Bulls Hand Western Michigan First Conference Loss Since 2022 in 3-0 Victory

Saturday, September 28

Kalamazoo, Mich.

3 p.m.

Western Michigan

Photo by: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics

Bulls Hand Western Michigan First Conference Loss Since 2022 in 3-0 Victory

9/28/2024 7:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Zach Monell

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (5-10, 1-1 MAC) swept the defending MAC Champion Western Michigan Broncos (5-8, 1-1 MAC) on Saturday afternoon (26-24, 35-33, 25-16). This was Buffalo's first win in University Arena since Oct. 12, 2018.

In the victory, the Bulls handed the Broncos their first conference loss since Oct. 15, 2022, when they lost to the Toledo Rockets, 3-1. The last time the Broncos were swept at home in MAC play was on Oct. 23, 2021, against the Ball State Cardinals.

Buffalo's offense came alive as they outhit the Broncos, .310 to .183. Manoela Forlin had a match-high 20 kills and 21.0 points. Katrin Trebichavska and Luli Arcucci also recorded double digit kill performances with 12 and 10, respectively. Arcucci finished with a career-high .381 hitting percentage on the day.

From the service line, Mandy Leigh had a career-high four aces. Abby Leigh, Trebichavska and Maria Futey each had two aces as Keira Kleidon added one. M. Leigh recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 36 assists and 11 digs.

The first set was a game of runs for both teams. Tied at 5, the Bulls went on 4-0 run to take a 9-5 lead. With Buffalo leading 11-8, the Broncos went on a 6-1 run to lead 14-12. The tides turned late in the set as the Bulls got within set point off a 7-1 run. At 24-20, Western Michigan denied the Bulls on four consecutive points to win the set. Buffalo won the set on a Western Michigan service error and an Abby Leigh kill, 26-24.

The Bulls won in a thrilling second set, 35-33. There were incredible defensive plays made by each team. The Bull started the set with a Futey ace which propelled them to a 3-0 lead. Buffalo's offense was so deadly that they never trailed until the Broncos led 32-31. Manoela Forlin registered a crucial kill for the Bulls to tie the set at 32. Down 33-32, the Bulls rallied three straight points to win, 35-33. A. Leigh capped the set off with an ace.

The Broncos got off to a hot start as they led 7-1 in the third. That deficit did not stop the Bulls as they utilized an 8-1 run to their advantage. In the run, Buffalo was lethal from the service line as M. Leigh had three aces in the run. Leading 15-11, the Bulls kept the foot on the gas and won the match with a 25-16 decision in the third.

"We knew this was going to be a tough matchup coming into Kalamazoo for the third time in as many years for the MAC opener," stated Head Coach Scott Smith. "Getting our first road win of the season against such a great team is a huge boost that we absolutely needed. We had such a focused effort from the entire team, and I could not be prouder of the resilience they showed in today's match. Manoela [Forlin] had one of the best offensive performances I have seen, and a lot of credit goes to the adjustments Mandy [Leigh] made in running the offense. Finding a way to balance things out across all our rotations kept the pressure on and got us the win."

The Bulls are back in #MACtion on Friday when they host the Kent State Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive free mac and cheese for the return of the MAC to Alumni Arena.