UAlbany Volleyball Edged in Five-Set Heartbreaker to Binghamton
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ALBANY, N.Y. – After coming back to force a fifth set, the UAlbany volleyball team fell to Binghamton (23-25, 25-13, 23-25, 25-21, 14-16) in a back-and-forth match to open America East play.
UAlbany (2-11, 0-1 AE) led the fifth set with a 5-2 lead, capped by two Olivia Schonewise kills. At 7-5, two Alexis LaGoy kills fueled a 3-0 Binghamton (3-13, 1-0 AE) run to take an 8-7 lead. The teams exchanged the lead back-and-forth until at 12-12, a Schonewise kill and Binghamton attack error gave UAlbany match point. Allison Hovie earned a kill, then went back to serve, going the next three, capped by an ace, to win it for Binghamton 16-14.
It is the first time since 2006 that UAlbany has lost its America East opener.
“Laini (Leindecker) and Olivia (Schonewise) played great tonight,” said UAlbany head coach MJ Engstrom. “We need to fix up some things, be smarter on our blocks and more secure in our swings.”
Laini Leindecker hit .263 in the match, earning a double-double off 19 kills and 12 digs, while Schonewise hit .255 with 16 kills and seven digs. Setter Mikala McCauley also had a double-double with 56 assists and 17 digs. Viktoriia Stroilo led the team with 27 digs, while Sofia Furlong and Amanda Dolan each had six blocks, the latter contributing 11 kills.
For Binghamton, Allison Hovie hit .265 with a double-double of 19 kills and 16 digs. Setter Amanda Dettman also had a double-double off 52 assists and 15 digs. Bailey Walker led the match with 33 digs, while LaGoy hit .346 with 11 kills and three blocks.
After Binghamton began the first set with a 3-1 lead, the teams kept siding out until the score was 11-9. Started by a Schonewise kill, Leindecker added two to make it 12-11 UAlbany. Binghamton countered with three-in-a-row to go back ahead 14-12, which UAlbany struck back with three of the next four to make it 16-15, which later became 18-16, capped by a Leindecker ace. At 19-17, a Kristin Hovie kill sparked a 3-0 run to get Binghamton the lead 20-19. Down 22-20, Schonewise and Leindecker earned kills to tie it up at 22-22. The Bearcats won the next two for a 24-22 score. A Leindecker got the team one point, but an Dettmann setter kill ended the set 25-23 in favor of Binghamton.
An early 3-0 run gave Binghamton a 6-4 advantage in the second game. Sandwiched between a Tatum Jungsten kill and block, the Great Danes used a 3-0 run to go ahead 7-6. At 9-9, a Leindecker kill, two Binghamton errors and a Dolan kill put UA up 13-9. BU got the next two, which UAlbany countered by earning four-consecutive kills for a 17-11 lead. UAlbany sealed the set off Stroilo's serving on a 5-0 run, winning the set 25-13 to tie the match.
McCauley was on fire to start the third set, earning three aces in a game-opening 4-0 run. Dettman countered her through a 4-0 run to tie the game. Neither side was able to put together a run of three-straight the rest of the set, with numerous sideouts the rest of the way. A turning point came at 19-18 UAlbany when Binghamton won four of the next five, capped by Megan Burgess and Kristin Hovie kills, to make it 22-20. A Furlong kill and Schonewise-Jungsten combo block tied the set back up at 22-22, and both teams exchanged points to make it 23-23. Binghamton won the serve off a Burgess, then won the set on a LaGoy kill to take the game 25-23 and go up in the match 2-1.
Three Binghamton attack errors gave UAlbany a 3-0 lead to start the fourth set. Later, a Furlong kill, Schonewise kill and Stroilo ace made it 7-2 UAlbany. Three LaGoy kills helped Binghamton pull to 8-6. Kills from Jungsten and Leindecker put the lead back to 10-6. At 11-7, two Bianca Anderson kills sparked a 3-0 Binghamton run to make it 11-10, later taking the lead on another 3-0 run to go to 14-13. UA countered with a 3-0 run for a 16-14 lead. BU tied the set at 16-16, later going to 17-17. Started by a Schonewise kill, Lauren Spreen served the team through a 3-0 run, capped by an ace, for a 20-17 home team lead. The two sides exchanged points until at 23-21, Dolan blocked an attack then earned a kill to win the set for UAlbany 25-21, forcing the tiebreaker set.
UAlbany will have the rest of the weekend off and take on UMass Lowell on the road on October 3rd at 7 p.m.
