3-16, 2-5MAC
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Western Michigan
9-13, 5-2MAC
Late Rally Falls Short Against Western Michigan
10/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York volleyball team made a late charge on Friday night, but the Bulls were unable to overcome a two-set deficit, falling to Western Michigan, 3-1.
The Broncos took the match 25-16, 25-14, 20-25, 27-25 as Western Michigan outhit UB, .223 to .133 for the night. After relatively easy victories for WMU in the first and second sets, the Bulls came out of intermission with a new energy and at times it looked like UB was possibly going to send things to a fifth set.
In the third set the Broncos staked themselves out to an 18-15 lead, but the Bulls answered with five straight points to take a 20-18 advantage. Western Michigan tied the set back up at 20-20, but those would be the final Bronco points of the set as the Bulls ended the third on a 5-0 run, which included back-to-back kills from senior Akeila Lain.
With UB back within striking distance, the fourth set was a tightly contested affair that saw both teams have opportunities to win. The Bulls opened a 14-9 lead in the fourth, but a 10-3 WMU run put the Broncos up 19-17. UB tied the set back up at 19-19 and then the teams traded points back and forth, leaving the match tied at 23-23. A kill by sophomore Cassie Shado gave the Bulls a set point, but the Broncos fought it off. At 25-24 the Broncos had their first match point, but a kill from Lain kept the match alive at 25-25. However, that would be the last point scored by the Bulls as the Broncos took the set, 27-25, and won the match.
Lain and fellow senior Megan Lipski each finished with a team-high 12 kills, while Lipski set a new career-high with 26 digs in the match. That total is the most by a UB player this season. Shado and freshman Megan Wernette each added eight kills, while freshman Raven Jordan had six kills off the bench.
Freshman Madison Clark again started at setter for the second straight match and had her best night in her brief career with a match-high 44 assists. She completed her first career double-double with 10 digs, while also adding two kills, three blocks and an ace.
Sophomore Tessa Ooyama and freshman Abby Beecher each added 11 digs, while sophomore Niki Bozinoski finished with eight. The 78 digs by the Bulls tonight were their most in a match this season. UB also recorded 7.0 total blocks, led by five from Shado.
The Bulls remain home tomorrow evening when they host Northern Illinois at 7:00 pm.
