Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. – Sophomore Allison Hovie recorded two service aces on Friday night and they came at the most important moment of the evening. Hovie rose to the occasion closing the match with back-to-back aces propelling Binghamton over Albany in its 2014 America East opener. The Bearcats fought off a pair of match-points to begin conference play 1-0 in the state's capital.

"Those were some clutch serves," head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. "Allison's serves are tough to handle and she executed when it mattered most. The match really could have gone either way, but I was really proud of the way we kept fighting. The energy on the court was crucial and I thought we kept it at a high level throughout."

Despite being out hit .224-.168, the Bearcats excelled in the serve-receive game picking up 100 digs compared to the Great Danes' 92 in a match that witnessed over 400 attack attempts. Binghamton edged Albany in kills (66-63), but committed 14 more attack errors. However, the Bearcats were able to fend off the Great Danes in the crucial moments.

"We kept a lot of balls in play tonight," Kiriyama continued. "We hustled after every ball which created more opportunities for our offense. I can't say enough about the effort our entire team gave tonight; it was a great team win."

Allison Hovie tied her career-high of 19 kills, picking up her third double-double of the season adding 16 digs. Three other Bearcats registered double-digit kills as Bianca Anderson, Alexis LaGoy and Kristin Hovie each contributed critical points throughout the match. Senior setter Amanda Dettmann had a monster match with a season-high 52 assists and 15 digs. Sophomore libero Bailey Walker held down the back line with a career-high 33 digs, coming up one shy of the Binghamton single-game record. 

The opening frame set the stage for the entire match as neither team would allow the other to extend its lead to more than two. The Hovie sisters combined for eight of Binghamton's 17 kills, leading the Bearcats to the 25-23 win in the first set. With the stanza tied at 22, kills by Allison Hovie and Dettmann coupled with an Albany error sprung the Bearcats to a 1-0 advantage.

The second set was controlled by Albany after an early back-and-forth battle. The first half of the frame witnessed eight ties and three lead changes before a quick 4-0 spurt by the Great Danes created separation. Back-to-back kills from the Hovie sisters trimmed the deficit to two, 13-11, but Albany responded with a backbreaking 12-2 run to end the set and even the match at one game apiece.

Binghamton responded in an extremely tight third set in which neither team allowed much breathing room as the frame was tied 19 times. Five terminations from the right arm of Allison Hovie propelled Binghamton to a 25-23 victory in the pivotal third set. The Bearcats took a late two-point advantage on Hovie's fifth kill of the set, but Albany rallied to level the frame at 23. Consecutive kills from Megan Burgess and LaGoy handed Binghamton an essential third-set win.

Albany captured the fourth set 25-21, running out to an early lead before holding off a late Binghamton rally to extend the match to a fifth set. In the decisive fifth set, Albany saw a 7-5 advantage quickly evaporate after three straight kills by the Bearcats, two coming from LaGoy. The Great Danes fought back to regain the lead and hold match point, 14-12. However, an Allison Hovie kill coupled with an Albany error helped Binghamton fight off a pair of match-points and set up Hovie's heroics.

The Great Danes controlled the net holding a 10.0-5.0 advantage in blocks, but struggled in the service game committing 10 service errors. Burgess recorded a career-high 10 digs helping the Binghamton defense keep critical rallies alive. LaGoy continued her excellent freshman season with 11 kills and a match-high .346 hitting percentage.

Binghamton is off for a week before they continue its two-month long road trip by heading to New Hampshire on Oct. 3. The Bearcats and defending America East champions Wildcats are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve in Durham. Binghamton then heads to UMass Lowell for a match with the River Hawks on Sunday, Oct. 5.