Bulls Fall In Tough Five-Setter At Ball State

Saturday, November 2

Muncie, IN

7 pm

University at Buffalo

9-15,5-7MAC

Ball State

12-12,6-6MAC

Buffalo

Ball St.

Bulls Fall In Tough Five-Setter At Ball State

11/2/2019 10:31:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MUNCIE, IN – For the third match in a row the University at Buffalo volleyball team went to five sets, but the Bulls came up short, losing at Ball State, 3-2. It was the 12^th time this year that Buffalo has played in a five-set match.

The Cardinals took the contest 21-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-14, 15-13 as Ball State narrowly outhit UB, .279 to .241. A kill from freshman Abby Leigh gave Buffalo a 15-10 lead midway through the opening set. A block from Leigh and senior Polina Prokudina extended the Buffalo lead to 17-11, but the Cardinals would cut it back to one at 18-17. A kill from senior Rachel Sanks finally clinched the set, giving Buffalo the early edge.

The Cardinals came back to take the second set, tying the match up at 1-1, but UB would regain the advantage following the break. Buffalo raced out to a 7-2 lead and a Ball State attack error would extend the UB lead to 20-13. A kill from senior defensive specialist Hannah Watson ended the set, giving the Bulls the 2-1 lead in the match.

The Cardinals came back with a big performance in the fourth, winning it easily 25-14, sending the match to a fifth set.

The two teams traded the lead back and forth for the first half of the set as they found themselves tied at 8-8 before Ball State scored three straight to take an 11-8 advantage. A 4-1 run by the Bulls tied the set back up at 12-12, but the Cardinals scored the next two. A kill from Prokudina fought off one match point, but a kill from Natalie Risi clinched the set and the match for the Cardinals.

It was a big night for Prokudina who had a season high 26 kills, hitting .295 for the night. Leigh and Sanks both finished in double figures in kills with 10 each. Senior Scout McLerran finished the evening with 52 assists and five kills.

Defensively, sophomore Paige Beck led the Bulls with 19 digs, while sophomore Monika Simkova added 14. UB added 11.0 total blocks, led by Leigh, who had eight blocks, including four solos. Simkova finished with five block assists.

Following four straight matches on the road, the Bulls will return home this weekend beginning on Friday when UB will host Bowling Green with a special match time of 2pm.