BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team earned a split tonight at the Bengal Invite as they earned a win over Nazareth in a five-set thriller before falling to #11 Hobart in three sets at the Sports Arena.
GAME ONE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, Nazareth – 2
SET SCORES: (27-29, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 8-8 (0-0 AMCC), Nazareth: 8-7 (0-0 UVC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Malachi Jackson (Buffalo, NY/Cheektowaga) paced the Bengals with 20 kills and a .390 attack percentage while Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora) and Brady Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) added 16 and 13 kills, respectively.
- Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) dished out 46 assists while Alex Vega (Cambita Garabitos, Dominican Republic) paced the Bengals with 12 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first set was back-and-forth much of the way before Nazareth was able to score six of the final nine point sot secure the opening set.
- The Golden Flyers put pressure on the Bengals in the second set with a win after a late 9-4 run.
- Buffalo State bounced-back in the third set as Jackson earned a kill on two of the final three points.
- The Bengals forced a decisive fifth set after a late 7-3 run and an attack error from Nazareth.
- In the fifth set, the Bengals took the lead late and secured the win after a block from Bowman and Hayden McCue (Fairport, NY/Fairport) sealed the deal.
FOR THE FOES
- Owen Wickens led the Golden Flyers with 20 kills and a trio of service aces.
- AJ Burda gave out 38 assists in the effort.
GAME TWO BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #11 Hobart – 3, Buffalo State – 0
SET SCORES: (23-25, 11-25, 20-25)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: #11 Hobart: 17-2 (0-0 UVC), Buffalo State: 8-9 (0-0 AMCC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Jackson led the Bengals again with seven kills.
- Stang dished out 20 assists while Wilczewski led the team with eight digs.
- Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) tallied four blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Statesmen took control late in the opening set with a swift 6-2 run before scoring each of the final two points.
- Hobart dominated the second set as they scored five of the final six points.
- Buffalo State pushed Hobart in the final set, however, the Statesmen scored seven of the final ten points to win the deciding set.
FOR THE FOES
- Andrew Kim paced Hobart with 15 kills while posting a .308 attack percentage.
- Benjamin Lincoln gave out 25 assists.
UP NEXT
The Bengals will return to action on Friday as they will host Wilkes at 6:00 pm.
