After a difficult opening weekend to the season, Binghamton volleyball found its footing. The Bearcats went 3-0 at the Bearcat Classic this weekend, extending their winning streak to six matches and securing their second consecutive tournament sweep. The tournament also brought Binghamton home for the first time this season, with the Bearcats returning to the West Gym for the first time in three years while the Events Center remains closed for renovation.

Binghamton entered the weekend coming off a sweep at the Sacred Heart Invitational, where it defeated Central Connecticut State, Sacred Heart and Le Moyne. The turnaround gave Binghamton a noticeable boost in confidence.

“We had a lot of things go on last weekend that we weren’t really prepared for,” head coach Allie Yaeger said. “So as a team, to come out 3-0 last weekend really gave us the momentum. More confidence.”

That momentum was immediately tested Thursday against Temple.

The Bearcats took the opening set 25-21 after building an early lead and holding off a late push from the Owls. Temple responded in the second, eventually taking the set 25-22 and ending Binghamton’s short and sweet streak of consecutive sets won.

The teams battled back and forth throughout the third set. Binghamton held the advantage for much of the frame before Temple fought back to tie the score at 21-21. The teams traded points until Binghamton reached set point at 26-25, then closed out the set 27-25 on a Temple attack error.

Temple forced a fifth set with a 25-17 fourth-set victory. Binghamton, however, came out of the break with four straight points and built a 10-6 advantage. Temple continued to push, cutting the deficit to 12-11, but a kill from junior right side hitter Viktoria Dimitrova helped Binghamton regain control. The Bearcats held on for a 15-13 victory.

Yaeger said Binghamton focused on limiting its own errors and remaining aggressive when the match reached its deciding set.

“At the fifth set we were like, ‘Let’s keep the errors low on our end. Let’s make sure they make all the errors, and let’s be the more aggressive team,’ and I think we really were,” Yaeger said.

Binghamton faced another five-set battle Friday, this time against Cornell. The Bearcats took the match 25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11.

Sophomore right side hitter Maya Coblentz-Brown led Binghamton with a season-high 16 kills, and Dimitrova added 13. Junior outside hitter Magi Milicevic, who transferred to Binghamton after playing at Florida SouthWestern State College for her previous two seasons, contributed four blocks throughout the match against Big Red.

The victory extended Binghamton’s winning streak to five matches and marked its first victory over Cornell since 2014.

During the final match of the tournament, the Bearcats swept New Haven 25-19, 25-22, 25-21 Saturday afternoon. New Haven repeatedly challenged the Bearcats throughout the first two sets, but Binghamton continued to respond during long rallies and late-set pushes.

Dimitrova led the attack early, recording eight kills and two blocks in the first set alone. Sophomore middle blocker Francesca Pierdonati also made an impact at the net, contributing multiple kills and three service aces.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with the teams trading points throughout much of the frame. New Haven took a 15-13 lead before Binghamton answered with a run to regain momentum. The Bearcats eventually took a 24-22 lead, then closed the set on a New Haven error.

The weekend gave Binghamton its second consecutive tournament victory after its early-season struggle. The Bearcats have one final tournament before America East Conference play begins.

After starting the season with three straight losses, Binghamton will carry a six-match winning streak into its final nonconference tournament in Hanover, New Hampshire, for the Dartmouth tournament from Sept. 18 to 20 before beginning the America East Conference.