BUFFALO, NY – The top-seeded Buffalo State men's volleyball team defeated the Penn State-Behrend Lions, 3-0, winning the AMCC Tournament Championship for the second consecutive season!

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #1 Buffalo State – 3, #2 Penn State-Behrend – 0
SET SCORES: (25-16, 25-14, 25-22)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 28-4 (12-0 AMCC), Penn State Behrend: 21-7 (10-2 AMCC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Gavin Wilczewski (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) led all players with 11 kills on the afternoon, while Brady Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) finished with eight kills in support.
• Drew Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) led all players with 30 assists.
• Defensively, Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) led the Bengals with nine digs, with Kaden Strong (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East) finishing with five total blocks at the net.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After sweeping Penn State Altoona in their AMCC Championships Semifinals matchup, the top-seeded Bengals turned their focus to finishing strong and pursuing a second consecutive AMCC Tournament title. They hosted the #2 seed Penn State-Behrend Lions in this highly anticipated championship bout.
• The Bengals would get off to a hot start in this championship matchup, storming out to an early lead over the Lions behind back-to-back three-point runs. As play continued, the Bengals used a four-point run to control much of this first set, as the Lions looked for any mistake by the Bengals to get back into this one. However, the Bengals would play some of their best ball of the season, carrying the momentum and taking the first set victory over the Lions.
• The second set would repeat the same script, with the Bengals outright dominating the Lions in play. Using back-to-back five straight point runs, the Bengals jumped out to a double-digit set lead, throttling the Lions once again, with their eyes on the third set to complete the sweep and claim the AMCC Tournament Championship.
• In the third set, the Lions would strike first with an early lead, before a Bengals three-point rally gave them their first lead of the set. However, the Lions wouldn't go down easily, making plays and capitalizing on the Bengals' mistakes. As these two sides traded points midway through play, the Bengals would find ways to return the favor and make the Lions pay for their mistakes. With a home crowd and momentum on their side, though, the Bengals would do just enough to close out the Lions in the third set, sweeping the competition and claiming their second consecutive AMCC Tournament Championship!!

FOR THE FOES

• Jack Wilcox led the Lions with eight kills, with Luke Mumpower finishing with 21 assists.
• Defensively, Mumpower finished with nine digs to lead the Lions.

UP NEXT
With this win, the Bengals claim an automatic bid to the DIII NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament. They will wait until Monday for NCAA Selection Day, which will determine the Bengals' fate for another tournament season.