The West Gym erupted as sophomore outside hitter Gaby Alicea earned a kill to give the Binghamton volleyball team the first point in its home opener. After that, though, the Bearcats (6-8, 0-1 America East) didn’t give the raucous crowd much to cheer for as they fell to University at Albany, 3-1.
“Being the first home game, [we] were really excited to get things going here,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “They were pumped up, the crowd was good; we just couldn’t keep up the steam.”
From the start, both teams were evenly matched and went back and forth in the first set. BU took a 24-22 lead courtesy of a kill by senior middle hitter Bianca Anderson. However, the Great Danes (7-6, 1-0 AE) did not back down, fighting off three match points before finally capturing the first set, 27-25.
“We just really have to clean things up a lot,” Kiriyama said. “Hitting wasn’t very good tonight.”
Albany got stronger as the match went on, the Great Danes dominating the second set and cruising to a 25-14 victory, virtually taking the crowd out of the game.
The Bearcats had something left in the tank, though, competing hard to start the third set. With a 15-12 lead, BU went on a 5-0 run, sparked by junior setter Sarah Ngo. Binghamton failed to let Albany complete the comeback this time, taking the set, 25-21.
Albany, however, was unfazed by the Bearcats’ third-set triumph. The fourth set mirrored the second, as the Great Danes were in control from the start. They outplayed the Bearcats, capturing the match-clinching set, 25-12.
“They’re a solid team,” Kiriyama said. “They have some veterans at the key positions so they’re a tough team to stop.”
The key to the Great Danes’ success were the adjustments they made throughout the match. After recording just one block in the first set, the Great Danes improved their defensive game. They had 15 blocks the rest of the way, including six in their impressive last set.
The Bearcats’ limited success prior to their matchup with Albany was due largely to their versatile offense. Binghamton has four players who are a threat to kill the ball, led by freshman outside hitter Lauren Kornmann. The Great Danes’ blocking dominance, however, made BU’s attack an inconsistent threat.
“We’ve got to get our middle [hitters] more involved,” Kiriyama said. “It means we’ve got to control the ball better on our side.”
Kornmann performed well despite the Great Danes’ loaded front line. She was blocked four times but still led the Bearcats with 12 kills.
“We’ve got to get [Kornmann] different plays,” Kiriyama said. “It was like the same thing over and over out there.”
The Bearcats were their own worst enemy, committing 33 errors — the most they have committed all season. Since the match was just the first of the conference season, Kiriyama hopes his team can learn from this game and improve in several areas.
“We’ve got to serve better, we definitely have to pass better … and hopefully that will help our hitting,” he said.
Binghamton is set to play Hartford on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the West Gym in Vestal, New York.