Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

AKRON, Ohio - The Binghamton volleyball team was defeated in its final two matches of the Akron Invitational, Saturday at the James A. Rhodes Arena. The Bearcats (0-7) lost to Bryant and Drake in hard-fought four-set matches. All four of Binghamton's defeats at the tournament were in four sets.

"It was a tough day for us," head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. "We hit well at times but didn't play good enough defense to sustain any momentum. There were some nice performances this weekend, especially from a few of our freshman, so that is good to see. However, we have a lot of work to do to become a more consistent team. We will try to capitalize on the positives and learn from our mistakes.

In Binghamton's first match of the day, the Bearcats fell to Northeast Conference member Bryant 22-25, 25-17, 25-15 and 25-14, dropping their sixth straight contest to begin the season. Binghamton is 2-4 all-time against Bryant with all five previous meetings coming during the Bearcats' Division II tenure.

Bryant limited Binghamton to a .144 hitting percentage while the Bulldogs connected on 35 percent of their attacks. The Bearcats 26 attack errors hampered their offense while Bryant misfired just 10 times. BU struggled at the net registering just three blocks while the Bulldogs compiled nine. Binghamton came into the weekend averaging 1.78 blocks per set, ranking third in the America East.

Binghamton sprinted out of the gates against Bryant taking the opening set 25-22. The Bearcats were led by freshman Alexis LaGoy, who connected on five of her match-high 15 kills during the frame. Sophomore Allison Hovie also had five terminations during the first set, in which Binghamton hit .342. The Bearcats trailed early in the frame, but went on a 9-3 run sparked by back-to-back kills from LaGoy. From there, the Bearcats would not relinquish the lead as 18 termination led Binghamton to the one-set-to-none advantage. Senior setter Amanda Dettmann handed out 17 of her 39 assists during the frame.

Bryant turned up the defense in the second set limiting Binghamton to a negative attack percentage. LaGoy continued to have the hot hand, registering four kills during the frame. Consecutive errors by the Bulldogs helped the Bearcats even the stanza at 10. A Megan Burgess ace kept BU in the set, but a 7-0 Bryant run led the Bulldogs to a 25-17 second-set victory.

After dropping the third set 25-15, Binghamton utilized a 4-1 run capped by a LaGoy kill to level the fourth at 10. Bryant scored the next five points and began pulling away from Binghamton. A pair of kills by Allison Hovie gave the Bearcats life, but it wasn't enough as Bryant closed out the match with a 25-14 victory in the final frame.

Senior Kristin Hovie finished the match with 12 kills, eight digs and three service aces while Allison Hovie chipped in nine terminations and six digs. Sophomore Bailey Walker recorded a team-high 17 digs.

In Binghamton's final match of the tournament, the Bearcats fell to Missouri Valley Conference member Drake 25-11, 23-25, 27-25 and 25-21. Binghamton fell to the Bulldogs in the two programs first-ever meeting.

The Bearcats committed 26 attack errors for the second straight match, again hindering their offense from gaining any momentum. Binghamton hit at a .147 clip while Drake registered a .245 attack percentage. The Bearcats struggled in the service game as the Bulldogs recorded 11 aces while BU committed seven service errors.

Drake handled Binghamton in the opening set 25-11, thanks to a staggering .667 hitting clip. The Bearcats regained their footing in the second set jumping out to a 5-1 lead behind back-to-back aces by Dettmann. Drake would tie the set seven times, but Binghamton held the Bulldogs at bay leading the frame from start to finish. Freshman Kristella Morina had her best match of her young career coming up with three critical kills. Morina's termination with the frame tied at 23 propelled the Bearcats to a 25-23 second-set victory.

The third set witnessed a back-and-forth struggle as the frame was tied 18 times with neither team giving up much breathing room. The Bearcats broke an 11-11 tie thanks to three straight attack errors by the Bulldogs. A Kristin Hovie kill gave Binghamton the largest lead for either team, 17-12, but Drake responded with a 5-0 run to even the stanza. Kills by Burgess and Kristin Hovie handed Binghamton a pair of set-points, but Drake was able to fight off the Bearcats for the 27-25 victory in the third set.

Binghamton, poised to extend the match to a fifth set, led most of the fourth set thanks to a defense that limited Drake to a .093 hitting percentage. However, Drake rallied from a late deficit to go on a 5-0 run and take control of the frame.

Terminations by LaGoy and Dettmann pulled BU within striking distance but it was too late as Drake to the final set, 25-21.

Kristin Hovie, Morina and Burgess each finished the match with a team-high 10 kills. Dettmann, who was named to the all-tournament team, handed out 40 assists and added eight digs.
Binghamton will head to the Capital Region on Tuesday, Sept. 9 for its annual match with MAAC member Siena. Last season, the Bearcats defeated the Saints in straight sets in Vestal. Binghamton holds an 11-3 record against Siena since elevating to the Division I level in 2001.