BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team closed out the regular season on Saturday afternoon, falling in three sets to No. 15 Hobart at the Sports Arena.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Hobart – 3, Buffalo State – 0
SET SCORES: (25-16, 25-20, 25-18)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Hobart (18-10), Buffalo State (14-15)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Christopher Laboy (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Lafayette) led Buffalo State with seven kills.
- Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) had 11 digs, and handed out 17 assists.
- Alex Nuez (Paterson, NJ/Eastside) chipped in eight digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The teams traded points early in the first set, and the score was tied at 9-9.
- Hobart then went on a 6-2 run to go ahead 15-11. The Bengals pulled to within three points at multiple stages after a kill by Chi Jackson (Buffalo, NY/Cheektowaga) and then a kill by Laboy, but Buffalo State couldn't get any closer as the Statesmen closed the set on an 8-2 run.
- Hobart jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set, before the Bengals responded with a 6-2 run of their own to tie the score at 8-8 thanks to kills by Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora), Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) and Laboy.
- Hobart used an 8-2 run to open up a seven-point advantage in the middle of the set, and Buffalo State could get no closer than three points the rest of the way.
- Hobart never trailed in the third set, taking the match with a 25-18 victory.
FOR THE FOES
- Andrew Kim starred for Hobart, hitting .529 with 21 kills on 34 attempts.
SENIOR DAY
- Buffalo State honored Adam Cramer (Buffalo, NY/Iroquois), Sean Denniston (Lockport, NY/Lockport), and Nate Lippitt (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), the three seniors from this year's team.
UP NEXT
The Bengals could have another chance to play in the next few weeks at the ECAC Championships, but will need to receive an invitation to the event, with matchups being decided after the NCAA tournament selection.
