VESTAL, N.Y. - The Bryant University women's volleyball team defeated Binghamton, 3-2, in an action-packed five-set thriller at the West Gym on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Bulldogs (8-12, 2-1 America East) took the first set while the Bearcats (8-6, 0-2 AE) secured the second. Bryant narrowly seized the third set before Binghamton captured the fourth to force the fifth and final, with the Bulldogs coming out on top, 16-14.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH THERESA GARLACY:
"What a great team win today. We had contributions from so many athletes. Multiple double-doubles. Four with ten or more kills, three with 20-plus digs.
"The setters were dynamic and ran tempo, creating seams for our attackers. The senior leadership really put us over the top in pressure situations. I love that we earned the match points ourselves rather than on the opponent's error. What a great battle with some exciting volleyball today!"
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1- Bryant, 25-21
- Jackson nailed down a kill, Curran delivered a service ace, and Alvarado notched a kill to give Bryant a 13-11 advantage.
- The Bulldogs scored three straight points again through a kill from Alvarado and two attack errors to lead 18-15, forcing a Binghamton timeout.
- Curran punched home a pair of kills and Brookelyn Talmadge added another in the last three of four rallies to secure the set.
SET 2- Binghamton, 25-18
- The Bulldogs used a 4-0 surge, featuring two Jackson kills, a Curran ace and Talmadge block, to hold a 14-12 edge.
- Binghamton then mounted an 8-2 run to pull ahead 20-16.
- The Bearcats outscored Bryant 5-2 the rest of the way to tie the match.
SET 3- Bryant, 25-23
- Bryant built a 12-7 advantage through a pair of kills from Alvarado and Ruth Ochelli.
- The Bulldogs scored three unanswered points to go up 17-14, but the Bearcats responded with four straights points to claim a 18-14 lead.
- Bryant overcame the deficit and later reeled off four straight points, with Jackson hammering the set-point kill, to take back the match lead.
SET 4- Binghamton, 25-20
- After trailing 14-10, Alvarado and Curran blasted kills and Binghamton recorded a service error to put Bryant down a point, 14-13.
- Binghamton proceeded to win five straight rallies to move in front, 19-13.
- The Bulldogs pulled within three points three different times, but the Bearcats fended them off to force a fifth set.
SET 5- Bryant, 16-14
- The Bearcats established a 7-5 lead until two Curran kills, an Olatunde kill and a service error pushed Bryant ahead 9-7.
- Jackson crushed a kill to put the Bulldogs match point, 14-12, only for Binghamton to reply with two blocks to level the score.
- Alvarado powered down a kill to put Bryant ahead one, then Olatunde and Curran connected on block assists to give the Bulldogs the victory.
STATS AND NOTES:
- Four Bulldogs (Alvarado, Jackson, Curran, Olatunde) produced double-digit kills in a match for the first time this season.
- Carrina Barron racked up 20 digs, marking the sixth match in 2026 she's logged 20-plus digs.
- Multiple Bulldogs (Alvarado, Curran, Barron) finished with 20-or-more digs for the first time this season.
- Bryant tallied its most kills in a match this season with 71, surpassing its previous season high of 62 kills against NJIT on Sept. 25.
- Bryant extended its winning streak over Binghamton to three consecutive matches.
NEXT UP:
The Bulldogs wrap up non-conference play at Holy Cross on Tuesday, Oct. 6. First serve is set for 6 p.m., and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
