VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton volleyball team (11-12, 5-3 America East) looks to clinch a spot in the America East Volleyball Championship as the Bearcats host Bryant (14-11, 5-3 America East) in their final home match of the regular season at 6 p.m., Friday at the Events Center. With a win on Friday, Binghamton would qualify for the conference tournament for the fourth year in a row.
 
Friday's match is also Senior Day for the Bearcats. After the match, Binghamton will honor Emily Cronkhite, Alexandra Koleva and Merima Smajlovic for their contributions on and off the court. Admission to Friday's match is free on behalf of Hinman, Howard & Katell, LLP.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES VS. BRYANT
Bryant leads the all-time series 8-6. In the previous matchup between the two teams earlier this season on Oct. 12, Bryant swept Binghamton in straight sets in Rhode Island. The Bearcats, however, have won five of their last seven matches against the Bulldogs dating back to 2022, outscoring Bryant 17-9 during that stretch.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Binghamton won both of their matches last weekend to put itself over .500 in America East Conference play. The Bearcats first defeated UAlbany on Oct. 31, before taking down NJIT 3-2 on Nov. 2. With those two victories, Binghamton has won six of its last eight matches.
 
AND THE WINNER IS…
On Tuesday, Binghamton received three out of a potential four weekly awards from the America East. The last time the Bearcats earned three conference awards in one week was Nov. 12, 2024. Viktoria Dimitrova was named Player of the Week, while Regan Kadel was chosen as Setter of the Week. It is the first time that either player received their respective award. Additionally, Maya Coblentz-Brown was named the Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season.
 
VIKTORY IS OURS
Last weekend, Dimitrova became the only player in the America East to post at least 20 kills in back-to-back matches this season. The sophomore first put up 21 kills against UAlbany on Friday, adding 12 digs for what was her third double-double of the season. Shen then recorded a career-high 22 kills in Binghamton's win against NJIT on Sunday.
 
THAT'S SO REGAN
Kadel's conference honor followed her putting up two of her strongest performances last weekend. Against UAlbany, Kadel set a new career high with 52 assists. The sophomore followed that up with a new career high of 60 assists against NJIT. Kadel is the only player in the America East to post 60 assists in a match this season. She is also the first Bearcat to accomplish that since Lottie Scully put up 64 against UMBC on Oct. 30, 2022. Kadel has risen to sixth in the America East in assists per set at 5.82.
 
ROOKIE ON THE RISE
Coblentz-Brown recorded a combined 29 kills and a hitting percentage of .381 en route to being named Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season. Her four selections this season rank 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 kills per set (2.71), ninth in hitting percentage (.275) and 10th in points per set (2.96).
 
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Smajlovic has recorded 13 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 301. The senior outside hitter ranks third in the America East in kills per set (3.46), tied for fourth in points per set along with Dimitrova (3.80) and sixth in digs per set (3.11).
 
WE HAVE SOMEONE THERE
Cronkhite leads the America East in digs per set against conference opponents at 5.00, putting up 160 digs throughout 32 sets played. The libero/defensive specialist recorded 24 digs in each of Binghamton's matches against UAlbany and NJIT last weekend.
 
Hinman, Howard & Katell, LLP is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Volleyball.