ITHACA, NY – The Buffalo State women's volleyball team fell in both of their contests today, losing a hard-fought battle against the Union College Garnet Chargers, 3-2, before falling to host #13 Ithaca College Bombers, 3-0.
GAME ONE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Union College – 3, Buffalo State – 2
SET SCORES: (16-25, 25-16, 26-24, 23-25, 12-15)
LOCATION: Ben Light Gymnasium – Ithaca, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 4-8 (0-0 SUNYAC), Union College: 8-5 (0-2 Liberty League)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville-Griffith) set a career mark as a Bengal, racking up 27 kills to lead all players.
- Alex Arroyo (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown East) also set a career mark in her young career as a Bengal, leading all players with 44 assists.
- Defensively, Hailey Kulniszewski (Elma, NY/Iroquois) led all players with 19 digs, with Dani Dury (Amherst, OH/Marion L. Steele) finishing with 17 digs. At the net, Kate Rutigliano (Martinsville, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) led the Bengals with six total blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a tough road loss against the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles last night, the Bengals returned to action today in a tri-match against the Ithaca College Bombers, with their first opponent of the day being the Union College Garnet Chargers.
- Opening the first set, the Bengals would fall behind as the Garnet Chargers opened the set with a strong run, taking an early advantage over the Bengals. As play continued, the Bengals would find chances to gain some ground, but the Garnet Chargers would find answers, including a four-point run before closing out the Bengals behind a three-point run to claim the first set.
- The second set would see the Bengals gain the early advantage, jumping out on top with a seven-point run. While the Garnet Chargers would attempt to claw their way back into the set, the Bengals would hold on strong to take the second-set victory.
- The third set would be the most competitive of the matchup, as both teams came out firing from the beginning of play, trading points throughout the set. After a four-point rally saw the Garnet Chargers take hold of the set, the Bengals would dig deep, finding ways to force the Garnet Chargers into mistakes before taking the third-set win.
- In the fourth set of this bout, the Bengals looked to close out their foe and claim a hard-fought win, but the Garnet Chargers would make that option hard on the Bengals. After the Bengals took the advantage early in the set, the Garnet Chargers responded with a four-point rally to bring things back even. The Bengals would respond with their own three-point rally to take the lead, but the Garnet Chargers would rally for seven straight to take the fourth-set win and force a fifth and final set of this nonconference matchup.
- In the fifth set, the Bengals would start strong, rallying four straight points and taking the lead. However, after some costly mistakes by the Bengals opened the door for the Garnet Chargers to rally for four straight points, the Bengals would fall short in the fifth set, falling to the Garnet Chargers in their opening matchup of the day.
FOR THE FOES
- Kayla Martinez Cartagena led the Garnet Chargers with 14 kills, with Allie Kronenberg finishing with 33 assists.
- Defensively, Kronenberg and Vanessa Morgan each finished with 12 digs.
GAME TWO BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #13 Ithaca College – 3, Buffalo State – 0
SET SCORES: (11-25, 16-25, 18-25)
LOCATION: Ben Light Gymnasium – Ithaca, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 4-9 (0-0 SUNYAC), Ithaca College: 10-3 (2-0 Liberty League)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Anel Acosta (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) led the Bengals with eight kills, with Wittman finishing with six kills.
- Arroyo once again led the way in the playmaking department, racking up 19 assists for the Bengals.
- Defensively, Kulniszewski led the Bengals with 12 digs, with Wittman right behind with 10 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Following their first outing in a hard-fought contest with Union College, the Bengals looked to respond in strong fashion as they battled host Ithaca College Bombers.
- In the first set, the Bengals would fall behind as the Bombers opened play with a five-point run. This would be the story of the first set, as the Bombers would add to their lead following another five-point run. While the Bengals would respond with their own four-point rally, the deficit would be too much to overcome, as the Bombers would claim the first set victory.
- The second set would see the Bengals come out composed, firing on all cylinders with a four-point run to take the advantage over the Bombers. While the Bombers would respond, trading points with the Bengals as play continued, the tide of the set would change as the Bombers would use a 13-point run to swing the set in their favor and take the second set from the Bengals.
- In the third and final set of play, each side would trade points throughout the set, with the Bombers using back-to-back four-point runs to take the lead. As the Bengals found some rhythm and fought their way back with a three-point run to stay with the Bombers, the set would fall in the Bombers' favor, sweeping the Bengals in this nonconference contest.
FOR THE FOES
- Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu led all players with 11 kills, with Wesley Slavin leading all players with 22 assists.
- Defensively, Gonzalez-Abreu led the Bombers with 10 digs.
UP NEXT
The Bengals return home on Tuesday, September 29
th to take on the Houghton University Highlanders in the Sports Arena at 6:00 PM.
