BUFFALO, NY – The #18 Buffalo State men's volleyball team outlasted the Nazareth Golden Flyers in five sets, 3-2, to pick up their tenth win of the season.  

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #18 Buffalo State – 3, Nazareth University – 2
SET SCORES: (25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 20-25, 19-17)
LOCATION: Robert A. Kidera Gym – Rochester, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 10-1 (2-0 AMCC), Nazareth University: 7-5 (0-0 UVC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Gavin Wilczewski (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) led all players with 21 kills, with Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) backing him up with 12 kills.
• Drew Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) also led the Bengals with 32 assists, with Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) adding 16 assists. 
• On the defensive end, Xzavier Vanderstouw (Baldwinsville, NY/CW Baker), D. Bowman, and Wilczewski each finished with seven digs. 

• Playing a back-to-back after taking down the Houghton Highlanders in three sets, the Bengals returned to the road as they battled the Nazareth University Golden Flyers in nonconference action. 
• In the first set, the Bengals would storm out of the gates with an early lead behind a four-point run and back-to-back, three-point runs. As the Golden Flyers would fight their way back into the set, the Bengals would withhold any momentum swing, responding with a five-point rally to claim the first set. 
• In the second set, the Bengals would once again jump out in front of the Golden Flyers with an early run, but a Golden Flyers response would turn this set into a 'point-for-point' contest midway through the set. As both teams looked to finish out on top, it would be the Golden Flyers who'd find gold first, tying up this bout with a second-set win.
• In the third set, the Golden Flyers would take a page out of the Bengals book, as they jumped out in front with an early point run. The Bengals would find their footing as play continued, going on a four-point run before following that up with a five-point run to take command of the third set. As the Golden Flyers kept pace with the Bengals, a late run would be enough for the Bengals to claim the third set victory.
• After trading points to begin the fourth set, the Golden Flyers would gain some distance from the Bengals with a four-point run. While the Bengals would get back into this set, the Golden Flyers would use another four-point run to claim the fourth set and force a fifth and final set between these two teams. 
• In the fifth set, the Bengals would be battle-tested, as the Golden Flyers would find themselves ahead and looking to pull away. A strong three-point run would be the response needed for the Bengals to build some momentum, before a four-point run would give the Bengals a late lead. As both teams claimed 'match-point' in the set, neither side was able to claim the match...but the Bengals did just enough to finally clinch the match and pick up this hard-fought nonconference win over the Golden Flyers.  

• Tristan Henderson and Sean Frawley each picked up 11 kills, with AJ Burda leading all players with 41 assists.
• Defensively, Quintin Chiles led with 13 digs. 

UP NEXT
The Bengals look to keep the momentum rolling as they take to the road this Valentine's Day, with a tri-match on Saturday against Misericordia University at 11:00 AM before finishing the day with Manhattanville University at 1:00 PM.