After dropping its last match on the road, the Binghamton women’s volleyball team returned to the Events Center, defeating visitors UNH in five sets on Friday night. After a first set victory, the Bearcats lost two straight sets, but Binghamton rebounded with two consecutive set victories of its own and claimed the win over the Wildcats.

Binghamton (8-11, 3-2 AE) opened the match with energy, winning the first point and quickly building a 3-1 lead over UNH (8-10, 2-3 AE). Senior outside hitter Merima Smajlovic delivered an early kill, and freshman middle blocker Francesca Pierdonati followed with a service ace. Despite some defensive inconsistencies, the Bearcats held off a late push from the Wildcats to take the opening set 25-21.

The second and third sets saw the momentum shift in favor of UNH as the Wildcats responded with aggressive blocking and improved court coverage, forcing the Bearcats into errors and limiting their offensive rhythm. The Bearcats struggled to adjust, and the Wildcats capitalized on long rallies and tight net play to take control, winning the second and third sets 25-13 and 25-9.

“We’re kinda in and out of the 5-1 and a 6-2 constantly this year, so we went back to a 5-1 and that seemed to work,” said head coach Allie Yaeger. “We got a little momentum, so I’d say that definitely helped. We were a little more error-free in the fourth set — that really helped us.”

The fourth set marked a turning point for the Bearcats as graduate student setter Alexandra Koleva and senior libero/defensive specialist Emily Cronkhite helped stabilize the team’s communication. Freshman middle blocker Hannah Olmstead contributed key blocks leading to point collection.

The Bearcats went on to erase their 9-5 deficit to tie the score at 18-18, then pulled ahead with a service ace delivered by Koleva. A late kill from Smajlovic sealed the Bearcats’ 25-21 win in the fourth set.

“You know, [Smajlovic] was really consistent for us tonight,” Yaeger said. “She just was really consistent. She led us with 16 kills, and with her, you kind of always know what you’re going to get, and that’s consistency. So it’s not necessarily that one player made a huge difference to spark our comeback, it was more the consistency of a couple players, and [Smajlovic] led that for us.”

The fifth set was tightly contested from start to finish. Both teams traded points, with neither side pulling a heavy lead. Sophomore outside hitter Briana Binagi added a service ace, and Pierdonati kept the Bearcats in the match with multiple kills. Koleva exited the set with an injury, but the Bearcats maintained composure.

In a back-and-forth fifth set, the Bearcats battled to an 11-10 lead when the Wildcats embarked on a 3-0 run. Binghamton fought back to tie it once more at 13-13, before UNH retook the lead on the following point.

At 14-13, a controversial call initially awarded the match point to UNH. After a referee review, the point was reversed, tying the score at 14. The Bearcats capitalized on the moment, securing the final three points to close out the set 17-15 and picking up the win.

“We have to get our matches at home, they’re so important if we want to go there and make the playoffs, and continue to make the playoffs and go to the championships,” Yaeger said. “This is just so important, this match, and the girls know the importance of it, especially coming off the road loss against Bryant.”

Binghamton will compete in its final nonconference match of the season when it takes on New Haven on Wednesday, Oct. 22. First serve is set for 6 p.m. at the Hazell Center in West Haven, Connecticut.