The volleyball team's troubles continued this weekend in match-ups against Kent State and Akron. UB was again unable to register its first Mid-American Conference win and extended its losing streak to seven matches.
The Bulls faced Kent State (7-6, 4-2 MAC) Friday at Alumni Arena. The Bulls ultimately fell in heartbreaking fashion in a five-set thriller 3-2 (30-24, 26-30, 30-25, 24-30, 15-10).
Freshman Sarah Streih ignited the Bulls off the bench early on as she broke a 7-7 tie by serving nine straight points giving Buffalo a 16-7 lead that they would ride to a game one victory. Streih finished the game with three service aces.
Buffalo also got career days from Katie Weekley and Brandie Clark.
Weekley set a new career high in blocks, stuffing her Golden Eagle opponents fourteen times. Clark chipped in with a well-rounded performance setting two personal records on way to posting a triple-double. Clark recorded a personal best ten kills and 39 assists while also recording 13 digs.
Nonetheless, Kent State's Danielle Holt and their defensive coverage proved to be too much for the Bulls.
Holt, KSU's best offensive weapon, continuously kept finding the seams in an otherwise stingy Buffalo defense. Holt finished the match leading all players with 24 kills.
While Holt finished off the points, Ruth Ladurner-Schnitzer and Laura Jensen kept the points going. Ladurner-Schnitzer and Jensen scrambled all across the floor recording 15 and 25 digs, respectively.
After falling to Kent State, Buffalo looked to build on that stellar performance and gave another try Sunday at that elusive Mid-American Conference victory.
The Bulls, however, had a hard time executing against Akron in a four game loss Sunday.
UB looked good at the start with Amy Brown opening the match with two service aces.
After that, things would turn for the worse as the Bulls struggled with their hitting. The Bulls hits just .057 in the match, including a -.098 hitting percentage in game one due to 11 errors in 41 attempts.
Molly Schrantz had a strong game for the Bulls, as she was the only Buffalo player to record double figure kills. Schrantz led the team with 18 kills while also contributing 17 digs.
Sarah Streib continued to have a larger role in the Bulls' game plan as she recorded career highs with six kills and eight digs. Fellow freshman Lizaiha Garcia was a big contributor on defense with a team-high 21 digs.
Akron (10-8, 2-4 MAC), on the other hand, was firing on all cylinders. The Zips led a three-pronged attack that consisted of Jennifer Stewart, Emily Kocinski, and Molly Rutledge who all reached double figures with kills.
Stewart led the way for the Zips registering 17 kills, 16 digs, and a match-high seven blocks. Akron's other major contributor, Kocinski, finished with 14 kills and 17 digs. Akron as a team hit an impressive .241 hitting percentage and easily finished off the Bulls 30-15, 28-30, 30-19 and 30-25.
The Bulls (7-12, 0-6 MAC) continue their quest for a MAC victory and wrap up their six-match home-stand next week when they host Marshall at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14 and Central Michigan at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15.
