Binghamton, Stony Brook to Square Off in #AEVB Championship After Semifinal Wins
ALBANY, N.Y. – For the first time since 2005, the fourth seed in the America East Volleyball Championship is headed to the championship match. #4 Stony Brook will meet #2 Binghamton Saturday at 5 p.m. for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In the first semifinal match on Friday, the second-seeded Binghamton Bearcats avenged two prior semifinal losses against the New Hampshire Wildcats with a 3-0 win in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-23). Led by Sarah Ngo and Gaby Alicea, the Bearcats have now won six straight dating back to the regular season. Ngo, who was named Setter of the Year on Thursday evening, had 36 assists and 15 digs – both match-highs. Alicea, who became the first America East Player of the Year in Binghamton’s program history, finished with a game-high 17 kills. The Bearcats will play in their first championship game since 2012.
Then it was the Stony Brook Seawolves who, under first-year head coach Kristin Belzung, became the first fourth-seeded team since 2005 to defeat the top seed. It was a rematch of that same year, as the Seawolves handed the host and top seed, Albany Great Danes, a 3-0 loss in straight sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-20). It snapped a 10-match winning streak for the regular season champions. McKyla Brooks, a member of the All-Conference first team, finished with a match-high 16 kills to lead the way for the Seawolves. LeAnne Sakowicz, who earned All-Conference second team honors, had a match-high 41 assists. The Seawolves are back in the championship match for the first time since 2011.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links for the championship match as well as box scores, highlights and recaps from the semifinals in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEDigitalNet on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEVB hashtags to join the conversation.
2017 America East Volleyball Championship
at University at Albany’s University Gym – Albany, N.Y.
Semifinals – Friday, November 17
#2 Binghamton 3, #3 New Hampshire 0
#4 Stony Brook 3, #1 Albany 0
Final – Saturday, November 18
#2 Binghamton vs. #4 Stony Brook 5 p.m. (AE.TV)
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