BUFFALO, N.Y.— Eimile O'Brien (Marietta/Marcellus) and Alena McKelvey (Buffalo/City Honors) combined for 20 kills and 20 digs but it was not enough as Fredonia rallied to claim a 3-1 victory over the host Bengals in tonight's "Battle by the Lake" and SUNYAC opener.
 
MATCH BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Fredonia def. Buffalo State, 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-19)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Fredonia (7-6/1-0), Buffalo State (3-8/0-1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• O'Brien finished with a team-high 12 kills, while McKelvey added eight kills and a team-high 16 digs.
• Bryanna Fisher (Brooklyn/Midwood) chipped in eight kills and two blocks.
• Brooke Federko (Jamestown/Jamestown) finished with 33 assists.
• Buffalo State overcame an early deficit by using a 10-2 at the midway point of the first set to take a 19-17 lead.
• After the Blue Devils tallied back-to-back points to even the score at 19-19, the Bengals rattled off six of the next seven points to claim the first frame, 25-20.
• Fredonia responded with an early 8-3 lead in the second set and maintained its momentum by pushing the lead to 23-16.
• Buffalo State chipped away by claiming the next three points but could not complete the comeback as the Blue Devils won the second set, 25-19.
• Fredonia continued their momentum by claiming the third set, 25-20, and finished off the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth frame.
• Both teams matched each other with 41 kills, 39 blocks and eight aces, while Fredonia held a 10-3 advantage in blocks.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Emma Booth led the Blue Devils with a game-high 14 kills to go along with 10 digs.
• Kourtney Krchniak added a game-high 39 assists.

 
NOTEWORTHY

• With the win, Fredonia claimed the first two points in the season-long "Battle by the Lake" competition.

 
UP NEXT
Buffalo State travels to compete in the Utica Tri-Meet on Saturday against Cazenovia at 1:30 p.m. and Utica at 4 p.m.