VESTAL, N.Y. – With its ticket to the America East Volleyball Championship already punched, the Binghamton volleyball team (11-13, 5-4 America East) closes out its regular season at New Hampshire (9-13, 3-6 America East) at 7 p.m., Friday at Lundholm Gymnasium.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire leads the all-time series 31-22. However, the Bearcats have won the last two matches against the Wildcats dating back to 2024. In the previous matchup between these two teams in the Events Center on Oct. 17, Binghamton won a thrilling five-set match 25-21, 13-25, 9-25, 25-21, 17-15. Merima Smajlovic posted a game-high 16 kills to go along with 14 digs, while Emily Cronkhite led all players with 25 digs.
 
OUR TICKET IS PUNCHED
With New Hampshire having lost to UMBC 3-1 on Nov. 9, Binghamton secured a spot in the America East Volleyball Championship for the fourth year in a row. This marks the first time that the Bearcats have qualified for the conference tournament four years in a row since 2014-17 under previous head coach Glenn Kiriyama. The highest seed Binghamton can earn is the No. 3 seed. Binghamton gets that seed if they defeat New Hampshire and UAlbany loses to UMBC on Friday. If the Bearcats get the No. 4 seed, they would face UMBC in the semifinals.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Binghamton fell to Bryant 3-2 in their final home match of the regular season on Nov. 7. The Bearcats came back from two sets down to force a fifth set, the Bulldogs prevailed by winning the final set 15-8. Viktoria Dimitrova posted 21 kills for Binghamton, while Regan Kadel added 44 assists.
 
THE STREAK CONTINUES
Dimitrova's 21 kills against Bryant marked the third match in a row that the sophomore right side hitter put up at least 21 kills in a match. She previously put up 21 against UAlbany on Oct. 31 and a career-high 22 at NJIT on Nov. 2, resulting in her being named the Player of the Week by the America East on Nov. 4. Dimitrova is the first Bearcat to post at least 20 kills in three-consecutive matches since Tsvetelina Illieva accomplished that with a streak of four matches in a row during the 2024 season.
 
THAT'S SO REGAN
Kadel's 44 assists against the Bulldogs marked the third match in a row the sophomore setter recorded at least that many assists in a match. The prior week, the Parker, Colo., native put up 52 assists against UAlbany on Oct. 31 and a career-high 60 at NJIT on Nov. 2. Kadel is the only player in the America East to record at least 60 assists in a match this season. For her performances against UAlbany and NJIT, Kadel was named Setter of the Week by the America East on Nov. 4.
 
WE HAVE SOMEONE THERE
Cronkhite leads the America East in digs per set against conference opponents at 4.92, putting up 182 digs throughout 37 sets played. The libero/defensive specialist recorded 22 digs against Bryant on Nov. 7, becoming the first Bearcat to record at least 20 digs in three-consecutive matches since Bailey Walker posted a streak of eight matches in a row with at least 20 digs during the 2014 season. Walker ultimately finished that year with 558 digs, which remains Binghamton's single-season record.
 
ROOKIE ON THE RISE
Freshman Maya Coblentz-Brown has been named Rookie of the Week by the America East four times this season, ranking second in the conference. Coblentz-Brown is the third Bearcat to be named America East Rookie of the Week at least four times in a season. The other two are Giulia Bonifacio (seven times in 2022) and Lauren Kornmann (four times in 2016). Coblentz-Brown ranks eighth in the league in both kills per set (2.65) and hitting percentage (.270) and 10th in points per set (2.90).
 
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Smajlovic has recorded 14 double-doubles so far this season, a career high for her. She also set a new career high for kills in a season, as she enters Friday's match with 315. The senior outside hitter ranks fourth in the America East in kills per set (3.42), fifth in points per set (3.80) and sixth in digs per set (3.10).
 
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