Box Score ROCHESTER, NY – The Buffalo State women's volleyball team fell in a closely-contested match in five sets to St. John Fisher on Friday evening.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: St. John Fisher – 3, Buffalo State - 2
SET SCORES: 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 28-26, 15-11
LOCATION: Bobby Wanzer Court – Rochester, NY
RECORDS: St. John Fisher (9-8), Buffalo State (12-8)
 
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Erin Mergler (Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) had 16 kills to lead Buffalo State, and also chipped in seven digs.
• Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville Griffith) registered a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.
• Samantha Coakley (Lockport, NY/Lockport) had a 12-kills, 13-digs, double-double.
• Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) had 27 assists, four service aces, and 15 digs.
• Adi Vergara (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico/Kingdom Christian) had a match-high 23 digs.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. John Fisher led 6-4 early in the first set, before Buffalo State went on a 9-2 run that included three kills by Coakley to take a 13-8 advantage.
• The Cardinals were able to pull back within two points at 19-17, but kills by Nicole Delli Colli (Rye, NY/Rye), Wittman, and Mergler helped Buffalo State take the opening set 25-22.
• A kill by Wittman in the middle of the second set gave the Bengals a five-point edge at 17-12, the largest of the set. The Bengals also led 23-19 later in the set, but St. John Fisher rallied to win the final six points to even the match at one-set apiece.
• Shaffer began the third set with an 8-0 service run, and the Bengals led by as many as nine at 11-2. A 7-1 run by the Cardinals made it 12-8, but Buffalo State was able to rebuild its lead to six on the way to a 25-21 victory.
• Buffalo State trailed 22-19 in the fourth set, before taking a 24-23 lead thanks to kills by Coakley and Mergler. The Cardinals fought off two match points, and earned a 28-26 victory to force a fifth set.
• The teams traded points in the fifth set, with the score knotted at 7-7. The Cardinals then went on an 8-4 run to claim the match.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Kaylene Noble led St. John Fisher with 22 kills in the victory.

 
UP NEXT
The Bengals are back in SUNYAC action next weekend at Geneseo on Friday evening and at Brockport on Saturday afternoon.