Volleyball Heads Into Post-Season Looking for Fourth AE Championship

Bearcats look to continue five-game win streak

VESTAL, N.Y. - The Binghamton volleyball team (11-14, 8-4 AE) will face New Hampshire (13-13, 8-4 AE) in the America East Tournament on Friday, November 17. The semi final match is slated for a 4 p.m. start at University Gym on the campus of University of Albany.

Binghamton enters the playoffs riding a five-match win streak and has won six of their last seven. They secured the two-seed after topping Stony Brook, 3-1, this past Sunday. New Hampshire is the tournament's three-seed while Albany won the conference and Stony Brook claimed fourth place.

Coach Glenn Kiriyama has his team in the postseason for the fourth straight year and the 12th time in 16 years since joining the conference. Junior outside hitter Gaby Alicea currently leads the America East in kills (354) and kills per set average (3.69). She has been named the America East Player of the Week three times this season. Setter Sarah Ngo leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 978 assists for a 10.16 assists per set average. Senior middle hitter, Lexi LaGoy, leads the team and the conference with a .324 hitting percentage this season.

New Hampshire defeated Hartford (3-0) and UMBC (3-0) last weekend to clinch the No. 3 spot in the tournament. It mark's UNH's seventh-straight America East tournament appearance. This is the first time in four seasons New Hampshire has not claimed the AE regular season title, but UNH has won the past four conference tournaments.

Kennedi Smith leads the Wildcats with 301 kills this season and is averaging 3.34 kills per set, second in the conference to Binghamton's Gaby Alicea. Emma Patlovich and Mali Jereczek have combined for 987 assists this season while Logan Welti has picked up 403 digs.

Binghamton swept New Hampshire in a pair of matches this season. On October 1, Binghamton topped UNH 3-1 in Vestal and on October 27 the Bearcats won 3-1 in Durham.

New Hampshire ended Binghamton's season in 2016. The Wildcats topped the Bearcats 3-1 in the America East semifinals.

In the other semifinal, Albany and Stony Brook will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday also at University Gym. The winner of that contest will meet the winner of the BU-UNH match on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Binghamton has won the America East Tournament three times - 2005, 2009 and 2012.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Gaby Alicea: OH; 6' 1"; Junior

#16 Lexi LaGoy: MH; 5' 11"; Senior

#17 Sarah Ngo: S; 5' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#21 Gaby Alicea
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OH

#16 Lexi LaGoy
: 5' 11"; Senior
: MH

#17 Sarah Ngo
: 5' 8"; Senior
: S

Players Mentioned

#21 Gaby Alicea

#16 Lexi LaGoy

#17 Sarah Ngo

Players Mentioned

#21 Gaby Alicea

#16 Lexi LaGoy

#17 Sarah Ngo

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