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University at Buffalo
9-10, 2-3 mac
Kent State
8-12, 1-4 mac
Bulls Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker To Kent State
10/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team was unable to overcome an error-filled evening as the Bulls lost to Kent State, 3-2, Friday night at Alumni Arena. The loss was UB's first in five-set matches as it falls to 9-10 on the season and 2-3 in the MAC.
The Golden Flashes took the contest 22-25, 26-24, 28-26, 23-25, 15-12 as they outhit Buffalo .201 to .127. Despite taking 165 swings on the night, UB hit 38 errors, most of those coming on 19.5 blocks from Kent State. In addition to the hitting errors, the Bulls were also doomed by 15 service errors, most of those coming in crucial situations.
UB took the first set 25-22 and looked to be well on its way to victory, but the Bulls were unable to hold on to a late 20-17 lead in set two. The Bulls stormed out to a 20-12 advantage in the third set, but again the Golden Flashes made a run as UB was unable to convert on any of its four set points.
Kent State scored the first five points of the fourth set, but the Bulls were able to fight back, taking a 20-17 lead in the set. The Golden Flashes would tie it up at 23-23, but two straight points gave the Bulls the set.
The Bulls also took a lead in the fifth set, leading 9-7, but Kent State scored six straight points in the set to take the 13-9 lead. UB would get it to no closer than two the remainder of the match.
"We didn't play with fight tonight and we made too many errors," said head coach Todd Kress. "We need to learn from this loss very quickly because we play a high-quality team in Ohio tomorrow."
Freshman Liz Scott led the way with 18 kills, while Dana Musil added 13 and senior Abby Niekamp had 12. Alessandra Jovy-Heuser picked up nine kills, while freshman Sable Staller added four. Dani Reinert had 51 assists to lead the offense.
The Bulls did record nine service aces on the night, with five of those coming from freshman Kayla Nagle. Scott added two.
Defensively, Kelly Svoboda had a team-high 14 digs, while Reinert finished with 11 and Musil added 10. Jovy-Heuser and Carissa McKenna each finished with four total blocks.
The Bulls are back in action tomorrow as they face Ohio at 7:00 pm.
