Volleyball

Molly Schrantz's match-winning spike in the decisive fifth game of Sunday's contest resonated throughout Alumni Arena for what felt like days, until the referees' whistles blew and the fans erupted with applause. The UB Bulls (7-10, 2-3 MAC) had defeated the Bowing Green Falcons (9-7, 1-2 MAC) in a five game thriller, 3-2, and eclipsed their one Mid-American Conference win total of 2002.

The fifth game ended with a final score of 15-11, with Schrantz's spike as the third of three consecutive points by UB to finish off the Falcons.

The fifth game was an intense battle of spikes and blocks, with the momentum going one way then quickly turning around and going the other way. The Falcons had jumped out to a 4-8 lead, but the Bulls fought back, tying the game at nine. The game stayed tied until Buffalo took the lead 11-10. The Falcons called a timeout to try to regroup, but that did not work as BGSU got one point to bring the game to 12-11, with the Bulls eventually erupting with three straight points, culminating in Schrantz's game winning spike.

"Actually, the team plays better when they're intense," head coach Sally Kus said of the Bulls. "We play games of five points in practice in order to test the girls in pressure situations."

The Bulls won the first game, 30-20, despite some service errors that stopped prolonged UB rallies. Bowling Green took the second game, 29-31, after five ties and four lead changes. The Bulls went ahead 27-16 quickly in the third game, and finished the Falcons off 30-19 to go up 2-1. UB, however, was unable to put the Falcons away at this point, and the Falcons took the fourth game by a score of 18-30.

"The team really likes to play, and to win, at home," said Kus, obviously approving of the cheering fans.

Schrantz was able to record 17 kills as well as a match-high 17 digs on the night. Nikki Morzenti and Lindsay Matikosh geared the offense up with 19 kills apiece, while Katie Weekley led the defense with a match-high 11 blocks. Amy Brown was no slouch either; recording 54 assists on the night.

The Bulls now go on a three game road trip, visiting Toledo, Niagara and Akron. They next are home to face Ball State at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19 in Alumni Arena.

Hard Fought Road Win at Miami

On Friday night, UB beat Miami for their first MAC win of the season. The Bulls fought valiantly for a 3-2 victory. They took the first two games 31-29 and 30-27, but then lost the next two 25-30 and 27-30. Buffalo finally put Miami away in the fifth game 15-13. Katie Weekly, a sophomore, recorded career highs in kills with 15 and blocks with 12 to lead the Bulls to victory. This was UB's first road win in MAC play since Oct. 9, 1999. The streak lasted 33 games.