LOWELL, Mass.- The Binghamton volleyball clinched an America East Tournament bid Sunday, winning at UMass Lowell, 3-0, to end the regular season. BU picked up the sweep by scores of 25-14, 25-22, and 25-19, earning a spot in the postseason for the ninth time in eleven years.
 
The Bearcats grabbed control early and never let up, sweeping the seasons series with the River Hawks. In the first set, BU led, 3-2, before going on a 4-0 spurt. Sarah Ngo found Kristella Morina for two kills and then Megan Burgess served an ace. Morina and Erin Shultz combined for a block to give Binghamton a 7-2 advantage.
 
Later in the frame, Ngo assisted on a pair of Gabby Alicea points and a Bianca Anderson kill, making it 11-7. Two more Morina kills gave BU a 20-11 margin and then Alicea and Anderson each scored to push the game to set point. Ngo hit Alicea for a kill to put the Bearcats ahead, 1-0, in the match.
 
In the second set,  UMass Lowell took a 10-6 advantage, but BU responded with an immediate 5-0 run. Alicea scored, Morina posted an ace, Alicea and Anderson combined for a block, the River Hawks committed an error, and Ngo assisted on an Alicea kill for an 11-0 edge.
 
The hosts took the lead back and eventually held a 19-15 difference. Ngo rallied BU again, setting up Burgess, Shultz, and Morina for points. A Lowell miscue made it 19-all. After the home team went up, 21-20, Alicea continued her big day with another kill, tying the game. Ngo and Anderson followed with a block and then Morina registered an ace for a 23-21 advantage. A Lowell error allowed BU to get to set point, where Ngo found Anderson for a kill and a three-point victory.
 
Lowell made several errors to put Binghamton up early in the third frame, and then Shultz scored for a 6-4 lead. Morina and Ngo put down a block and another River Hawk miscue made it 8-4. Later in the set, Alicea and Burgess tallied points and then Alicea and Anderson went up for a block, putting BU up, 15-8. A Ngo ace stretched the margin and, after a Lowell error, Kasey Muchnicki found Alicea for a kill and an 18-8 lead. Morina closed things out with a pair of late kills, lifting the Bearcats to the sweep.
 
Alicea recorded 17.5 points, hitting .282 on the day. Morina put up 13.5 points on a .368 hitting percentage. Ngo dished out 39 assists and collected nine digs. Shultz added seven kills and ten digs in the win. As a team, BU hit .274 in the contest.
 
Binghamton will head back to the postseason for the second straight season.  Coach Glenn Kiriyama's squad is the fourth seed in next weekend's America East Tournament. It will face the host and regular-season champion, New Hampshire, in the semifinals on Friday, November 20 at 7 p.m.. Albany and Stony Brook will meet in the other semifinal Friday. The winners match up for the championship on Saturday.