VESTAL, New York – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team didn't get the win they wanted on Friday (August 26), falling to Bearcat Classic hosts Binghamton University in five sets – yet a ton of promise was seen on the court that will carry them through the season.
The Hawks dropped the first set 13-25 before bouncing back to win the next two 25-22 and 25-20. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Binghamton was able to find its rhythm in the fourth set, taking it 22-25 and then triumphed in the fifth with a 7-15 set to seal it.
Errors hurt the Hawks in the first, with eight total, while Binghamton turned in a clean set. Despite the errors, the passing game was finding its way as each Hawk point was assisted, with seven by
Sophia Chacon and three by newcomer
Romina Vacca.
A much cleaner game was played in the second, with freshman
Nkemjika Ikemefuna having a coming out party by putting up six kills on six attempts. In the set the Hawks trailed on just one point at the 6-7 mark but a
Ranyla Griggs kill on a Chacon pass put the Binghamton effort to short worth.
It was a short back and forth in the third until Ikemefuna came through with a kill to give the Hawks a 10-9 lead, one they wouldn't give up the rest of the set. Defense was key in keeping rallies going as
Valeria Matias had eight digs and Chacon chipped in five – the Hawks had 20 total in the third set alone.
After a solid two sets for the Hawks, small errors came back to hurt them in the fourth, with five service errors to Binghamton's two being the difference in the 22-25 set. The Hawks had it at 20-20 thanks to a kill by
Derionah Abner but the Bearcats got two quick points and were able to hold the lead to force the fifth.
Not much was working for the Hawks in the fifth as the Bearcats grabbed the first point on an ace and never relinquished the lead to the Hawks. Vacca contributed five digs in the set in an effort to keep the Hawks in the game.
It's a quick turnaround for the squad, squaring off against Siena College at 11 a.m. and Boston College at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday (August 27) to wrap up the Bearcat Classic.
Follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksVBall.
