BU volleyball wins ECAC championship
First-seeded Bearcats drop Merrimack in straight sets

Binghamton, N.Y. — The Binghamton University Bearcats (27-9) won the 1999 ECAC Division II Volleyball Championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating Merrimack College, 3-0 (15-12, 15-8, 15-7) atBinghamton University’s West Gymnasium.

Number-one seeded Binghamton gained momentum in game three, rattling off six-straight points to start the game before Merrimack (18-11) countered. The Bearcats used a solid defense at the net, registering seven blocks in the deciding game, to stuff the Warriors heavy-hitting attack.

The tourney host Bearcats were led by tournament MVP Jeana Arthur’s (Endwell, N.Y./Union-Endicott) 26 kills in the tournament, including 12 kills in the title match. Arthur also posted three blocks and seven digs in an overall team effort by the victors. Binghamton received 81 assists from Sara DeClemente (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning West) and 25 kills from Sara Eckrich (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) over two games.

Merrimack’s Erika Martin (Friendswood, Texas/Clear Brook) posted 30 assists over the span of the tournament, including 14 in the final match loss. Meagan McKenney (Aurora, Conn./Smoky Hill) spiked 22 kills — all in the first round five-gamer versus UMass Lowell.

Semifinal Matches

Binghamton 4, New York Tech 1
Binghamton 15 10 15 15 — 4
New York Tech 3 15 13 8 — 1
Team Records: BU 22-8
NYIT 20-18
Notes: Binghamton University 6-foot+ hitters Jeanna Arthur (Endwell, N.Y./Union Endicott) and Sara Eckrich (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) keyed the Bearcats victory with 14 kills apiece. Sophomore Sara DeClemente (Painted Post, N.Y./ Corning West) connected for 42 assists. Junior Kerri Lapkowski (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Oceanside) posted 12 kills for New York Tech in the losing effort.

Merrimack 3, UMass Lowell 2
Umass Lowell 15 5 15 8 8 — 2
Merrimack 9 17 6 15 15 — 3
Team Records: MC 18-9
UML 19-10
Notes: Sophomore hitter Meagan McKenney (Aurora, Conn./Smoky Hill) led the Warriors with 26 kills. Freshman Erika Martin (Friendswood, Texas/Clear Brook) dished out 26 assists. Junior Heather Racz (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown) served up a game-high six aces and posted 30 digs — also a game-high. For the River Hawks, freshman hitter Stacey Graf (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) spiked 17 kills, and had 24 digs, while senior Kendra Welch (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) posted 54 assists in the match. The contest lasted two hours, twenty-five minutes.

Championship

Binghamton 3, Merrimack 0
Binghamton 15 15 15 — 3
Merrimack 12 8 7 — 0
Team Records: BU 23-8
MC 18-11
Notes: Jeanna Arthur (Endwell, N.Y./Union Endicott) tallied 12 kills in the championship match to help lead Binghamton. Sarah DeClemente (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning West) posted 39 assists. For the Warriors, Erika Martin (Friendswood, Texas/Clearbrook) had 14 assists, while Erika Desrosiers (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) dug out 16 balls and served two aces.