The volleyball team has been inconsistent of late, and carried a 5-5 record into this past weekend's Blue and White Classic at Alumni Arena.
Coming off a 3-1 victory over Niagara last week, the Bulls (7-6) looked to continue building momentum as they played host to their annual weekend-long tournament.
In Friday night's opening match, the Bulls would need every advantage they could get to outplay a strong Syracuse (8-4) squad.
The Bulls brought a high level of intensity, and that mindset led them to a tough, five set win – one of their most impressive of the season.
"This game was probably our best team effort of the weekend," said head coach Todd Kress.
Each game was a nail bitter. Three out of the five sets were decided by three points or less, leading to a pivotal fifth set in which the Bulls ousted the Orange, 15-7.
Sophomores Dana Musil and Christine Fritsche led Buffalo with an astonishing 17 and 15 kills, respectively. Fritsche also tagged on 14 digs, while freshman Alessandra Jovy-Heuser had a career night with a personal best 11 kills. Sophomore Kelly Svoboda's season-high 28 digs came up clutch in the victory, and sophomore Dani Reinert orchestrated the offense, posting 55 assists.
Saturday morning's match pitted Buffalo against the Cornell Big Red (2-8). After defeating a powerful Syracuse team, it was clear that the Bulls had a new air of confidence.
Reinert's 53 assists led a strong team effort, as four players finished in double figures in kills. For the second straight game, Musil and Fritsche took first in the kills department, each tallying a match-high of 15.
Svoboda grabbed 23 digs, giving the sophomore her fourth straight 20-dig match. Jovy-Heuser added a career-high 6 digs.
The Bulls took the match 25-20, 21-25, 25-16 and 26-24. The victory improved the Bulls' record to 7-5 on the season.
Kress described his team's play as "sloppy" despite the victory.
The Bulls would need to clean up their act fast as they faced Dayton (6-5). The Flyers had also gone 2-0 on the weekend entering Saturday night's showdown.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, the Bulls couldn't continue their impressive play, as the winning streak was cut short by the Flyers. The numbers did not lie as Dayton dominated Buffalo in hitting percentage, blocks, digs and aces, leading to a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of the Flyers.
"Tonight really showed that we're just not ready to take that next step as a program yet," Kress said. "At some point, we're going to have to decide to step up and compete and fight on every single point, especially when we play teams that are better than us."
Musil's seven kills and Svoboda's 11 digs highlighted some bright spots for the Bulls. Jovy-Heuser added a team-high three blocks.
Kress reiterated that the Bulls simply did not fight as a team like they did in the previous two matches.
"Dayton's a Top 25 program and for good reason," Kress said. "They're bigger than us and they're more physical than us. But on the other hand, you can't just put your tail between your legs and run off the court. You've got to go out there and compete."
Despite the loss, Reinert and Svoboda took home All-Tournament Team honors.
The Bulls will look to put their talent on full display as they travel to Akron to take on the Zips on Thursday.
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