Binghamton volleyball opened up its America East slate on Friday against Albany, dropping all three sets. Despite the sweeping loss at Albany, the Bearcats showed competitive moments throughout the match, narrowly losing the first extended set 28-26.

The first set proved to be the tightest of the match, with the score tied throughout much of the first half. After Albany (6-7, 1-0 AE) tied the set 14-14, Binghamton (5-9, 0-1 AE) embarked on a five-point run, thanks in part to three attack errors by its opponents, putting them up 19-14. The Great Danes followed with a 5-1 run of their own, bringing the score back within one, before Binghamton went on a 4-2 run, bringing the game to 24-21.

Albany scored another four in a row to go up 25-24, before Binghamton tied the score at 25, and then again at 26 after its opponents scored once more. However, the Great Danes managed to close out the set with two unanswered points, winning 28-26.

“We did some really good things, but our serve and pass game was not on point tonight, which ultimately cost us the match,” Yaeger wrote.

The second set started in Binghamton’s favor, with the two teams trading leads multiple times before the Bearcats went on a 7-1 run, going up 12-8. However, the Great Danes followed up with six unanswered points. After that run, they refused to relinquish the lead, winning the set 25-17.

Despite the loss, graduate student setter Alexandra Koleva had seven assists, one kill and one block on the set.

“[Koleva] brings a lot of experience to this program,” Yaeger wrote. “We are happy to have her for her final season and we look forward to her continuing to move our offense in the right direction.”

Set three opened with Albany taking an early 3-0 lead, and it continued to maintain control for a majority of the set. The Bearcats started to challenge with a 5-2 run after being down 13-7, bringing the score to 15-12, but trailed for the remainder of the set. Both teams traded blows, ultimately ending the set at a final score of 25-20 and cementing the sweep victory for the Great Danes.

“This was only one match,” Yaeger wrote. “We have 9 left to play. This loss was on us, which is a good thing because we control us. We beat ourselves tonight and will continue to work on us and making progress towards a championship.”

Binghamton will continue its season against Colgate on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.