CAMBRIDGE, MA – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon at a tri-match hosted by M.I.T., falling in four sets to the hosts and defeating Regis in a sweep.
 
MATCH TWO BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, Regis – 0
SET SCORES: (25-18, 25-21, 25-20)
LOCATION: Rockwell Cage, Cambridge, MA
RECORDS: Buffalo State (10-10), Regis (8-8)
 
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) and Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora) each hit .500 for the Bengals, with Strong having eight kills and Wilczewski adding 11.
• Christopher Laboy (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Lafayette) recorded a match-high 13 kills.
• Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) handed out 27 assists.
• Alex Nuez (Paterson, NJ/Eastside) led the Bengals with 10 digs.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bengals jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the opening set, and extended the lead to as many as nine at 21-12. Regis closed to within six points twice, before Stang closed the set with a kill.
• The Bengals had four straight kills to open the second set, but Regis responded with five points in a row to take an early 5-4 lead.  The Bengals regained the lead with two points in a row, and did not fall behind again the rest of the set, as Laboy closed out a 25-20 win with a kill.
• After falling behind early in the third set, Ben Malicki's (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville North) service ace tied the score at 6-6 for the Bengals. Buffalo State then went on a 9-4 run that included three kills by Wilczewski and a kill by Strong.
• Despite the Pride pulling to within one, Buffalo State retained the lead, and Hayden McCue (Fairport, NY/Fairport) closed out the match with a service ace.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Joseph Perez had 12 kills to lead the Pride.

 
MATCH ONE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: MIT – 3, Buffalo State – 1
SET SCORES: (26-24, 23-25, 25-15, 25-16)
LOCATION: Rockwell Cage, Cambridge, MA
RECORDS:  MIT (12-5), Buffalo State (9-10)
 
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Wilczewski had 15 kills for the Bengals, while Chi Jackson (Buffalo, NY/Cheektowaga) added 14 kills.
• Laboy had nine digs and five total blocks, while McCue had three service aces.
• Stang handed out 40 assists.

 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Trailing 23-21 in the first set, the Bengals got three straight points to lead 24-23. However, fought off the set point and closed out the set with three straight kills of their own for a 26-24 win.
• The Bengals were down 16-10 in the second set, before beginning to rally to pull within two points at 23-21. Buffalo State then won the final four points, including a combo block by Strong and Laboy, an ace by Jackson, and a kill by Strong, to win the set 25-23.
• The Engineers responded with resounding victories in the next two sets to take the match.
• Jumping out to a 12-3 lead in the third set, MIT led by as many as 12 in taking the 25-15 victory.
• Buffalo State started the fourth set on a 5-1 run thanks to a kill each by McCue and Wilczewski, a solo block by Jackson, and combo block by Laboy and McCue, and the Bengals then led 11-10.
• The Engineers then won six straight points as part of a 15-5 run to close out the match.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Nicholas Gustafson had a match-high 18 kills for MIT.

 
UP NEXT
Buffalo State is on the road at Houghton on Tuesday evening, before hosting the Highlanders and Elmira in a tri-match on Saturday at the Sports Arena.