Few people outside the Binghamton University volleyball team thought the Bearcats would achieve much following a 2-12 start and a fifth-place preseason ranking. But more than two months after the season’s start, the Bearcats have earned the America East’s No. 2 seed and are scheduled to face University of Maryland, Baltimore County this afternoon in the conference semifinals.
In 2011, the Bearcats failed to make it to the conference tournament after reaching it every year since 2003.
But last weekend, Binghamton (11-17, 8-4 America East) beat Stony Brook University in five sets on the road to clinch a spot in the conference championships. University of New Hampshire and University at Albany will also contend for the league title. Albany, the defending champions and the No. 1 seed, will host the tournament at its University Gym and is scheduled to face off against New Hampshire tonight at 7 p.m.
Binghamton split its regular season series with UMBC. Both teams won on their home court. If the Bearcats win, they will play the winner of the Albany-New Hampshire game in the finals, scheduled for Saturday.
“We have a history with UMBC,” head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. “We know the team pretty well. We played a couple times this year and we split. Any team can win on a given night, so we have to play well on our side in order to win.”
Prior to this weekend, there was a four-way tie for second place between UMBC, Binghamton, Stony Brook and UNH. Albany only had one loss all season.
“Once you get to the conference tournament, anything can happen,” Kiriyama said. “We just want to play two solid matches. If we can do that, I think we have a great chance at winning this championship.”
The Bearcats came a long way this season, starting off with a losing record after facing tier one teams like Tulane University and The Ohio State University early in the year. Though their 11-17 overall record isn’t pretty, their America East record of 8-4 reflects their strong play down the stretch.
“I feel really confident in my team’s ability to beat UMBC,” junior captain and middle hitter Grace Vickers said. “We match up well against them and there is so much on the line here I know we are going to play with the passion and devotion we have played with all season.”
In terms of personal triumphs, this was a huge week for the Bearcats as well. Sophomore setter Amanda Dettmann was named America East Co-Setter of the Year, becoming the first BU player to earn a major America East award since Binghamton joined the league in 2002. Kiriyama was also honored, receiving the America East Coach of the Year award for the third time in his 14-year career at Binghamton.
Play against UMBC is set for 4 p.m. today at Albany’s University Gym.