For Immediate Release: November 18, 2005
Contact: Thomas Moore (sports@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-2956

Binghamton volleyball advances to their first-ever America East Championship with 3-1 win over No. 3 Maine

Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y.--No. 2 Binghamton (19-11) advances to the America East Volleyball Champion match after defeating No. 3 Maine (11-13) 3-1 in the second America East semifinal on Friday evening at Albany's University Gymnasium. Binghamton won the match 30-28, 28-30, 30-26, 30-28. The Bearcats will play No. 4 Stony Brook at 5 p.m. in Albany's University Gymnasium on Saturday November 19. Stony Brook upset No. 1 Albany 3-2 in the first semifinal match of the day.

"I thought we played a scrappy defensive match," head coach Glenn Kirayama said. "We were hustling after balls and keeping them in play. Our hitters were able to come through when we needed them to. It was a tight match all the way through. We were fortunate to be on the winning end."

The fourth game was back-and-forth with 14 ties and 11 lead changes. The final tie came at 27-27. Maine had a pair of attack errors to move the score to 29-27 in favor of Binghamton. Maine tightened the score to 29-28 with a kill by Lindsay Allman. Junior outside hitter Katie Brody (Vestal, N.Y.) scored the final point of the match with a kill to advance Binghamton to the championship match.

Freshman outside hitter Brianna Strong (Elkhart, Ind.) and sophomore middle blocker Jacki Kane (Centennial, Colo.) each led Binghamton with 13 kills. Kane also led the Bearcats with five blocks. Junior setter Ashley Meffert (Louisville, Ky.) had team-highs of 36 assists and 16 digs. Junior middle blocker Megan Hoag (Brunswick, Ohio) received 15 digs while Brody received 14 digs. Sophomore Kathleen Schauer (Littleton, Colo.) and freshman libero Jaclyn Strader (Kettering, Ohio) each tallied 11 digs. Brody and Schauer each produced eight kills, Schauer also added four blocks.

In the first game the there was 11 ties with four lead changes. The game was tied at 27-27 when the Bearcats went ahead with a Black Bear attack error then Brody delivered a service ace to move the score to 29-27. A Maine kill tightened the game to 29-28. Schauer followed with kill to finish the first game 30-28.

There were 13 ties in the second game, the final one came at 24-24. Maine followed with a 3-0 run. The closest the Bearcats could come was 29-28. Maine finished the second game with a block for the 30-28 win.

The third game would be controlled by the Bearcats who never let the Black Bears tie or lead the game. The Bearcats jumped out to a 7-3 lead then stretched it to seven points at 28-21. Binghamton won this game 30-26.

Binghamton hit .195 for the match while Maine hit .190.

The winner of the America East Championship match will get an automatic bid NCAA volleyball tournament. The selection show will be on ESPNews on Nov. 27 at 2:30.