The Quinnipiac volleyball team fell to the Binghamton Bearcats 3-1 on Sunday at Burt Kahn Court. Freshman Chelsey Pachoud had a team-high 11 kills in the match and the Bobcats dropped to 1-14 for the season, while the Bearcats improved to 7-8.
Binghamton took the first set 25-19. The teams were tied at 11, but the Bobcats gave up six straight points to the Bearcats. The Bobcats took a timeout and were able to get some points back, but could not dig themselves out of the hole.
The Bobcats responded in the second set and never trailed once, winning 25-15 and hitting .400. Pachoud closed the game with back-to-back kills.
“We took it to them in a set, so people got to see what this team’s going to be capable of as they mature,” Quinnipiac head coach Robin Lamott Sparks said.
The Bearcats won the third set 25-14, while the Bobcats hit a mere .077. The Bobcats scored the first point from an attack error by Bearcats’ Michelle McDonough, but they allowed the Bearcats to string four straight points together. The Bobcats almost caught the Bearcats with a kill by Pachoud to make the game 7-10, but the Bearcats answered with three runs to ensure the win.
“We made mistakes with our youth,” said Sparks. “It’s hard trying to learn the collegiate game at the same time and trying to be a leader.”
Quinnipiac was leading by two early in the fourth set, but the Bearcats came back with three straight points to take a 6-5 lead. Binghamton never looked back after going ahead 7-6, and went on to win the fourth set 25-15 to seal the match. The Bobcats hit .114 for the set.
“We played at a nice high-level and really fast,” Sparks said. “Binghamton plays a fast offense. It was a great experience for us because we don’t get to play teams that do that very often.”
Sparks revealed that one challenge for the team is defending against long-scoring streaks.
“We are working on our mental game,” she said. “You need to communicate your decisions early and often.”
The team has to hang together, according to Sparks, and that’s how to conquer a better team.
“We spend a lot of time working on being one ‘Q’ and one team,” she said. “We have to work together and be comfortable leaning on each other and depending on each other.”
Sophomore Alyssa Naylor and freshman Taylor Payne both had three blocks in the match. Naylor also had seven kills, while hitting a team-high .292. Sophomore Kayla Lawler compiled 29 assists. Freshman Logan Riker and red-shirt senior Erin Overdevest led the defense with 13 and 12 digs, respectively.
The Bobcats return to action tomorrow in a Northeast Conference match-up against Long Island at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., at 5 p.m.
