Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Binghamton volleyball team fell in a pair of matches at the Black Knights Invitational, Saturday at Army's Gillis Field House. The Bearcats dropped both matches in four sets as Binghamton was defeated by Oakland University before falling to the host Black Knights. Binghamton completes play at the tournament against Holy Cross at 11 a.m. Sunday.

"We had some trouble executing offensively," head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. "We played well at times, but we just couldn't keep up the intensity level. The team played hard throughout which was good to see, but we had a few mental lapses that hurt us at crucial moments of both matches. We will have to step it up tomorrow and work hard to come out with a win."

Binghamton sprinted out to a 10-5 lead in the opening frame against Army. Senior Amanda Dettmann and freshman Alexis LaGoy each had a pair of kills to spark the Bearcats' run. Army immediately answered with a 6-1 run to level the frame at 11. From there, the two units battled back-and-forth until the stanza was tied at 21. Binghamton then exploded for four straight kills from Megan Burgess, Kelly Leach, Dettmann and LaGoy to close out the set, 25-21. Burgess and LaGoy combined for nine kills in the first set.

Following an evenly played set throughout the early stages of the second set, Army pushed ahead thanks to a steady defense that limited Binghamton to a .129 hitting clip. Four straight kills by the Black Knights opened a 17-12 advantage. From that point Army never looked back tying the match at one game apiece, 25-20.

Army hit a blistering .655 in the pivotal third set en route to a 25-15 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Binghamton hit a match-high .296 during the frame committing just two attack errors, but the Black Knights were too much scoring 21 of their 25 points on kills.

Binghamton looked to extend the match to a fifth frame in the fourth set, but Army jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never let the Bearcats get any closer than four. LaGoy registered four terminations during the set as Binghamton made a late surge fighting off a pair of match-points before succumbing to Army.

Burgess led Binghamton with a team-high 14 kills. LaGoy finished with 11 kills and a season-high .556 hitting percentage. Dettmann handed out 37 assists while adding eight digs. Leach, who filled in for an injured Allison Hovie in the starting lineup, chipped in a team-high 11 digs to go along with her four kills.
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OAKLAND 3, BINGHAMTON 1
Despite controlling much of the pivotal third set, Binghamton attack errors hampered the Bearcats as Oakland utilized a 9-3 run to capture a crucial 2-1 lead and ease to the four-set victory, Saturday afternoon from Gillis Field House. The Bearcats (1-8) fell to the Horizon League member from Michigan 25-14, 18-25, 25-23 and 25-11, in their opening match of the Black Knight Invitational.

Oakland controlled the opening set from the start peppering Bingamton with 15 kills and a .343 hitting percentage. The Golden Grizzlies took an early 6-1 lead and never looked back. Senior Kristin Hovie connected on three of her team-high eight kills in the frame, to pull the Bearcats within two, 11-9. However, an overpowering 11-3 run by Oakland ended the set quickly, 25-14.

Binghamton answered early in the second set as a pair of kills by junior Megan Burgess handed the Bearcats a four-point lead. Oakland trimmed the lead to one, but Binghamton responded with a 6-1 run highlighted terminations from Hovie and freshman Alexis LaGoy. The Golden Grizzlies committed nine attack errors during the frame leading to a .125 hitting clip. Binghamton leveled the match at one set apiece thanks to 12 kills on a .455 attack percentage.

In the momentum-driven third set, Oakland pushed out to a five-point lead midway through the stanza. Binghamton found themselves down 15-10, when the Bearcats embarked on an emphatic 10-1 run to seize a 20-16 lead. LaGoy registered three of her seven kills during the run. Army answered with a back-breaking 9-3 run however, evening the frame three times before back-to-back Binghamton errors handed Oakland a 2-1 lead, 25-23.

Oakland dominated the final frame on the strength of a .419 attack percentage while limiting Binghamton to a negative hitting clip. The Bearcats evened the frame early, but a resounding 13-4 Golden Grizzlies run opened up a 10-point lead for Oakland. Binghamton managed just three kills on 26 attack attempts during the set.

The Bearcats were unable to capitalize on 10 service errors committed by the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland was efficient on the back line picking up 54 digs, which led to 24 more attack attempts than the Bearcats. The Golden Grizzlies recorded 60 kills on the afternoon while holding the Bearcats to just 34 terminations.

Burgess also finished the match with a team-high eight kills registering a potent .400 hitting percentage. Senior setter Amanda Dettmann handed out 30 assists adding five digs. Sophomore Bailey Walker recorded a team-high 14 digs from the libero position.