VESTAL – The No. 2 seed will meet the No. 4 seed in the 2022 America East Volleyball Championship match as UMBC and UNH posted semifinal wins on Saturday at Binghamton. It was an upset of the hosts for UNH, as they took down No. 1 Binghamton 3-0. Reigning-champs UMBC went on a three-set run to take down newcomer Bryant 3-1, earning their spot in the final tomorrow vs. UNH.
Semifinals Recap
#4 UNH 3, #1 Binghamton 0
· UNH, which did not win a regular season match against Binghamton, came out strong in the first set scoring the first four points.
· It was a game of back-and-forth between the Bearcats and Wildcats, with UNH eventually taking the first set 30-28.
· Binghamton opened the second set with a point, but the Wildcats answered with six straight.
· The Bearcats came close but could never retake the lead, eventually falling to UNH 23-25.
· With the semifinal win, UNH advances to the championship match for the first time since 2016.
· Junior’s Hannah Serbousek and Kelly Kaufmann led the Wildcats with 25 kills and 5 blocks between the duo.
Semifinals Recap
#2 UMBC 3, #3 Bryant 1
· The first set was a game of back-and-forth until Bryant eventually broke away, winning 25-18.
· The Bulldogs came out swinging to start the second, but after a timeout, UMBC took the lead.
· Led by a series of kills, the Retrievers took the second set 25-19.
· UMBC never trailed in the third set, winning by a 10-point margin, 25-15.
· The defending champs closed out the match with another dominant game, with a final score of 25-14.
· UMBC looks to earn their third-straight #AEVB Championship title tomorrow as they take on the Wildcats.
· The Defensive Specialist of the Year, Aysia Miller, put together a strong performance, leading the team with 12 digs.
The #AEVB championship match features the #4-seed UNH taking on the #2-seed UMBC with the #1 seed not competing in the finale for the first time since 2017. The Wildcats are looking for their first championship since 2016 while the Retrievers are seeking their third title in four years. The two will play for the conference's NCAA berth Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for box scores, highlights and recaps from Friday’s action in addition to live coverage links for Saturday's championship match.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEDigitalNet on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEVB hashtags to join the conversation.
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