GREENVILLE, PA – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team fell on the road,  3-1 (25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25), to Thiel College in its latest non-conference matchup.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Thiel College – 3, Buffalo State - 1
SET SCORES: (25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25)
LOCATION: Maenpa Court at Beeghly Gymnasium – Greenville, PA
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 10-13 (0-0 AMCC), Thiel College: 17-6 (9-0 PAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Malachi Jackson (Buffalo, NY/Cheektowaga) led the Bengals with 19-kills in today's performance, racking up a .548 attack percentage. Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) backed up Jackson with 14-kills, while Kieran Eagen (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West) rounded out the offense for the Bengals with ten-kills.  
• Drew Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) set career-high, tallying 46 assists in today's game.
• Defensively, Alex Vega (Cambita Garabitos, Dominican Republic) led the way with 16-digs, while Hayden McCue (Fairport, NY/Fairport) racked up four-blocks for the Bengals.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In their first matchup since returning from Puerto Rico, the Buffalo State Bengals looked to open the second half of their season on a high note. The first set featured a back-and-forth exchange, but a three-point rally by the Thiel College Tomcats put the Bengals on their heels early. The Bengals responded with a four-point rallying to tie it up, but despite the back-and-forth momentum, the Tomcats pulled away late to take the opening set.
• The second set mirrored the first, with both teams' trading points early. A four-point rally by the Tomcats gave them an edge, and while the Bengals fought back to even the score, they couldn't match the Tomcats consistent rallies, dropping the second set and putting themselves at risk of a sweep.
• The Bengals came out energized in the third set, using an early three-point rally to grab their first lead of the match. Their momentum continued with a dominant five-point run, helping them secure the third set and stave off the sweep.
• In the fourth set, the Bengals picked up where they left off, jumping out to an early lead with multiple three-point rallies. However, the Tomcats responded with resilience, matching the Bengals point-for-point before stringing together a crucial three-point rally to tie the set. Despite the Bengals' push to force a fifth, the Tomcats surged late to close out the fourth set and seal the 3-1 victory.

FOR THE FOES

• Ezra Oesterling racked up 20-kills for the Tomcats, while Ben Lowell led with 46-assists.
• Josh Pugh led the Tomcats with 16-digs defensively.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will have a couple days of rest before battling the Houghton University Highlanders on Tuesday, March 25^th at 7:00 P.M.