BUFFALO, NY – After a dramatic opening set victory, the Buffalo State men's volleyball team was unable to duplicate the magician the other three sets, falling to Mount Union in four sets at the Sports Arena on Tuesday evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Mount Union – 3, Buffalo State – 1
SET SCORES: 29-31, 25-16, 25-15, 25-17
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Mount Union (5-4), Buffalo State (6-7)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Christopher Laboy (Pounce, Puerto Rico/Lafayette) led the Bengals with 12 kills, while Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora) added 11 kills.
- Wilczewski also led the Bengals with nine digs, while Alex Nuez (Paterson, NJ/Eastside) and Laboy each had six digs apiece.
- The Bengals combined for 14 blocks in the match.
- Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) had 25 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Buffalo State jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first set, thanks to three kills from Laboy and three blocks, two of which were by George Muriel (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg).
- Mount Union responded to tie the game at 15-15, then won nine of the next 11 points to lead 24-17.
- Behind the serving of Muriel, the Bengals battled off eight straight set points, and took a 26-25 lead after a kill by Wilczewski. Later in the set with the score tied at 29-29, Laboy came up with a huge kill, followed by an attack error from the Purple Raiders to give the Bengals the opening set.
- The Bengals won the first two points of the second set, but from that point never led again. Mount Union closed the set on a 7-2 run to take a 25-16 victory.
- The Purple Raiders sped to a 15-6 lead in the third set, and Buffalo State did not get closer than seven points behind for the remainder of the set.
- An ace by Muriel early in the fourth set gave the Bengals a 2-1 advantage, but Buffalo State was unable to build a lead as Mount Union countered with a 10-5 run. The Purple Raiders took advantage of multiple Buffalo State miscues, with the Bengals hitting just .074 for the final set, to win 25-17 and close out the match.
FOR THE FOES
- Aaron Armour led Mount Union with 18 kills, while Jack McClure had 16 kills.
UP NEXT
Buffalo State is back on the road this weekend, heading to face No. 6 Vassar on Friday evening.
