VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton volleyball plays its final non-conference opponent of the season when the Bearcats (11-5) head to Hamilton to face Patriot League power Colgate (14-4) Wednesday night. The teams will tangle at Cotterell Court at 7 p.m. in a match broadcast on ESPN+. 

The Bearcats are coming off a 1-1 weekend of America East play. After pushing two-time defending conference champion UMBC to a fifth set in a Friday loss, BU rebounded for a 3-0 road win at NJIT on Sunday. The victory was Binghamton's fourth in its last five matches and kept the Bearcats in a share for second place in the early season standings. 

Junior hitter Tsvetelina Ilieva is coming off a strong week that saw the BU newcomer compile 36 kills with only three errors. She has double-digit kills in 12 matches and ranks third in the America East in kills (3.6/set), aces (25) and points (4.34/set). Freshman setter Lottie Scully has eight double-doubles and ranks fourth in assists (8.07/set) - first among freshmen. 

Binghamton leads the America East in hitting percentage (.246), opponent hitting percentage (.161) and blocks (2.53/set). Under first-year coach Allie Yaeger, BU has already surpassed the win total of the last three seasons combined. 

Colgate is the reigning Patriot League champion and sits atop the league currently with a 7-1 mark. The Raiders have won 12 of their last 13 matches, are 4-0 at home and have already handled America East frontrunners UMBC (W 3-0) and Albany (W 3-1) earlier in the fall. The team returns three linchpins from its 18-win team that rolled to a Patriot League title in 2021. Graduate student and two-time Patriot League Setter of the Year Julia Kurowski has more than 3,500 career assists and is a three-time first team all-conference selection. Junior outside hitter Libby Overmyer is a reigning first team all-conference choice and sophomore hitter Abby Shadwick leads the team with 180 kills (3.05/set). 

Binghamton holds a 7-4 lead in the all-time series, but the teams haven't met in nine years. Colgate snapped a seven-match BU win streak head-to-head in 2008 and the Raiders have now won three straight in the series.