4-17, 3-6MAC
Eastern Michigan
12-10, 4-5MAC
Bulls Secure Five-Set Victory At Eastern Michigan
10/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
YPSILANTI, MI – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York volleyball team hung on for a five-set road win on Friday night as the Bulls defeated the Eagles, 3-2, at the Convocation Center. The win was UB's first in a fifth set this season as it picked up its third conference victory of the year.
The Bulls took the match, 26-24, 25-16, 24-26, 18-25, 15-13 as UB narrowly outhit Eastern Michigan, .142 to .111. UB was led by senior Megan Lipski, who became just the ninth player in school history with at least 20 kills and 20 digs in a match, and the first since Tahleia Bishop against Akron on Oct. 3, 2013.
The Eagles opened a 9-6 lead in the first set, but three straight points from the Bulls tied it up, the final coming on a block from Cassie Shado and senior Marissa Prinzbach, who returned to the lineup after missing three matches due to injury. The Eagles went back up 17-13 when UB again tied the set up after scoring four straight. A kill from freshman Valisha Watkins gave the Bulls a 22-20 lead, but EMU fought back and staved off one UB set point, tying it up at 24-24 before back-to-back kills from Shado and Lipski gave the Bulls the opening set.
In the second set, the Bulls raced out to an early 5-2 advantage and continued to lead 14-12 when they scored six straight points to go up 20-12. UB continued to lead 22-16, when it scored the final three points to take the set, 25-16, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
However, the host Eagles came out of the lockerroom a different team and forced a fifth set using the UB blueprint with a close third set win and a more comfortable fourth set victory. The Bulls fought back from several third-set deficits to tie the set at 19-19, but a 5-0 run gave EMU the 24-19 advantage. The Bulls were able to fight off five set points to tie it at 24-24, but the Eagles took the set 26-24 to get on the board. EMU than won the fourth set, 25-18.
UB had to work its way back in the fifth set after the Eagles jumped out to a 5-2 advantage. Trailing 7-5, the Bulls rattled off five straight points to take a 10-7 lead, capped off on a blocked from Watkins and fellow freshman Megan Wernette. UB kept its three-point advantage all the way to match point as it led 14-11 following a kill from Shado, but the Eagles were not finished as two straight points pulled them within 14-13. Following a UB timeout, Lipski made sure the Eagles didn't get any closer as she hammered home her 20th and final kill of the night, clinching the match for the Bulls.
"I am so proud of the way this team fought back after a tough third and fourth set," said head coach Blair Brown Lipsitz. "A win like that shows how we are maturing as a team as this season progresses. Madi [Madison Clark] came in and made a big impact us at the end of the game and that is huge from a freshman."
In addition to Lipski's 20/20 night, Watkins finished with 15 kills, while Shado added 12. Wernette had eight kills and just one error on 19 total attacks. Prinzbach returned with 39 assists, while freshman Madison Clark added 13 assists, playing in two sets.
Defensively, the Bulls finished with 94 digs, a new season high, and one more than their total from last Saturday against Northern Illinois. Lipski finished with a career-best 27 digs, while sophomore Tessa Ooyama had 19 digs and freshman Abby Beecher added 15. The Bulls finished with 13.0 total blocks, led by a career-high 10 blocks from Shado. Senior Akeila Lain added five.
The Bulls remain on the road tomorrow evening when they face Central Michigan at 7:00 pm.
