VESTAL, N.Y. - The Binghamton University volleyball team will kick off its season Sunday with two home matches at the West Gym against Albany and UMBC. The matches will be part of a round-robin competition between the three squads. BU will open against the Retrievers at 11 a.m. and will close the day with a tilt against the Great Danes beginning at 7 p.m. Albany and UMBC will also square off in a match at 3 p.m.

Bearcats Return Top Performers

• Binghamton will rely on their top two kill leaders from 2019 in Francela Ulate and Audrey Haworth to carry the offense again this season. The duo combined for 328 kills and 238 digs, as they both were relied on in the back.

• Ulate led the America East conference in service ace percentage in 2019, while Kiara Adams dished out 492 assists to lead the Bearcats.

• Anna Sprys and Elis Gadelha were 4th and 7th in blocks per set, and will combine with Tyra Wilson to form a strong trio of middle blockers this season.

• Freshmen outside hitters Stefana Stan and Stephanie Gatto will look to make their Bearcats debuts.

UMBC Starts 3-0

• UMBC is 3-0 overall, and their 2-0 conference record is good enough for an early tie at the top of the America East standings.

• Darina Kumanova had 32 kills and 29 digs in a two-match sweep of Stony Brook last weekend, and leads the conference in kills per set this season.

• Aysia Miller has dished out 142 assists so far, while capturing two consecutive America East Setter of the Week awards.

• Loren Teter had a career-high 26 digs on Sunday, 10th most in UMBC history for a single match, and took home her first Defensive Specialist of the Week award.

Albany joins UMBC at the top

• Albany has started the season with a 3-1 record, and is tied with UMBC at 2-0 in America East play.

• Noa Branch and Kamara Kelly each had 15 kills to power the Great Danes to victory in their previous match against New Hampshire. Branch currently leads the conference with a .511 hitting percentage.

• Danielle Tedesco earned America East Player of the Week and Charlotte Macken earned Defensive Specialist of the Week after their performances in two matches against Sacred Heart on February 20th. 

How to Follow

All three matches Sunday will be streamed through America East TV. The links are provided above and Binghamton's match links are available on the team schedule. Updates and in-match highlights can be found on the new Binghamton Volleyball Twitter account.