Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLEVELAND, Ohio- The Binghamton volleyball team pushed Central Michigan to five games, but could not come away with a win, as BU fell twice Saturday afternoon at the Cleveland State Invitational. The Bearcats were also swept by the host Vikings. Sophomore Sarah Ngo was chosen for the Cleveland State Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
Coach Glenn Kiriyama had to fight back from match deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 against Central Michigan, and his squad nearly pulled out a dramatic victory. The Chippewas won by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 16-25, and 15-10.
 
CMU took a tight first frame, but BU responded in the second. The Chippewas took an early 5-2 advantage, but a 7-0 streak put Binghamton in control. Ngo hit freshman Kaelan Haag for a kill. Gabby Alicea then briefly took over the contest, tallying three kills in four BU points. An Alexis LaGoy point and a Chippewa error made it 9-5. Later in the set, Erin Shultz and Alicea each scored off Ngo assists. After CMU tied the game, Alicea scored again and Haag followed with an ace as the BU freshmen class continued to contribute.
 
With the score even at 20, Kelly Leach found Ngo for a kill and Ngo assisted on a Haag point as the Bearcats tried to put away their opponents. Shultz served an ace to make it 24-21 and a CMU serving error allowed BU to tie the match at 1. Haag, Alicea, and Shultz combined for 12 points in the set.
 
After Central Michigan took the third frame, Binghamton put together perhaps its best set of the young season in the fourth. Kristella Morina and Alicea each scored to start the action. Later, LaGoy and Haag teamed up for a block and a 5-2 advantage. Haag then finished a kill from Ngo, but the Chippewas answered with consecutive points. Ngo's assists to Shultz and LaGoy capped a 4-0 spurt to give BU a 10-5 lead. CMU called timeout and scored the next point, but the Bearcats responded by reeling off four straight points again. LaGoy and Shultz each scored, and after a CMU error, Bailey Walker served an ace for a 14-6 margin.
 
Shultz led a third 4-0 run, as the rookie recorded three kills in a row before Ngo hit Haag for a point to make it 18-7. Kills by a Shultz and Haag pushed Binghamton closer and then LaGoy, Shultz, and LaGoy again tied the match at 2 after a 25-16 decision in the set. In the frame, BU hit .452 and tallied 17 kills.
 
BU got out to a strong start in the decisive game, as Alicea scored and Walker posted an ace. A LaGoy kill made it 3-0 as CMU tried to stay in the match. A 7-0 Chippewa run turned the frame around before Alicea scored again. Central Michigan finished well, though, eventually winning by five to take the contest.
 
LaGoy put up 14.5 points, including 14 kills with no errors. She hit .700 for the match. Alicea registered 13.5 points and 15 digs, while Shultz scored 12.5 points. Ngo claimed 42 assists and eight digs and Walker added 15 digs and three aces. Haag generated nine points in her best performance of the season.
 
In the match against Cleveland State, the Vikings won by scores of 25-18, 25-11, and 25-18. BU tested the home team in the opening game, as the Bearcats went on a 5-0 spurt highlighted by a pair of Morina kills to pull Binghamton within 11-9. Morina and Ngo combined for a block and then Shultz scored, making it 12-11 CSU. BU kept working, keeping a one-point margin for much of the middle portion of the set. Cleveland State eventually came away with a 25-18 win.
 
The hosts controlled the second frame, but BU continued competing. To begin the third game, Shultz scored and then Morina and Megan Burgess teamed up for a block and a 2-0 advantage. Burgess later recorded consecutive aces to give her team a 6-5 edge. Ngo found Shultz for a pair of points, tying the frame at 9. Kills by Burgess and Ngo kept BU close as the set moved along. The Vikings put together a run to pull away, though, as they finished the match.
 
Burgess paced the team with 9.5 points, including the two aces. Ngo dished out 18 assists and Bailey Walker accumulated 14 digs. Shultz notched seven points and seven digs. Morella and Bianca Anderson each produced four block assists in the contest.   
 
Ngo earned all-tournament team recognition after logging 79 assists, 18 digs, and four aces in the three matches at CSU. The sophomore setter was also selected for the Florida Atlantic Invitational All-Tournament Team last weekend.
 
BU plays in the Cherry & White Challenge, hosted by Temple, next weekend. It faces Duquesne, Montana, and Temple on September 11-12, and then will play a neutral site contest with Towson on September 13.