Binghamton volleyball split its final two matches at the Dartmouth Invitational after opening the weekend with a win over the host Big Green, finishing the tournament 2-1 and improving to 8-4 on the season.

The Bearcats began the weekend Friday with a 3-1 victory over Dartmouth, extending their winning streak to seven matches. Binghamton followed with a straight-set loss to Boston College on Saturday, ending the longest winning streak of the season. The Bearcats bounced back Sunday, defeating Quinnipiac 3-2 in a five-set battle to close the weekend tournament.

Against Dartmouth, Binghamton controlled much of the match behind a strong defensive performance. The Bearcats finished with 16 blocks compared to Dartmouth’s four, with sophomore middle blocker Hannah Olmstead leading the team with seven blocks for the second consecutive match. Junior setter Regan Kadel also helped guide the offense with 35 assists, while junior outside hitter Magi Milicevic recorded her first Division I double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs.

Binghamton took the first set 25-16 after breaking open a close 11-10 score with an 11-3 run. Dartmouth answered by taking the second set 26-24, but the Bearcats regained control in the third and took the fourth set 27-25. The final frame featured 19 tie scores and 10 lead changes before Binghamton closed out the match with consecutive blocks from Olmstead and Kadel.

The Bearcats did not manage to carry that momentum into Saturday’s matchup with Boston College, falling 25-12, 25-21 and 25-19.

Despite the loss, junior outside hitter Briana Binagi provided an electric performance. She recorded a career-high five service aces, including four during a six-point run in the second set that gave the Bearcats an 8-5 lead and forced a Boston College timeout. Binagi’s performance gave Binghamton a spark in a set where it briefly took control before the Eagles pulled away late.

Olmstead added four blocks against Boston College, continuing to show her strong defensive front over the course of the weekend. Binghamton stayed within four points of the Eagles late in the third set, but Boston College scored the final two points to complete the sweep.

With the loss behind them, the Bearcats entered Sunday’s match against Quinnipiac looking for a response. Binghamton took the opening set 25-16 before Quinnipiac rallied to win the next two. The Bobcats came back from an 18-23 deficit in the second set to take it 27-25, then used a 15-4 run in the third set to pull ahead.

The Bearcats refused to let the match slip away. After trading leads throughout the fourth set, Binghamton reached a 23-23 tie before junior outside hitter Viktoria Dimitrova and Olmstead delivered late points to force a fifth set. Binghamton then opened the deciding frame with a 6-1 lead and held on after Quinnipiac cut the deficit to one. Binagi finished the match with the final kill, securing Binghamton’s eighth win in its last nine matches.

Head coach Allie Yaeger credited the team’s response after Sunday’s win.

“It was a bounce back type of match for us today,” Yaeger wrote. “We did not play our best against Boston College, but it was all about how we responded today.”

That response included stronger defensive play and smarter decisions, according to Yaeger. Binghamton also produced one of its most memorable defensive sequences of the weekend when sophomore libero and defensive specialist Eve Roman dove to keep a ball alive against Quinnipiac before Binagi chased it down near the judge’s stand and kept it in play with one hand. The Bearcats eventually went on to win the point after an attack error by Quinnipiac.

The Bearcats will now shift their attention to America East play as conference competition opens Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. against the University of New Hampshire at Lundholm Gymnasium, looking to carry their strong nonconference play into the conference season.