BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's volleyball team splits their home doubleheader, defeating the Penn State Altoona Lions, 3-2, to remain perfect in AMCC play before dropping a hard-fought contest with the #2 Juniata College Eagles, 3-0.

GAME ONE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 3, Penn State Altoona – 2
SET SCORES: (25-15, 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 15-10)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 24-3 (11-0 AMCC), Penn State Altoona: 8-16 (6-5 AMCC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Gavin Wilczewski (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) led the Bengals with 12 kills, while Kaden Strong (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca East) backed him up with eight kills.
• Drew Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) played the main facilitator for the Bengals, leading all players with 40 assists.
• Defensively, D. Bowman and Wilczewski led the Bengals with nine digs each, while Strong finished with five total blocks at the net.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After their last outing on Senior Day against Houghton University, the Bengals returned to the Sports Arena to host the Penn State Altoona Lions in AMCC play.
• In the first set, the Bengals would battle back from an early Lions lead, mounting a five-point rally to take control of the match. After a stretch of point trading, the Bengals would keep their advantage with a three-point rally, before closing out the Lions and taking the first set win.
• The second set would repeat the same pattern, as an early lead from the Lions would put them in the driver's seat. However, the Bengals would continue to battle back, using the Lions' mistakes to claw their way back into the game. After another series of point trading from these two sides, the Bengals would regain control with a four-straight point run, before taking the second set win on back-to-back points…putting the Lions in sweep territory.
• With momentum on their side, the Bengals looked to make quick work of the Lions and close out this AMCC matchup in three sets. However, the Lions wouldn't go down without a fight, scoring a flurry of points in part due to costly mistakes by the Bengals. As play continued, the Lions maintained control throughout the set, stealing the third set from the Bengals and keeping the matchup going.
• In the fourth set, the Bengals fought to close out the matchup, but the Lions used their third-set momentum to keep the fight going. A four-point run from the Lions would give them an early advantage over the Bengals, who'd attempted to make up points midway through the game. However, the ball wouldn't roll in the Bengals' favor, as the Lions would push through a late Bengals rush, taking the fourth set behind a three-point run and forcing a fifth set.
• In the fifth and final set of play, the Bengals would respond with a seven-point rally to take control in this matchup and win the 'race to eight' over the Lions. With momentum shifted in the Bengals' favor, the Lions' tenacious effort would fall short, and the Bengals closed out the fifth set with the win, clinching the top seed in the upcoming AMCC playoffs!

FOR THE FOES

• Lukas Weathersbee led the Lions with 12 kills; Shawn Thomas had 12 assists.
• Adam Chan led the Lions on defense with 12 digs, as Caleb Fries finished with five total blocks at the net.
   

GAME TWO BASICS


FINAL SCORE: #2 Juniata College – 3, Buffalo State – 0
SET SCORES: (22-25, 10-25, 18-25)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 24-4 (11-0 AMCC), Juniata College: 25-2 (6-1 CVC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Brady Bowman (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) led the Bengals with nine kills, while Wilczewski and Kellen Palmer (Buffalo, NY/Canisius High School) each finished in support with six kills.
• D. Bowman closed out the night with 22 assists to lead the Bengals.
• Defensively, Wilczewski and B. Bowman led the Bengals with four digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a hard-fought win over Penn State Altoona, the Bengals returned to the court with a tough bout against the #2 Juniata College Eagles.
• In the first set, the Bengals would stay in rhythm with the Eagles, gaining momentum from early Eagles mistakes. As play continued, both sides would trade points before a three-point rally would give the Eagles the advantage midway through the set. As the Bengals fought back to stay within striking distance of the Eagles, their comeback would fall just short, as the Eagles held on and took the first set.
• In the second set, the Bengals would fall behind early as the Eagles controlled play throughout. A six-point rally late in play would see the Bengals fall behind by double-digits, as the Eagles would hold on and put the Bengals in 'sweep territory.'
• In the third set, the Bengals fought to extend the match, using their final reserves of energy against a well-balanced Eagles team. Despite their efforts to push the contest to a fourth set, the Eagles maintained the momentum and closed out the Bengals in three sets at home.

FOR THE FOES

• Felix Baier led the Eagles with 11 kills, while Will Sierer led all players with 25 assists.
• Andrew Byrne led the Eagles with seven digs, while Dante Palombo had three blocks at the net.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will close out their regular season tomorrow afternoon with the Bengal Invite, featuring Juniata College, Mount Aloysius College, and Nazareth University. The Bengals will take on Mount Aloysius College at 11:00 AM to close out their AMCC portion of their schedule, before ending their regular season against Nazareth University at 5:00 PM.