ROCHESTER, NY – The Buffalo State women's volleyball team closed out the Rochester Tournament with a perfect day, outlasting Wheaton College in a five-set thriller, 3-2, before capping the event with a dominant 3-0 sweep over Keuka College.

GAME ONE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, Wheaton College – 2
SET SCORES: (25-16, 25-27, 27-25, 26-28, 15-7)
LOCATION: Louis Alexander Palestra – Rochester, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 4-6 (0-0 SUNYAC), Wheaton College: 4-5 (0-0 NEWMAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville Griffith) continued her strong tournament play, leading the Bengals with 18-kills, tying for the game high. Backing her up was Anel Acosta (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) who finished the game with 11-kills.
• April Jakubowski (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) dished out 20-assists for the Bengals, with Alex Arroyo (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown East) playing runner up with 19 assists.  
• Defensively, Hailey Kulniszewski (Elma, NY/Iroquois) racked up 25-digs, while Acosta delivered on the defensive end as well with 21 digs. Delaney McCarthy (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) was terrific in front of the net, making a block while also adding three block assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Entering day two of the Rochester Tournament, the Bengals looked to build on their gritty win over SUNY Geneseo the night before. The Bengals came out firing in the opening set, using an early six-point rally to seize control. Another four-point run helped the Bengals maintain momentum as they cruised to a convincing first-set victory over the Lyons.
• The second set turned into a back-and-forth battle. The Lyons struck early, forcing the Bengals to rally back with four straight points. Despite the Bengals holding set point at 25-24, a late three-point surge from the Lyons stole the set and evened the match.
• Set three followed the same script, with neither side giving much ground. Back-to-back three-point runs gave the Bengals a slight edge, but a five-point rally swung the lead back to the Lyons. In a tense finish, the Bengals stayed composed and prevailed, 27-25, to reclaim the match lead.
• The fourth set was another nail-biter, with the teams trading points nearly the entire way. After a three-point Lyons run tied things up, the Bengals responded with three straight of their own to go up 19-17. But once again, the Lyons found late-set magic, edging the Bengals 28-26 to force a decisive fifth set.
• In the final frame, the Bengals left no doubt, exploding for an eight-point rally and shutting the door on the Lyons with a dominant 15-7 win to take the match, 3-2.

FOR THE FOES

• Celina Henn led the Lyons with 18 kills, with Sydney Lyon and Mary Caroline Mazzanti both finished with 11 kills. Ajsa Orban led all players with 40-assists.
• Defensively, Jackie Hochberg led all players with 32 digs, while Julia Wingler finished with two blocks.

GAME TWO BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State - 3, Keuka College - 0
SET SCORES: (25-10, 25-11, 25-10)
LOCATION: Louis Alexander Palestra – Rochester, NY
RECORDS:  Buffalo State: 5-6 (0-0 SUNYAC), Keuka College: 1-9 (0-0 Empire 8)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Wittman once again carried the Bengals offense with 13 kills. Acosta would finish with eight-kills, while Nicole Delli Colli (Rye, NY/Rye) and Reagan Schneider (Corfu, NY/Pembroke) each finished with six-kills.
• Rose Kory (Chappaqua, NY/ Horace Greeley), Jakubowski and Arroyo each dished out eight assists for the Bengal lead.
• On defense, Kulniszewski and Wittman each finished with 12 digs, with Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) adding 11 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a grueling five-set battle with the Wheaton College Lyons earlier in the day, the Bengals looked to finish the Rochester Tournament on a high note against the Keuka College Wolves. The Bengals wasted no time in the opening set, jumping out to a quick five-point rally and never looking back. Another six-point run sealed a dominant first-set victory.
• The second set started as a back-and-forth contest, but once the Bengals settled in, they took control behind another six-point rally. The Wolves attempted to mount a comeback, but the Bengals slammed the door with yet another six-point surge to clinch the set and put the sweep within reach.
• In the third and final set, the Bengals did exactly what good teams do — they closed. Maintaining an early lead throughout, the Bengals stayed in attack mode before rattling off six straight points to put away the Wolves and complete the sweep, finishing the Rochester Tournament undefeated. 
   

FOR THE FOES

• Alessandra Castañeda led the Wolves with seven-kills, while Summer Elza would finish with seven-assists.
• Gabby Rodriguez led the Wolves defensively with 15 digs.

UP NEXT
The Bengals return to the Sports Arena to host this season's "Bengal Challenge," welcoming Baldwin Wallace on Friday, September 19, at 7:00 p.m.