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Friday, September 25
Buffalo, N.Y.
6 p.m.
University at Buffalo
vs
Kent State
Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Kent State and Toledo to Open MAC Play
9/24/2026 2:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (8-3, 0-0 MAC) is back at Broadview Arena as they host the Kent State Golden Flashes (6-6, 0-1 MAC) and the Toledo Rockets (8-2, 0-0 MAC) this weekend.
Head to Broadview Arena for Homecoming Weekend starting Friday night when the Bulls host the Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. The first 100 fans will receive a sling bag presented by UB Dental. My Tomato Pie will provide Return of the MAC and Cheese while supplies last.
Their weekend will close on Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Rockets on Kids Day. All conference matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Last weekend at the Syracuse Invitational, the Bulls swept the competition in FDU and Syracuse. With their win over Syracuse, UB has beaten a Power Five program in three of the last four seasons. They defeated Missouri for their first win against an SEC program in 2023 as they beat Rutgers last season. This was the program's first win over Syracuse since 2012.
Manoela Forlin led Buffalo's offense with 4.83 kills and 5.17 points per set as she earned Syracuse Invitational MVP honors. She tallied a .338 hitting percentage as she had 29 kills on 68 attempts. Forlin added 2.17 digs and 0.33 blocks per set. Against Syracuse, she hit .433 with just one error. Off her performances, she was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Just like her counterpart, Maddie Mitchell earned MAC Setter of the Week as she led Buffalo with 10.67 assists and 0.67 aces per set. Mitchell helped the Bulls hit .278 on the weekend, including .439 against the Orange. She tallied a .545 hitting percentage as she had 1.00 kill per set. Defensively, she added 3.33 digs with 0.33 blocks per set. Against FDU, she recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 15 digs.
The Golden Flashes are 6-6 on the year and 0-1 in conference play. They fell to their rival the Akron Zips on Wednesday, 3-0. Mercedez Brown leads Kent State with 2.98 points per set. Nadia Miller leads the way with 0.70 blocks per set. Kent State won last year's lone meeting with the Bulls, 3-0.
The Toledo Rockets are 8-2 on the season with a five-set win over Missouri last weekend. Ava Siefke leads their offense with 2.89 kills and 3.12 points per set. Grace Freiberger is averaging 3.89 digs per set as Kayla Ozanich and Sierra Pertzborn have 20.0 total blocks.
THE BULL-ETIN BOARD
• The Bulls closed their non-conference slate with an 8-3 record, their best record since 2023 when they went 10-2.
• Manoela Forlin needs 23 kills to reach 1,000 kills in her career. She is also 8.5 points away from reaching sixth on the all-time scoring list in program history with 1,1140.0 points.
• Manoela Forlin (128), Hailey Campagna (111) and Sydney Bell (100) have combined for 339 kills this season, making up 65.7% of the team's 516 kills. This is the second highest rate in the MAC behind Miami's trio of Molly Creech (150), Chelsea Williams (99) and Lauren Coyne (90) making up 67.5%.
• Buffalo's 2026 roster features nine returners, including four rotational starters, eight newcomers in five freshmen and three transfers.
• Buffalo is 3-0 at home in 2026, last year they tallied just four home wins.
• Anaya Cole tallied 27 total digs last weekend, 19 of which came against FDU, a new career high. She averaged 4.50 digs per set.
• The Bulls have swept their last three opponents for the first time since the 2024 season. The only other time Buffalo has won four consecutive matches in a sweep was in 1992.
For all the latest on UB volleyball, follow the team on Twitter/X and Instagram at @UBuffaloVB and like the UB Women's Volleyball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Head to Broadview Arena for Homecoming Weekend starting Friday night when the Bulls host the Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. The first 100 fans will receive a sling bag presented by UB Dental. My Tomato Pie will provide Return of the MAC and Cheese while supplies last.
Their weekend will close on Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Rockets on Kids Day. All conference matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Last weekend at the Syracuse Invitational, the Bulls swept the competition in FDU and Syracuse. With their win over Syracuse, UB has beaten a Power Five program in three of the last four seasons. They defeated Missouri for their first win against an SEC program in 2023 as they beat Rutgers last season. This was the program's first win over Syracuse since 2012.
Manoela Forlin led Buffalo's offense with 4.83 kills and 5.17 points per set as she earned Syracuse Invitational MVP honors. She tallied a .338 hitting percentage as she had 29 kills on 68 attempts. Forlin added 2.17 digs and 0.33 blocks per set. Against Syracuse, she hit .433 with just one error. Off her performances, she was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Just like her counterpart, Maddie Mitchell earned MAC Setter of the Week as she led Buffalo with 10.67 assists and 0.67 aces per set. Mitchell helped the Bulls hit .278 on the weekend, including .439 against the Orange. She tallied a .545 hitting percentage as she had 1.00 kill per set. Defensively, she added 3.33 digs with 0.33 blocks per set. Against FDU, she recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 15 digs.
The Golden Flashes are 6-6 on the year and 0-1 in conference play. They fell to their rival the Akron Zips on Wednesday, 3-0. Mercedez Brown leads Kent State with 2.98 points per set. Nadia Miller leads the way with 0.70 blocks per set. Kent State won last year's lone meeting with the Bulls, 3-0.
The Toledo Rockets are 8-2 on the season with a five-set win over Missouri last weekend. Ava Siefke leads their offense with 2.89 kills and 3.12 points per set. Grace Freiberger is averaging 3.89 digs per set as Kayla Ozanich and Sierra Pertzborn have 20.0 total blocks.
THE BULL-ETIN BOARD
• The Bulls closed their non-conference slate with an 8-3 record, their best record since 2023 when they went 10-2.
• Manoela Forlin needs 23 kills to reach 1,000 kills in her career. She is also 8.5 points away from reaching sixth on the all-time scoring list in program history with 1,1140.0 points.
• Manoela Forlin (128), Hailey Campagna (111) and Sydney Bell (100) have combined for 339 kills this season, making up 65.7% of the team's 516 kills. This is the second highest rate in the MAC behind Miami's trio of Molly Creech (150), Chelsea Williams (99) and Lauren Coyne (90) making up 67.5%.
• Buffalo's 2026 roster features nine returners, including four rotational starters, eight newcomers in five freshmen and three transfers.
• Buffalo is 3-0 at home in 2026, last year they tallied just four home wins.
• Anaya Cole tallied 27 total digs last weekend, 19 of which came against FDU, a new career high. She averaged 4.50 digs per set.
• The Bulls have swept their last three opponents for the first time since the 2024 season. The only other time Buffalo has won four consecutive matches in a sweep was in 1992.
For all the latest on UB volleyball, follow the team on Twitter/X and Instagram at @UBuffaloVB and like the UB Women's Volleyball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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