Bulls Complete Season Sweep Of Akron

Tuesday, March 23

Akron, OH

7:00 pm

4-16,4-16MAC

Akron

4-16,4-16MAC

Buffalo

Akron

Bulls Complete Season Sweep Of Akron

3/23/2021 9:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo volleyball team put on a show Tuesday night in Akron as multiple players fell just shy of school records in a 3-1 victory over the Zips.

Buffalo took the contest 25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 25-21 as UB hit .333 for the match, opposed to .237 for Akron.

Freshman Milla Malik had a match-high 23 kills in the victory, the second straight four-set match in which she had 23 kills. That total is also just four shy of the school record for kills in a four-set match.

Junior setter Kyndal Bacon finished with 56 assists in the match, averaging 14.00 per set, a total that is also just four shy of the school record. Sophomore Jenna Sonnenberg had a career-high 28 digs, a mark that is just five short of the Buffalo record.

Bacon had 13 assists in the opening set as five players had multiple kills in the first, leading the Bulls to the early lead. Neither team led by more than four points in the first.

The Bulls dominated the second set offensively, hitting .382. The offensive performance was led by Malik who had seven kills on nine swings, hitting .778 for the set. Buffalo trailed 15-13 when it responded with five straight points as a kill from Malik gave the Bulls an 18-15 lead. A kill from Monika Simkova clinched the set.

Buffalo led 11-6 in the third set following a kill from Courtney Okwara, but the Zips would tie it up at 16-16. The set remained tied at 21-21 and the Bulls would ultimately fight of two sets points before Akron stayed alive with the 26-24 win.

In the fourth set, Bacon dished out 16 assists as the Bulls hit .372 with 21 kills and just five errors. Malik had eight kills in the set, while fellow freshman Emma Gielas had six of her 14 kills in the fourth. The set was tied 15-15 at the midway point when a kill from Gielas capped off a 5-1 run. Akron would pull back within two but kills from Gielas and senior Lexi Nordmann clinched the set and the match.

Three players finished in double figures in kills led by Malik's 23 as she hit .500 on the night. Gielas added 14 kills, while Nordmann finished with 12 kills and just one error as she hit .440.

Simkova had seven kills, while Okwara finished with six kills and no errors as she hit .462. In addition to Bacon's 56 assists, the junior added two kills and five digs. Malik had two service aces, while Simkova added one.

Defensively, the 28 digs for Sonnenberg was a new career high. Simkova had 11 digs, while Malik and sophomore Abby Leigh each had seven.

Buffalo finished with 8.0 total blocks led by six from Nordmann and five from Gielas.

Tuesday night's match was UB's final road contest of the season. The Bulls will close out the regular season this weekend with a pair of matches against league-leading Bowling Green. That begins Friday night at 6pm.