Bulls Defend Alumni Arena and Improve to 6-0 on the Season

Saturday, September 2

Buffalo, N.Y.

3 p.m.

6-0,0-0MAC

Binghamton

3-3,0-0America East

Binghamton

Buffalo

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

Bulls Defend Alumni Arena and Improve to 6-0 on the Season

9/2/2023 6:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (6-0, 0-0 MAC) wrapped up the UB Invite on Saturday afternoon against the Binghamton Bearcats (3-3, 0-0 AEC). The Bulls came out victorious against the Bearcats in a straight set victory, 25-22, 25-19, 25-22.

The Bulls were aggressive on the attack on the afternoon with 107 attempts to the Bearcats' 87. Emma Gielas had a match-high 11 kills as Abby Leigh was right behind with nine kills. A. Leigh also had three solo blocks. Mandy Leigh nearly had more assists than the Bearcats with 25 on the day. Katrin Trebichavska finished with three service aces.

On the defense, Manoela Forlin finished with 14 digs and 14 receptions. As a team, the Bulls had seven total blocks.

The Bearcats gave the Bulls a run for their money on Saturday afternoon. There were nine ties and three lead changes in the first set, the most on the day. Despite having six attack errors in the set, the Bulls outhit the Bearcats, .250 to .222. A. Leigh led the way in the first with five kills on seven attempts.

It was a tight second set until about the halfway point where the Bulls started to pull away. Up 12-9, Binghamton called a timeout after an attack error. That did not stop UB as Gielas extended the lead to 15-10. Trebichavska made it a six-point lead, the largest lead on the day by either team. Forlin put the second set away with a kill to give the Bulls a 2-0 advantage.

The Bearcats still had fire in them headed into the third set. They started with a 3-0 lead after a ball handling error and two aces. That didn't stun the Bulls as they went on a 6-0 run, the largest on the day. Up 6-3, the Bearcats crept back tying the set at eight after an attack error by the Bulls. The teams traded points, as neither side could find an offensive rhythm. Miscues by Binghamton led to a 15-12 UB lead, forcing a Bearcat timeout. Binghamton fought to get back into the game and force a fourth set, but UB's ability to cash in on Binghamton mistakes paid off. The Bulls won the set, 25-22.

"We played consistently all weekend and was really happy with how we responded to the pressure situations," stated Head Coach Scott Smith. "The team is playing with a lot of confidence and trusting one another. This was a great tournament where everyone was competitive, so coming out undefeated is a great feeling. We have a lot to continue working on, but I am happy with where we are at this point in the season."

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP: Katrin Trebichavska (Buffalo)
Abby Leigh (Buffalo)
Emma Gielas (Buffalo)
Audrey Klemp (DePaul)
Rachel Krasowski (DePaul)
Carly Anderson (Montana)
Misa Dlouha (Binghamton)

UB INVITE FINAL STANDINGS
BUFFALO – 3-0
DePaul – 2-1
Montana – 1-2
Binghamton – 0-3

The Bulls are back in action on Friday, Sept. 8 as they'll take on the Missouri Tigers (4-0, 0-0 SEC) to start the Xavier Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio.