Women’s volleyball falls in five-set Battle by the Lake

BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State women's volleyball team fell for the first time in SUNYAC play this season, 3-2, to the Fredonia Blue Devils in this year's "Battle by the Lake" matchup.

FINAL SCORE: Fredonia – 3, Buffalo State – 2

SET SCORES: (24-26, 25-16, 15-25, 25-21, 6-15)

LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY

RECORDS: Buffalo State: 13-11 (7-1 SUNYAC), Fredonia: 11-12 (5-3 SUNYAC)

Inside the Bengal box score

• Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville-Griffith) led all players in tonight's matchup with 18 kills. Anel Acosta (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) added eight kills in support.
• Alex Arroyo (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown East) led all players with 33 assists.
• Defensively, Dani Dury (Amherst, OH/Marion L. Steele) finished with a match-high 17 digs, while Arroyo added 12 digs. At the net, Delaney McCarthy (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) picked up five total blocks.

How it happened

• Closing out their final home game of the regular season, the Bengals hosted this year's "Battle by the Lake" matchup, looking to keep their SUNYAC win streak alive against the Fredonia Blue Devils.
• As play opened in the first set, the two sides traded points back and forth, with neither giving an inch of momentum. A late four-point run by the Blue Devils gave them the first momentum swing of the match, but the Bengals responded with a five-point rally of their own to take the lead. With the Bengals sitting at set point and looking to close out the first set, the Blue Devils took advantage of some late Bengal mistakes, reclaiming the momentum with seven straight points to take the first set.
• The second set saw the Bengals "wake up," as they stormed ahead of the Blue Devils behind a nine-point run. That run was the story of the set, as the Bengals built a large enough advantage to withstand a late Blue Devils push and close out the second set with a much-needed win.
• In the third set, the Blue Devils returned to what worked for them in the first, capitalizing on Bengal errors to jump out to an early lead. Playing from behind for much of the set, the Bengals struggled to swing the momentum back their way, as the Blue Devils held on and cruised to a third-set victory.
• With their SUNYAC win streak on the line, the Bengals played with more passion and fire in the fourth set. After trading points for much of the set, the Bengals used back-to-back runs of four and three straight points to take the lead midway through. A late three-point Blue Devils rally put the Bengals on their heels, but they remained poised, taking the fourth set and forcing a fifth and final set.
• In the final set, the Blue Devils took control, rallying for three straight points before winning the race to 10 behind a seven-point run. That run took the air out of the arena and, more importantly, out of the Bengals, who attempted a comeback but fell in five sets, dropping their first SUNYAC match of the season.

For the foes

• Kylie O'Brien led the Blue Devils with 16 kills, while Molly Cassidy finished with 21 assists.
• Defensively, Maeve Musielak finished with 15 digs, while Hannah Lombardi added four total blocks at the net.

The Bengals will look to pick up an important eighth SUNYAC win this weekend as they close out their regular season with a road visit to the Oswego State Lakers on Saturday, November 7 at 2:00 PM.