ALBANY, N.Y. – The Binghamton volleyball team secured its spot in the America East Volleyball Championship for the fifth season in a row after the Bearcats (13-9, 4-4 America East) swept UAlbany (6-14, 2-6 America East) Friday at PE Gym. The Bearcats won the match 25-22, 25-19 and 25-23.
Magi Milicevic led Binghamton with 12 kills and 16 digs, making it her sixth double-double this season and fourth in her last five matches. Meanwhile,
Francesca Pierdonati had 11 kills and two blocks.
Regan Kadel added a match-high 37 assists, and both
Briana Binagi and
Celeste Ocampo had 13 digs each.
With their postseason berth clinched, this is the first time the Bearcats have reached the conference tournament five-straight times since Binghamton made the tournament seven times in a row from 2004-10. Binghamton reached the finals three times during that stretch, winning the championship twice (2005, 09).
Both teams raced out to a 6-6 tie in the opening frame. UAlbany then scored the next three points, eventually building its lead up to 15-11. The Bearcats then got on a run by taking the next six points to move ahead 17-15. Binghamton eventually got out to a 21-18 lead, but UAlbany responded with four-straight points to go up 22-21. It was Binghamton, though, who closed out the set with a 4-0 run, with Milicevic picking up two kills during the stretch, to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.
Set two had Binghamton go wire-to-wire to extend its lead in the match to 2-0. The Bearcats took the first three points in the frame, before going up 6-2. Binghamton hit .302 for the set, with
Viktoria Dimitrova and Milicevic each recording four kills. The Bearcats eventually went up 24-14, before holding off a late charge from the Great Danes to win the set.
In the third set, the Bearcats showed their resilience. UAlbany built up a 10-5 lead, but Binghamton kept it close. The Bearcats eventually tied the set at 13, before the Great Danes retook the lead by scoring the next four points. Still, Binghamton did not quit. The two teams went on to trade points, before Binghamton eventually tied the frame at 23. Milicevic then recorded another kill to give the Bearcats their first lead in the set since 2-1. Then,
Maya Coblentz-Brown recorded her ninth and final kill of the night to punch Binghamton's ticket to the postseason.
Binghamton plays its final home match of the regular season on Sunday when it hosts the New Jersey Institute of Technology (1-22, 0-8 America East) at noon in the West Gym. Fans are encouraged to wear green at the match as part of Binghamton's Green Out. Admission is free on behalf of
Hinman, Howard & Katell, LLP.
Hinman, Howard & Katell, LLP is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Volleyball.
