VESTAL, N.Y.- The Binghamton volleyball team heads to the Cornell Invitational this weekend to wrap up its non-conference tournament schedule for 2015. The Bearcats face the Big Red on Friday, September 18, at 7 p.m. and then take on Loyola-Chicago at 11 a.m. and Seton Hall at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 19. All matches will be held at Newman Arena.
 
Cornell is hosting its homecoming this weekend, so fans are encouraged to arrive early. Parking will be limited on campus. Further details can be found in the link at the top of this release.
 
BU won two matches at the Cherry & White Challenge last weekend, defeating both Duquesne and Montana in five sets. In the win over Duquesne, Binghamton won the fourth game to force a fifth, where it came away with a dramatic 20-18 victory. Junior Bailey Walker set a Division 1 program record with 40 digs and sophomore Sarah Ngo recorded a career-high-tying 55 assists.
 
The next day, the Bearcats dropped the first two sets to Montana. They turned the contest around, though, rallying to take the final three frames. It marked BU's first win after trailing 0-2 in a match since September 19, 2012, when it beat Syracuse. Freshman Gabby Alicea led with 14.5 points, while Alexis LaGoy put up 14 and Megan Burgess scored 13.5 in the win.
 
In 2015, Coach Glenn Kiriyama's squad has featured a balanced attack, as four Bearcats have scored at least 81 points. Alicea leads the team with 100.5 points, including a team-high 85 kills. Burgess, a senior, follows with 98.5 points, including 21 block assists, tied for second-most on the roster. Freshman Erin Shultz is next with 97.5 points. Kristella Morina has added 81 points, as she has tallied 38 total blocks, most on the team.
 
Walker is averaging 5.12 digs per set, best in the America East this year. The reigning America East Defensive Specialist of the Week also leads BU with 11 aces. Ngo has dished out 343 assists and collected 118 digs. She has been chosen to the all-tournament team at each of Binghamton's first three weekends.
 
Cornell has a 3-4 record this season. It went 1-3 last weekend at the Jack Kaiser Classic, hosted by St. John's. The Big Red dropped four-game decisions to San Francisco, Central Connecticut State, and St. John's before winning in five sets against George Mason. Emily Wemhoff paces Cornell with 81 points, while setter Alyssa Phelps has 205 assists. Trudy Vande Berg is in her first season as head coach.
 
Loyola-Chicago is 8-2 in 2015. It won four matches at the Valparaiso Popcorn Classic last weekend, beating Elon, Savannah State, Kennesaw State, and Valparaiso. Morgan Reardon has scored a team-high 116 points. Caroline Holt and Maddy Moser have split time at setter, combining for 380 assists this year. Head coach Chris Muscat is in his fourth season at Loyola.
 
Seton Hall has a 4-5 mark. It lost all three of its outings at the Louisville Invitational last weekend, falling to Ohio, Louisville, and Utah. Sophia Coffey leads the Pirates with 308 helpers in nine contests. Cherise Hennigan tops the team with 106.5 points. Head coach Allison Yaeger is in the midst of her fourth season at SHU.
 
BU has won five of its last seven meetings with Cornell, including a sweep of the Big Red last season. Burgess led Binghamton with 15.5 points in the victory. The Bearcats have never faced Loyola-Chicago and fell in five sets in 2012 in their only previous matchup with Seton Hall.