The volleyball team has improved immensely ever since head coach Todd Kress took command in 2009. However, in that time, the Bulls (9-15, 2-8 Mid-American Conference) have never achieved a winning record in October.
This October has been Buffalo's worst yet. The Bulls hit the road this weekend to face Eastern Michigan (19-6, 7-3 MAC) and Central Michigan (14-7, 7-3 MAC). The Bulls couldn't even win a set and they were swept, 3-0, by both teams.
The Bulls have now been swept in four consecutive matches and are currently 1-6 this month.
The season is quickly slipping away from the Bulls. Their 9-15 record is their worst since 2008, when they finished the season 6-25.
Nonetheless, Kress stressed that it's important that his team remains strong through the drought, even if a winning record may not be in the cards.
"Our main goal for the rest of the reason is not to focus on the short-term but to focus on the long-term," Kress said. "Setting a foundation for long-term success and changing the culture of the program is important right now. We can't worry about the short-term right now where we're struggling. We need to continue to work hard, not quit, and fight through adversity for the rest of the season."
The Bulls were hardly a threat to the two MAC powerhouses they faced last weekend. Eastern Michigan thrashed Buffalo, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22 on Friday to continue its four-game winning streak. Central Michigan was not to be outdone by its inner-state rival, beating the Bulls the next day, 25-17, 25-15, 25-19.
Buffalo was outhit by the Eagles, .246 to .132, but the biggest issue for the Bulls was unforced errors, as they totaled eight service errors and 17 errors overall compared to Eastern Michigan's 14.
"We had opportunities, but made critical errors at critical times," Kress said.
Buffalo was inaccurate from the get-go, averaging .073 in the first two sets while Eastern Michigan averaged .286.
Buffalo's third set against the Eagles was its best of its road stint. The Bulls hit a weekend-best .263 and were up 17-14 in the last set. But their inability to finish sets struck them again, as Eastern Michigan went on an 11-5 run to finish the Bulls.
Buffalo simply didn't play well enough to win according to Kress.
"In the first set, we made way too many errors down the stretch," Kress said. "In the second set we didn't play so well, and we were in control through the third set, but were unable to take advantage."
The Bulls' Saturday match against Central Michigan ended with similar results. Buffalo committed 25 errors to the Chippewas' nine, and the Bulls hit nine service errors to Central Michigan's two.
The Central Michigan defense stifled the Bulls, as it blocked seven attempts while Buffalo only blocked two. Buffalo couldn't respond to the imposing Chippewas, finishing the night at .135.
Senior blocker Abby Niekamp led the Bulls with 23 kills during the weekend, but her performance couldn't offset the low production of the hitters. Sophomore hitter Dana Musil was nothing short of disappointing, and totaled just eight kills while hitting a poor -.115 percentage. Sophomore hitter Liz Scott's .218 hitting percentage was the highest of the weekend, but her 15 kills weren't enough to give Buffalo a win.
The Bulls have lost 10 of their last 12, and will have to make some vast improvements with only six games remaining in the season.
The Bulls will host a struggling Akron (4-19, 1-9 MAC) team this Thursday. Buffalo has defeated the Zips 3-2 earlier this season and will be looking for the same results when they faceoff at 7 p.m.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
