the Bearcats to victory and extended the team’s home winning streak to 13 games. BU’s enthusiasm and turnout of over 300 proved to be too much for Stony Brook, as the Bearcats swept the Seawolves by the scores 30-28, 30-25, 30-17.

The Bearcats trailed by two points for most of the first game, but the team went on a 10-point run and pulled in front of the Seawolves at 25-24. Stony Brook came back to tie it at 28, but junior Kathleen Schauer slammed down a kill for the win.

In the second match, the teams went point for point until BU was able to pull away to a 25-21 lead and then took the win. Stony Brook had a poor showing in the third game, posting a -.091 hitting percentage.

“That’s just how Stony Brook plays; if you overwhelm them, they get frustrated and shut down,” said setter Ashley Meffert.

The seniors posted some impressive statistics on Senior Night. Team captain Megan Hoag had 12 kills and an unheard of .647 clip. Meffert recorded her 11th double-double of the year with 19 digs and 31 assists, and outside hitter Katie Robertson added 10 kills. Junior Jacki Kane also contributed with 10 blocks.

Stony Brook’s star hitter, Morgan Sweany, failed to display the talent that has her ranked second in the conference in kills. She had 10 attack errors and was held to a lowly .089 hitting percentage. Her teammates did not fare any better, as the team posted a .098 overall clip.

“I think that Friday was a huge win for us since we lost to Stony Brook on the road earlier in the season,” said sophomore Katherine Courage. “It was nice to go in and play like we did because it shows Stony Brook that they really need to watch out for us in conference play.”

On Sunday the Bearcats traveled to Maryland, where they steam-rolled to a three-game sweep by the scores 30-18, 30-19, 30-17.

“We took the fire that we were playing with on Friday night down to Maryland and just ran with it,” Meffert said.

UMBC never had a chance, as the Bearcats jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first game and never looked back. BU had just seven attack errors and a .346 clip to UMBC’s 37 attack errors and .062 clip.

“I think I only had four digs on the night because the blocking was so great and UMBC was having such a difficult time getting the ball over the net,” Courage said.

Hoag had three service aces and Robertson had an impressive .571 hitting percentage, along with eight kills on the night.

The Bearcats’ final two games of the season come on the road against New Hampshire and Maine as teams prepare for the America East playoffs.

EXTRA BOX:

With the two wins this weekend, BU secured at least a second-place seed for the conference championship. If Albany (16-9, 9-2 AE) falls to Stony Brook this coming weekend, the Bearcats could reclaim first place and bring the conference playoffs to the West Gym, but chances are the team will once again have to make the trek across Route 88 to prove their worth.