Cornell women’s volleyball pushed Binghamton to the limit Friday night, rallying twice to force a deciding fifth set before the Bearcats held on for a 3-2 victory at the West Gym.
Binghamton claimed the match 25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11 in a contest that featured 23 ties and 11 lead changes. Cornell finished with 68 kills, 11 blocks and 82 digs while hitting .201 as a team.
Ava Bogan paced the Big Red offensively with 17 kills while hitting an impressive .500. She also contributed six blocks. Jaida Sione and Avarie Adams each recorded 10 kills, with Sione adding three blocks and Adams hitting .286.
Kiran Rio posted nine kills and 17 digs, while Sydney Zanca added eight kills while hitting .313. Mary Wolcott directed Cornell’s offense with 38 assists and seven digs, while Mikayla Gray finished with 18 assists and five digs.
After Binghamton controlled the opening set, Cornell responded by taking the second. The Big Red built a late advantage behind a balanced attack and used a 25-18 victory to even the match.
The Bearcats answered in the third, pulling away late to take a 2-1 lead. Cornell then faced another must-win situation in the fourth set and delivered.
Neither team gained much separation early in the fourth, but Cornell eventually built a 20-15 advantage. Binghamton erased most of the deficit and moved ahead 23-22, only for the Big Red to score the final three points. Sione contributed a kill during the closing run before Zanca finished the set with a kill to force a fifth.
Cornell opened the deciding set with three consecutive points, but Binghamton quickly responded and took control. The Big Red trimmed the deficit to 13-11 late, but the Bearcats closed out the match with the final two points.
Cornell returns to action Saturday at the Binghamton Invitational in Vestal, facing Temple at 10 a.m. before meeting New Haven at 4 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.