Volleyball stumbles into MAC tournament

Heading into the playoffs, UB volleyball is still trying to find its winning groove.

The Bulls ended their regular season this weekend by dropping their final two games at home, losing 3-1 Friday night to Northern Illinois and 3-0 to Western Michigan on Saturday.

"In the crunch, we didn't pass the ball which made it so we couldn't be as versatile as we wanted to be," said head coach Jim Lodes. "When you're not used to winning, it is that much more pressure on you and that much harder to perform in the crunch."

The Northern Illinois Huskies cruised to a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first game of the weekend. Both games ended in a score of 30-18 with the Huskies frontline pounding the ball into the Bulls' half of the court.

Leading the attack were Kate McCullagh with nine kills and three blocks, and Corinne Walsh, who put down five kills in only six attempts.

Game three was the only game UB won all weekend. It went down to the wire with both teams trading the lead until the score reached 28-28. At the time when UB's back was against the wall and a sweep was a possibility, sophomore Sara Strieb stepped up with a kill to take the lead and teamed up with junior Lauren Burd to make the game-winning block.

After the brief moment of euphoria, the match was ended just the way it started with a dominating performance by the Northern Illinois frontline tandem of McCullagh and Walsh.

"In the long run, we did not block the ball or dig it," Lodes said.

In each game against Western Michigan on Saturday, the Bulls hung tough with an elite team in the conference and even led until the score hit the late 20s, when Western Michigan took control of each game in the three-match sweep.

"I knew we were going to be in a battle and we gave ourselves a chance to win which I am proud of," Lodes said. "We are fighting hard and giving ourselves a chance, but then we have to step up and finish when we have that chance. We just didn't do that tonight."

In game one, the Bulls took an early lead and hung onto it until Western Michigan tied the match at 22-22. The game ended when Western Michigan went on a run to end the game 30-26.

Game two had a similar theme. UB held the lead until Western Michigan tied the game at 19. The Bulls again went on a run to close things out and take a commanding two games to zero lead. Western Michigan was in control of game three all the way through wrapping up the sweep 30-22.

Versus Northern Illinois, the Huskies were much more efficient with their scoring chances, finishing the match with a hitting percentage of .270 compared to .094 for the Bulls. The kill leaders in the match for UB were senior Katie Weekley with 18 kills, junior Nikki Morzenti with 12, and Streib adding seven. Senior Amy Brown posted a team-high 45 assists and sophomore Lizaiha Garcia had 15 digs, also a team high.

"We are trying to eclipse a gap that is pretty big and I think we are taking steps in the right direction," Lodes said. "We just need to play at our best with more consistency."

Team leaders for the Western Michigan match mimicked those of the prior game with Morzenti racking up 11 kills, Weekley defending the net for four blocks, Brown helping out her teammates with 30 assists and Garcia getting low for 19 digs.

The Bulls now enter the MAC tournament as the 11th seed and will face sixth seeded Miami (Ohio). The game will be played Tuesday night in Oxford, Ohio.