DURHAM, N.H. - Binghamton volleyball (10-4, 1-0 America East) amassed 47 kills, hit .302 and stifled host New Hampshire (11-6, 1-1 AE) 3-0 in its conference opener Sunday afternoon at Lundholm Gym. The Bearcats won 25-19, 25-22, 25-20 to pin the first home loss of the season on the Wildcats. The win was Binghamton's third straight and it snapped UNH's six-match win streak.

In a matchup of the top two offensive teams in the conference, junior Tsvetelina Ilieva and freshman Giulia Bonifacio put down 15 kills apiece to lead BU's attack. Bonifacio hit .440, Ilieva hit .293 and the pair combined for 14 digs as BU complemented its offense by holding UNH's attack to just .177 efficiency. Freshman setter Lottie Scully had a double-double with team-highs of 34 assists and 12 digs in another strong showing.

"I'm very happy with our performance today," head coach Allie Yaeger said. "Getting that first conference win can sometimes be the hardest. We did our homework and put in the time to figure out how to defend the New Hampshire offense. We played simple, focused and error-free. We are learning to play together and trust one another. I am very proud of the girls and their focus this season. They know they have to fight for every point ... nothing is given. Our execution was very good today."

The statement win pushed BU six wins over the .500 mark for the first time since its championship season in 2005 and also snapped a eight-game losing streak head-to-head against UNH. It was BU's first 3-0 win over New Hampshire since 2009. 

In the opening set, BU broke away from a 13-13 tie, thanks to a 6-1 run that featured two kills from Ilieva. UNH pulled to within two, 19-17, but a Bonifacio kill restored BU's cushion and a kill from sophomore Stefana Stan and an ace from freshman libero Madison Konopka wrapped up the set. 

In Game 2, BU used an 11-5 run to stretch a 7-5 lead to 18-10. The Wildcats cut their deficit to one, 23-22, before a UNH service error and kill by junior hitter Stephanie Gatto sealed the set for the Bearcats. 

In the final set, BU used an 11-4 run to erase an early deficit and closed it out with two kills from Bonifacio. Binghamton collected 18 kills and hit .485 in the clinching set.



The Bearcats host defending conference champion UMBC at 7 p.m. Friday at West Gym.