The Bearcats are set to kick off conference play at home this weekend against defending America East champion University at Albany.
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The Binghamton University volleyball team is set to face Cornell University in its final non-conference game tonight before hosting the defending conference champion University at Albany on Sunday.

The season has recently taken a turn for the better for the Bearcats (7-9). After losing the first five games of the season, the BU team has bounced back and won seven of the last 11 games, including victories over Howard University, Princeton University and Rutgers University. Even so, head coach Glenn Kiriyama still sees room for improvement.

“We’re far from where we want to be,” he said. “We’ve got many things to work on, and we are working very hard to improve in serving, receiving serves and blocking.”

Tonight, the team is scheduled to travel to Ithaca to face Cornell (2-8) as the Big Red comes off a three-game losing streak. When the two teams face off, the Big Red will be nearly two weeks removed from its last win, which came against North Carolina A&T State University on Sept. 10.

Binghamton will come into the matchup looking to notch its second consecutive victory after sweeping St. Francis College at last weekend’s Columbia Invitational in New York City. The Bearcats had dropped the previous three games of the tournament, ending a season-best four-game winning streak.

The game represents a final chance for the Bearcats and their six newcomers to improve team chemistry and better their record before conference play begins.

Following their trip to Ithaca, the Bearcats are set to return home on Sunday for their conference opener against defending AE champion University at Albany (7-7). The 2011 America East Preseason Coaches Poll picked the Great Danes to win the conference for the sixth time in eight years, with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County coming in second with two fewer total points. Binghamton was picked to finish in third, receiving the last of the first place votes that had been split between Albany and UMBC.

Kiriyama mentioned that the team’s performance on Sunday against the preseason favorite would give a good indication of its capabilities.

“We’re still working to improve ourselves,” he said. “It’s a tough game against a top team, and it’s going to give us a good indication of where we are at and how far we need to go.”

The Bearcats will look to veterans like senior Julie Chambers, junior middle blocker Alex Roland and sophomore libero Xiomara Ortiz to provide this new-look team with leadership and much-needed match experience. According to Kiriyama, the entire team is in good shape, healthy and very much looking forward to the commencement of the conference play.

Albany is in great form and will likely bring a high level of confidence into the match, having notched wins in six of its last seven matches after enduring a bumpy 1-6 start to the season.

The last time the two teams faced off at the end of last season, Albany came away with a dramatic 3-2 victory. The Bearcats hold a poor record against Albany overall, having won only one of the last nine matches. Kiriyama acknowledges that his team is fully expecting a tough weekend as a result.

“Honestly, it would be a big boost to the team [if we win the game],” he said. “Albany is a solid team and tough competition, so it would be a big win for us, but we know we have our work cut out for us on Sunday.”

Action is set to kick off at 7 p.m. tonight in Ithaca against Cornell before the Bearcats return home for a 5 p.m. start against Albany on Sunday in the West Gym.