Ball State University
12-10,9-2MAC
Buffalo
19-4,9-2MAC
Volleyball Suffers Second Straight Five Set Loss at Buffalo
October 21, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO - - In another tough battle at Alumni Arena, the Ball State women's volleyball team won an extended opening set and led 2-1 after three, only to suffer a 3-2 (33-35, 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12) setback to Mid-American Conference East Division leader Buffalo Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the Cardinals (12-10, 9-2 MAC) and Bulls (19-4; 9-2 MAC) pull even for second place in the overall league standings, trailing only Western Michigan's unblemished 11-0 MAC record.
It was an offensive showcase for both squads Saturday, with Ball State outhitting the Bulls .346 to .322 on the day. The effort was the Cardinals' second-best of the season, while five BSU student-athletes connected for double-digit kills for the first time since the 2021 season.
Leading the way was redshirt freshman Aniya Kennedy with 23 markers, the fourth time this season she has smashed 20+ kills in a contest. Fifty-year middle Marie Plitt was not far behind, adding 17 kills and a .444 (17-1-36) hitting mark.
Freshman middle Camryn Wise followed with a career-high 11 kills, while sophomore opposite Madison Buckley and senior outside Cait Snyder collected 10 apiece. All five were set up by junior setter Megan Wielonski who collected her 12th double-double of the season with 57 assists and 14 digs.
Fifth-year libero Havyn Gates led four Cardinals in double figures with 20 digs, while senior defensive specialist Kate Vinson was credited with a season-high 15. Junior defensive specialist Kendall Seimet rounded out the quartet with 14.
On the other side of the net, Stacia Gollogly led a quintet of Bulls attackers in double figures with 24 kills, while Maria Futey collected a match-high 21 digs.
While Ball State managed to out dig (80 to 73) and out block (8.0 to 5.0) Buffalo, the Bulls held the edge in kills (86 to 76) and aces (8 to 1).
From start to finish, Saturday's competition was a heated one with the first set ending at 35-33. It was the Cardinals' offensive consistency that allowed BSU to claim the first frame with only four attack errors to UB's seven. Buckley came through with two kills towards the end which helped the Cardinals to secure the first set.
Buffalo led the second set both defensively and offensively as Ball State suffered some setbacks at the net and were unable to connect offensively. The Bulls would knot the match at 1-1 heading into the five-minute break.
The Cardinals came back offensively in the third frame with 18 kills on 27 attempts with no errors for a .667 hitting percentage. At the end, however, it was a massive solo block from Wise which gave BSU the 25-17 third-set win.
In the fourth set, the Cardinals were up 21-18 after a kill from Plitt. Unfortunately, Buffalo used its home court to its advantage, winning the set with a 7-1 run.
The teams battled to a 6-6 stalemate to open the fifth frame before a 6-2 run gave UB a four-point edge. Buffalo reached match point at 14-10 before kills from Wise and Kennedy gave BSU some late life and forced a timeout. Unfortunately, the Bulls answered with a kill from Abby Leigh to pick up a second straight five-set victory.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to Worthen Arena next Friday when it hosts Kent State for Alumni Night. The match is slated for a 6 pm ET start. Â
