Hosting a tournament is a distinct advantage for most teams but not the Bulls volleyball team who were unable to shake off early season jitters, losing all three matches at the University at Buffalo Classic this past weekend.
The first match for Buffalo (0-3) was Friday night against the Baylor Bears (2-1). The Bears swept the Bulls in three games 30-10, 30-18, 32-30.
Three freshmen began their careers at Buffalo during the match including Lindsay Schlegel, who had 22 assists and had a match-high three service aces. She also contributed a team-high 12 digs and slammed down three kills to help the Buffalo offense.
Freshman Richelle Bigelow and junior Claudia Neba led the Bulls with eight kills during the match. Bigelow also finished the contest with eight digs and freshman Kristin Bignell had three total blocks.
After being blown out in the first two games, the Bulls fought back in the third game. Schlegel had 11 assists and recorded 7 of her digs in the game, but it wasn't enough to give the Bulls the game.
"I thought there would be some jitters going into the first game," said head coach Jim Lodes. "We started three freshman and others who didn't have any game-time experience."
The Buffalo Classic continued into the weekend with the Bulls facing Stony Brook on Saturday and Atlantic Coast Conference representative the North Carolina Tar Heels.
First up for the Bulls was Stony Brook (2-1). The Seawolves finished off Buffalo in three games 30-28, 30-18, 30-23.
The Bulls had steady control of the first game and almost closed out Stony Brook. They were up at one point 28-24, but lost six straight points to lose the game.
"In this match, we started out fine," Lodes said. "After losing six points in a row, it took some of our momentum away from us."
Bignell led the team hammering in nine kills for a completion rate of .294 percent. Schlegel continued to dictate the offense tallying 21 assists to set up the attack.
The Bulls defensive leader in the match was Bigelow, who recorded 13 digs while Buffalo earned eight total blocks.
In the evening, Buffalo finished off the tournament against North Carolina (2-1). The Tar Heels like the Bulls other competitors were able to sweep in three games winning 30-21, 30-25, 30-17.
One milestone for the Bulls saw was Bigelow's first career double-double. She finished the match with 16 kills and dug up 11 balls from the floor.
Buffalo accumulated 57 digs in the match leading the Bulls was Schlegel with 14 digs. Senior Lizaiha Garcia and Gabello each recorded 12 digs.
"I was very pleased by how well Lizaiha played," he said. "She played increasingly better every game of the tournament, particularly against North Carolina and she really stepped up."
Schlegel continued to have an amazing tournament earning 35 assists in the night-cap. She also had two service aces and a block assist.
The highest honors during the tournament for Buffalo went to Schlegel. She made the All-Tournament team in her first collegiate experience.
"For a team sport, individual honors are a great thing," Lodes said. "We hope Lindsay continues to earn these types of honors for years to come."
With three losses this past weekend, Buffalo needs to work on being more consistent according to Lodes.
"Our effort and demeanor needs to change in certain situations," he said. "When we are playing well, we are doing good things on the court. But when we are struggling, we need to step up and take control of the game."
Buffalo will host the Western New York Invitational this weekend. Their first match is against Valparaiso on Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
