NEWARK, N.J. – The Binghamton volleyball team (10-7, 2-3 America East) continued building momentum by defeating the New Jersey Institute of Technology (1-19, 0-5 America East) in straight sets Friday night at the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness & Events Center. The Bearcats defeated the Highlanders 25-17, 25-21 and 28-26 to pick up their second-straight conference victory.
Magi Milicevic recorded a career-high 19 kills for Binghamton, while
Maya Coblentz-Brown added a season-high 16 to go along with a match-high four blocks.
Regan Kadel, meanwhile, recorded 45 assists, reaching that total for the second match in a row.
Celeste Ocampo also posted 27 digs for Binghamton in the win.
In the opening set, Binghamton held a 13-10 lead before going on a 7-1 run to extend its advantage of 20-11. The run was completed with back-to-back kills by Milicevic. The Bearcats ultimately pulled away to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Coblentz-Brown finished the set with six kills.
NJIT jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, eventually holding a 15-11 advantage over Binghamton. The Bearcats responded by closing out the frame on a 14-6 run, with the set point obtained via a block by both Milicevic and
Francesca Pierdonati. Coblentz-Brown also added another six kills throughout the set.
With their sights set on a sweep, the Bearcats moved ahead with a 9-3 lead early in the third set. NJIT rallied to bring itself with two points at 14-12. After Binghamton extended its lead to 19-14, NJIT fought back to tie the set at 21. The two teams then traded points before finding themselves tied at 24, extending the set. NJIT eventually took a 26-25 lead, hoping to take the match to a fourth set. Milicevic countered with a kill to tie the match at 26.
Briana Binagi followed that by getting the ball to the corner for a kill to give Binghamton a 27-26 lead. To finish the match, Pierdonati recorded her sixth kill of the night to give the Bearcats the victory. Binghamton ultimately hit .378 in the final set to pick up the win.
Binghamton returns to New Jersey on Tuesday to face Fairleigh Dickinson in a non-conference match at 6 p.m., at the Bogota Savings Bank Center.
Hinman, Howard & Katell, LLP is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Volleyball.
