GENEVA, NY – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team scored its first two wins of the 2026 season with a sweeps over the Russell Sage College Gators, 3-0, and the Hartwick College Hawks, 3-0, in the Hobart Tournament.

GAME ONE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, Russell Sage – 0
SET SCORES: (25-17, 25-17, 25-23)
LOCATION: Bristol Gym – Geneva, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 1-0 (0-0 AMCC), Russell Sage College: 0-1 (0-0 NEVC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Gavin Wilczewski (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) led the Bengals with ten kills. Hayden McCue (Fairport, NY/Fairport) finished with five kills in support.
• Drew Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) dished out 16 assists. Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) backed up Bowman with seven assists.
• Defensively, Bowman, Wilczewski, and Brady Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) all finished with three blocks, with Wilczewski leading the Bengals with two blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The reigning AMCC champions opened their 2026 season against the Russell Sage Gators in the Hobart Tournament, aiming to start strong.
• In the first set, the Bengals would fall behind as the Gators stormed out to an early lead. A four-point rally would bring this matchup back into the Bengals' favor before trading points with the Gators throughout the first set. While the Gators would keep the Bengals on their toes, it wouldn't be enough as another four-point rally would give the Bengals enough edge to close out the Gators in the first set.
• In the second set, the roles reversed. The Bengals stormed out early with a sea of scoring, but the Gators rallied to bring this opening-day matchup back to even. However, the Bengals found their footing in this set with great defense and even better offense. They took a double-digit points lead over the Gators and closed out the second set with another win, putting a three-set sweep in play.
• As the Bengals looked to secure a three-set sweep, the Gators pushed them to earn it in the third set. A flurry of point trading would be the story of this second set: the Bengals gaining an advantage, the Gators answering back. With the game tied at 23-23, and a fourth set in play, the Bengals would do just enough to gain the needed two set points and close out the Gators in their season opener.

FOR THE FOES

• John Lindheimer led the Gators with 12 kills, with Anthony Guetti leading all players with 27 assists.
• Defensively, Dylan Fox led with six digs.

GAME TWO BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, Hartwick – 0
SET SCORES: (25-16, 25-13, 25-21).
LOCATION: Bristol Gym – Geneva, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 2-0 (0-0 AMCC), Hartwick: 0-3 (0-0 INDEPENDENT)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Sean Berrios (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West), B. Bowman, Caleb Smith (Rochester, NY/World of Inquiry), and Jamie Courtright (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) all finished with the team lead of five kills.
• Stang continued his playmaking, racking up 21 assists in the matchup.
• On the defensive end, Caden Crosier (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) led the way with five digs.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After sweeping their first Hobart Tournament game, the Bengals aimed for a second win as they faced the Hartwick College Hawks.
• Opening the first set, the Bengals quickly took control, storming out with an early lead. They kept this momentum with a five-point run before closing out the Hawks in the first set.
• In the second set, the Bengals replicated a fast start and established an early lead over the Hawks, then closed the set with two four-point runs to win again.
• In the third set, the Hawks and the Bengals traded points, with neither side gaining a significant advantage. In the race to '25', a stalemate at 20-20 would see the Bengals rally three-straight points to close out the Hawks and pick up back-to-back sweeps in their opening day of the Hobart Tournament.

FOR THE FOES

• Anthony Ruggiero led the Hawks with 12 kills, with Nate Roorbach picking up 18 assists in the matchup.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will look to finish the Hobart Tournament undefeated as they embark on day two tomorrow, with their first matchup against #20 Misericordia University at 1:00 PM, followed by a finish against the tournament host, #16 Hobart College, at 5:00 PM.