THE BASICS:

RESULT: Binghamton 3, Hartford 1
SET 1: Binghamton 25, Hartford 16
SET 2: Binghamton 25, Hartford 18
SET 3: Hartford 32, Binghamton 30
SET 4: Binghamton 25, Hartford 18
RECORDS: Hartford (0-24, 0-9 America East); Binghamton (6-18, 3-6 America East)
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD: 
Katy Henchy led all players with 17 kills and Paulina Modestow added 16, but Binghamton survived a game effort from the Hartford volleyball team with a 3-1 victory on Sunday. Rachel Moll added eight kills and three blocks, Astrid Mangual delivered 39 assists and Paola Llerandi added 20 digs in a losing effort for the Hawks. Gabby Alicea posted 14 kills and Erin Schultz added 13 in the win for the Bearcats.

SET ONE:
Binghamton got out to a solid start, opening an early 6-2 lead, on the strength of a pair of aces by Kasey Muchnicki. But the Hawks came soaring back with Llerandi at the serve, with a Llerandi ace and an Asha Wafer kill among the three-straight points that cut the lead to 6-5. The score remained tight to a 15-13 count, but the Bearcats got a kill from Schultz and took the momentum, scoring 10 of the last 13 points en route to the 25-16 win.

SET TWO:
Binghamton came out in control again in the second, building a 9-2 lead on the strength of Alicea's service, as the Bearcat had two aces in the early going. The Hawks block led a rally, with Wafer and Rachel Moll registering back-to-back stops to cut it to 9-5. Binghamton pushed the lead to 14-9, then went on the offensive to up the advantage to 19-10 after an Alicea kill. A Henchy kill cut the deficit to 21-14, but that was as close as the Hawks would get in a 25-18 Binghamton victory.

SET THREE:
The third set was a wild one for both teams, with Binghamton opening a 10-6 lead early in the set. But the Hawks rallied, tying things up at 12 on a Henchy kill. From that point, the teams battled neck-and-neck with neither team leading by more than two until the Hawks took a 23-20 lead on a Modestow kill. The Hawks pushed the advantage to 24-22 on another Henchy kill, but Binghamton rallied to take a 25-24 lead. Pushed to the brink, Moll came up huge with a kill to knot things up at 25-all. The teams alternated side outs to 28-28, but consecutive kills by Henchy pushed the Hawks ahead 29-28. Then, with the match tied at 30, Moll came through with the big blows, delivering a kill and a block to grab the set victory.
 
SET FOUR:
The Bearcats were able to regain momentum quickly in the third, opening up a 5-0 lead out of the gates. But Hartford again showed its mettle, slowly chipping away to tie things up at 12 on the strength of four-straight points with Moll at the serve, the last coming on an ace. From there, the teams traded blows to a 15-15 score. Binghamton was able to recover, though, rallying for five straight points to take a 20-15 advantage, then push the lead all the way to the final whistle.

UP NEXT: 
The Hawks hit the road next for a Wednesday night matchup against in-state rival Quinnipiac. Match time is set for 7 p.m. in Hamden, Conn.