BALTIMORE - It was a five-set comeback thriller for the Bearcats, as they punch their ticket to take on UMBC in the #AEChamps. The semifinals opened with #4 Bryant taking on #1 UMBC, with the defending champs sweeping the Bulldogs. The night capped off with a semifinals thriller as #3 Binghamton battled from two sets down to defeat #2 New Hampshire 5-3. Tomorrow's #AEChamps matchup between #1 UMBC and #3 Binghamton will begin at 6 pm.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Semifinal 1: #1 UMBC 3, #4 Bryant 0
- The first set was a game of back-and-forth with no team leading by more than three-points until UMBC broke away leading Bryant 12-7.
- Bryant put up a fight to double their total, but the Retrievers continued extending their lead taking the first set 25-14.
- Bryant opened the second set leading by as much as three before UMBC rallied to close the gap and scored six-straight to overtake the lead 7-4.
- Mia Bilusic proved to be a dominant factor for the Retrievers, with her five kills helping UMBC take the second 25-15.
- The Bulldogs gave it their all in a third set that saw nine ties and five lead changes.
- The scored reached as much as 16-16 before UMBC broke away and eventually took the final set 25-18.
- Bilusic led the Retrievers with 12 kills while Hannah Howard led with 17 digs.
- Setter Serin Madden recorded a double-double, totaling 17 assists and 10 digs.
Semifinal 2: #3 Binghamton 3, #2 New Hampshire 2
- Despite two early ties to start, last being 2-2, Binghamton held a consistent lead through the majority of the first set, leading by as much as six.
- New Hampshire fought their way back from multiple defecits and only led once, overtaking the Bearcats 24-23 before eventually taking the first set 25-23.
- The second set was once again a sparring match as the the Wildcats held onto a lead but the Bearcats kept proving to be a challenge.
- No team led by more than 3 at any given point, and the set saw 11 ties and 6 lead changes before New Hampshire eventually took the set 25-22.
- Binghamton's grit proved to be the difference in the next two-sets as they battled back to take the third 25-17 and the fourth 25-23.
- The Bearcats jumped to an early in the fifth and never wavered in their rally, eventually taking the final set 15-9.
- The 2022 and 2023 #AEVB Player of the Year, Tsvetelina Ilieva, dominated in play recording a double-double with a whopping 15 kills and 16 digs.
Binghamton will compete in their first #AEVB Championship match since 2017, while UMBC has their sights set on their fourth-straight #AEVB title. UMBC took both matches in the regular season, with their set advantage being 6-1. This will be the first finals matchup between the two. The game will begin at 6 pm and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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