Volleyball Comes Up Short

For George W. Bush and John F. Kerry, the swing state of Ohio represents opportunity. For the UB women's volleyball team (7-16, 0-10 MAC), that has not proven to be the case.

No recounts were necessary this weekend on the volleyball court, as the Bulls found the Buckeye State less than hospitable, losing at nationally ranked Ohio University (16-2, 8-0 MAC) 3-0 on Friday night, and dropping another at Mid-American Conference rival Akron (12-8, 4-4 MAC) by the same margin on Saturday.

The weekend losses stretched the Bulls' losing streak to a disappointing 11 matches, with 10 of those losses coming at the hands of MAC competition.

Ohio Dominates

UB was overmatched Friday night against a Bobcats squad that Bulls' coach Sally Kus holds in high regard.

"Frankly, we couldn't wait to get out of the gym with our tails between our legs," Kus said of the Ohio game. "Their ball control was perfect. They had full control of the match."

Melissa Griffin's 14 kills and Ashley Elliott's 34 assists led the Bobcats, who saw their winning streak reach 10 against UB. Ohio also got an 18-dig contribution from Michaele Blackburn, something that was lacking on the Buffalo side of the net.

"Once again, we had trouble with first contact," said Kus.

As a team, UB dug the ball in order to initiate an attack just 23 times, compared to 47 digs by the Bobcats.

Ohio dominated the match from start to finish, winning the first game 30-17, and doubling up the Bulls in games two and three, 30-15.

Katie Weekley had a team-high five kills for UB, while Brandie Clark, filling in for the injured Amy Brown as primary setter, registered 11 assists against Ohio.

Effort Not Enough

As disheartening as Friday night was, coach Kus was encouraged by UB's play the following evening against Akron.

"We played hard," said Kus. "It's hard though, when you drive hard and don't come away with the 'W.'"

Although the final 3-0 match score was the same final score the Bulls saw in their match against Ohio, the Bulls were much more competitive against the Zips, racking up 33 team kills and 36 digs.

"It was the best game we've played with our backup setters since we lost Amy Brown," said coach Kus, whose squad was helped by a solid 26 assist contribution from Brandie Clark. Kus also singled out the passing and hitting of Tammy Jule, who led UB with nine kills.

"I was real happy, we had some spurts of greatness, we just need to find a way to have fewer down times," said the UB coach.

The "down times" unfortunately prevailed against the Bulls, as Akron wound up sweeping the match, taking victories in all three games by scores of 30-20, 30-24, and 30-18.

The Zips out-dug UB, led by Lori Snyder's game-high 15 digs, and scored 48 team kills to Buffalo's 33, with Jennifer Stewart recording 14 kills on the night.

The Bulls, reeling at 7-16 after an auspicious 7-5 start to the season, will look to snap their losing streak next Friday at MAC West leader Ball State (15-6, 8-1 MAC).

Ball State is having an all around great year and will be tough for the Bulls to knock off. The Cardinals have won nine matches in a row, and eight in league play after dropping their first conference match of the year against Ohio on Sept. 24. Ball State will look to continue dominating the MAC when they play host to the struggling Bulls.