ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was edged by Buffalo State University 3-2 (16-25, 27-25, 25-27, 28-26, 7-15) on neutral court this morning at the UR Invitational hosted by the University of Rochester at Louis Alexander Palestra in Rochester, N.Y.
The Lyons fall to 4-5 overall, while the Bengals improve to 4-6.
Both teams played an extremely competitive five-set match, featuring three sets that were determined by two points (all of which went past the 25-point mark). Buffalo State hit .200 for the match, including a .400 hitting mark during the opening frame and a match-best .467 hitting percentage during the final stanza. Wheaton hit .155 for the match, including a .273 hitting mark in the second set and .213 hitting mark during the third frame. The Bengals did not commit a single attack error during the final stanza, which proved to be a difference-maker in the match.
Senior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) posted her second double-double of the season tying a season-best 18 kills to go along with 13 digs, two assists, and a service ace to lead the Lyons. Senior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) also tallied her second double-double of the season with 11 kills, 12 digs, while adding a season-high three blocks, to go along with three service aces, and an assist. Junior right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) swung for 11 kills, while tallying four digs and two blocks. Junior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) registered season-bests of 40 assists and 12 digs, while adding a career-high five kills, to go along with a pair of blocks and a service ace. Junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for a season-high 32 digs, while adding four assists, a pair of service aces, and a kill.
Junior outside hitter Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) posted her sixth double-double of the season tying a match-high 18 kills to go along with a season-high 19 digs, while adding three assists, two service aces and a pair of blocks to lead Buffalo State. First year outside hitter Anel Acosta (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) posted her first career double-double with 11 kills and a personal-best 21 digs, while also tallying a career-high three service aces to go along with a pair of assists. Sophomore setter April Jakubowski (Lancaster, N.Y.) recorded a team-high 20 assists with seven digs to go along with a kill and service ace, while first year setter Alex Arroyo (Nesconset, N.Y.) posted her first career double-double with personal bests of 19 assists and 12 digs. First year defensive specialist Hailey Kulniszewski (Elma, N.Y.) recorded a career-high 25 digs to go along with three assists, a kill, and a service ace.
The first set proved to be an outlier in the close match. The Bengals jumped out to an early 9-3 lead which featured four kills by Wittman to lead Buffalo State early in the opening stanza. The Bengals continued their momentum by scoring 12 of the next 18 points, including four kills by senior right side hitter Cameron Rosenthal (Camillus, N.Y.) to give them a 21-9 advantage, marking the largest lead of the entire match. Despite trailing by 12 points, Wheaton put together a 5-1 run to cut the deficit to 22-14. Buffalo State responded by tallying the next three of five points to take the set at 25-16.
The second set marked the first of three consecutive frames which were decided by two points, with all three sets going past the 25-point mark to determine a set winner. The Lyons began the second frame with a 7-4 lead, only to be matched by an 8-4 run by the Bengals that included three kills and a service ace by Acosta to give them a 12-11 edge. Buffalo State then tallied the next nine of 14 points to increase its margin to 21-16. Wheaton battled back with a 7-2 outburst, which featured a pair of kills each by Henn and Lyon to knot the match at 23-23. After trailing twice on set point, which marked Bengal leads of 24-23 and 25-24, the Lyons tallied the final three points of the set, which included a kill by senior middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) and a kill by Orbán to win the set 27-25, tying the match at 1-1.
During the third stanza, Wheaton combined to tally 19 of their 59 total team kills, which marked the most kills by a team in any set of the match. The Lyons opened the stanza with an 8-6 advantage behind a pair of kills from Lyon. The Bengals took advantage of five Wheaton errors to tally the next six of seven points and take the lead 12-9, before increasing their difference to 18-14. The Lyons ripped off five straight points to take a 19-18 lead. Buffalo State responded with a kill each by junior middle hitter Delaney McCarthy (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Rosenthal to take a 20-19 lead. Both teams traded the next 11 points to even the match at 25-25. The Bengals scored the final two points of the frame which included a kill by Acosta to go along with a Wheaton attack error to give Buffalo State a 2-1 match lead.
After two consecutive 27-25 set finishes, the fourth set stretched the scoring even further. Buffalo State jumped out to an 8-4 lead, led by a pair of kills by Wittman. The Lyons chipped away and scored five of six points, including a kill from Orbán to take a 17-16 edge. The Bengals scored the next three to take a 19-17 lead. After trading eight straight points, Wheaton strung together two points in a row, capped by a kill by Henn to knot the score at 23-23. The Lyons faced set point deficits of 24-23 and 25-24, but Henn kept them alive with a kill each time. Wheaton closed out the frame by tallying the next three of four points to force a fifth frame with a 28-26 set victory.
The start of the final stanza proved to be extremely competitive. The Lyons held a 4-3 edge to begin the frame, but the Bengals turned the momentum, fueled by a 9-0 run, which included a pair of kills by Wittman, to give them a 12-4 lead. The Lyons responded to tally three of the next four points behind a kill and service ace by Lyon to cut the deficit to 13-7. Wheaton's late-push was halted as Buffalo State tallied the final two points to close out the set and the match at 15-7.
The Lyons return to the court today at 1:00 p.m., when they take on State University New York Geneseo, while Buffalo State University takes on Keuka College at the same time.
