Volleyball back on winning track

The UB volleyball team (8-9 overall, 0-4 in the MAC) notched their first win in five matches, defeating the Canisius Golden Griffins (6-11 overall) in five games Wednesday night.

The Bulls managed to hold off the Griffs in the fifth and final game of the match after relinquishing a two-game lead. Seniors Katie Weekley and Amy Brown, who posted career-highs, led the team. Weekley tallied 26 kills and Amy Brown earned 77 assists.

UB took the first two games of the match, by scores of 30-21 and 30-23, respectively.

"Game one we played really well," said head coach Jim Lodes. "Everyone was contributing."

Canisius began the second game with a 2-0 lead, but Buffalo took the lead back at 3-2 on an outside attack by Jenna Mape. After Mape's points, UB never let go of the lead and at one point was on top by a margin of 11 points.

"In game two, we were up big. Everything was going well," Lodes said. "From that point on, it got interesting."

Following the first two games, the momentum shifted in Canisius' favor. The Griffs scored a 32-30 victory in game three, due to missed serves from the Bulls at critical junctures and a combined eleven kills from Mary Boller and Leigh Launhardt of Canisius.

"We let Canisius get back in it," Lodes said.

Canisius seemed to build upon the success from game three, beginning with a fourth lead 4-0, built on back-to-back aces from Lauren Lackovich. The Bulls battled back though, as the game went back and forth. The lead changed hands ten times, until finally Canisius scored with the game tied at 28 to clinch the victory by a score of 30-28.

Going into the fifth game, the team knew what it had to do.

"They talked about doing the same things they were successful at," Lodes said, also noting that the team had a "good demeanor despite having lost the game."

Lodes added that going into the fifth and final game, there were no surprises about what the Griffs were going to try to accomplish.

"We knew what they were doing and what we had to do," Lodes said. "We had to make sure we were disciplined in our block and we had to keep everyone involved offensively."

The Bulls took Lodes' advice to heart, exchanging points with the Griffs until finally taking the lead at 4-3. From that point, UB never looked back. Brown and Weekley led the team throughout the game.

"Amy Brown to Katie Weekley was unstoppable in game five," Lodes said.

Weekley had five kills to go along with Brown's nine assists as the team hit an impressive .571 in the short fifth game. Junior Nikki Morzenti registered her third kill of the game on the final point, giving the Bulls a 15-9 game victory and 3-2 match win.

Coach Lodes was very happy with the way his team responded in the fifth game, noting that the Bulls played "as good as they are going to play in that situation."

Lodes was particularly impressed with the way his seniors, Brown and Weekley, led by example after giving up the two-game lead.

"Just the way they went after it," Lodes said, "they weren't going to let us lose."

Lodes thought this match was important for more reasons than returning the team to the win column.

"We'd love to be the best team in New York State," Lodes said. "If you want to do that you have to beat these teams."

The Bulls now head into the weekend with renewed confidence as they attempt to grab their first Mid-American Conference victory.

"We're excited about the weekend," Lodes said. "It's a big homecoming weekend with two big matches. We've got to get our first MAC win."

Lodes said he is hopeful that the Buffalo-faithful will show their support for the team this weekend. UB will play host to conference foes Miami (Ohio) on Friday, and Bowling Green on Saturday. Both matches are set to begin at 6 p.m. in Alumni Arena.