ROCHESTER, NY – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team split their first day in the St. John Fisher Invite, suffering a loss to the #11 St. John Fisher University Cardinals, 2-3 but picking up a victory over the Penn State Behrend Lions, 3-1.
GAME ONE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: St. John Fisher – 3, Buffalo State – 2
SET SCORES: (25-18, 25-23, 13-25, 21-25, 12-15)
LOCATION: Manning & Napier Varsity Gym– Rochester, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 1-4 (0-0 AMCC), St. John Fisher: 4-0 (0-0 UVC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Offensively, Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora) led the Bengals 20 kills in the game, with Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) racking up 34 assists.
- Defensively, Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) led the Bengals with six blocks, while Alex Vega (Cambita Garabitos, Dominican Republic) led the way with 17 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Following the SUNY Poly Invite, the Bengals looked to pick up the momentum in the St. John Fisher Invite as they faced off against the #11 host Cardinals. The first two sets of play saw the Bengals come out and dominate the competition, withstanding the back and forth play from the Cardinals and go up 2-0 in set wins, with their eyes on the clinching third set victory.
- However, things wouldn't go the Bengals way, with the Cardinals rallying back and taking the third and fourth set in convincing manners to tie the set wins…with the fifth and final set crowning a victor in this competition.
- In the fifth and final set of play, both teams threw their best haymakers, tying at 7-7 in the set. A four-point rally saw the Cardinals go up 11-9, but the Bengals kept themselves in this match, tying the match back up at 11-11. With the 15-point marker nearby, the Cardinals would retake the lead on a two-point rally…before finishing this matchup on another two-point rally to comeback and down the Bengals in five sets.
FOR THE FOES
- Griffin Stella led the Cardinals with 16 kills, with Casey Jackson picking up 14 kills. Gavin Newman led the way in assists with 47.
- Defensively, Newman led the way with four blocks, with Trace La Robardiere leading with eight digs.
GAME TWO BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, SUNY Poly – 1
SET SCORES: (19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20)
LOCATION: Manning & Napier Varsity Gym– Rochester, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 2-4 (0-0 AMCC), Penn State Behrend: 1-1 (0-0 AMCC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora) led the Bengals with 14 kills, Davian Serrano Colon (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) backing him up with 11 kills. Drew Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) led the way in assists, picking up 31 in the matchup.
- Defensively, Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) led the Bengals with four blocks, while Alex Vega (Cambita Garabitos, Dominican Republic) led the way with 12 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Trying to respond from a tough five set loss to the St. John Fisher Cardinals, the Bengals looked towards the Penn State Behrend Lions as a momentum builder for the weekend. In the first set, the Bengals would open to a 7-3-point lead over the Lions before a four-point rally saw the Lions tie up this matchup. After some back-and-forth play from both teams, the Lions would rally five-straight points, before stealing set one with a win.
- In the second and third set of play, the Bengals would return to form, taking the wind out from the Lions and winning both sets in a strong manner with the fourth set becoming the game-winning set for the Bengals.
- In the fourth set, the Bengals would face some pushback from the Lions, as both teams traded points early, before a Bengals three-point rally would see them jump on top of the Lions. While the Lions would continue to keep things close, the Bengals proved to withstand the pressure, going on another three-point rally, before finishing the match strong and winning this matchup in four sets.
FOR THE FOES
- Kyle Hoffman led the Lions with eight kills, as well as eight digs.
- Caden Mealy led the Lions in assists with 21 in this matchup.
UP NEXT
The Bengals will finish out the St. John Fisher Invite, as they return to action tomorrow afternoon to take on the Wittenberg University Tigers at 11:00 A.M.
