After an exciting tournament win at home ended in a pumping dance party, the volleyball team could have ridden the good vibrations to victories in their first two Mid-American Conference games.
There's a reason Footloose wasn't filmed in Ohio.
Continued defensive woes led Buffalo (6-8, 0-2 MAC) to drop its first two conference games Thursday and Saturday against Ohio-based teams, Akron (8-6, 1-0 MAC) and Toledo (7-7, 1-1 MAC). The first game of the weekend resulted in a 3-0 sweep by Akron, while the Bulls pushed Toledo to four sets in their 3-1 loss.
Not three days after junior libero Kelly Svoboda was named the MAC co-defensive player of the week, the Bulls found themselves in trouble against Akron. Buffalo was swept by the Zips: 28-26, 25-17 and 25-21.
Junior hitter Dana Musil and freshman defensive specialist Kasey Hollstegge led the team with eight digs each.
After the game, the team made the two-hour drive from Akron to Toledo to face its second MAC rival of the weekend. Hopes were high and in the first set, it looked like the Bulls put the loss to the Zips behind them.
The Bulls took the first set in Toledo 25-16 and showed promise against the Rockets.
Buffalo was pushed out of contention very quickly by Toledo, who battled in the second set to win 26-24. The Rockets dominated the final two sets, and they limited the Bulls offensively with back-to-back 25-15 finishes.
Freshman hitter Megan Lipski continued to be a bright spot for the team as she battles through her first year with the Bulls. Known usually for her offensive capabilities, she stood strong behind the net, tallying 12 digs and two saves.
Offensively, the underclassmen continue to produce for Buffalo. Sophomore hitter Liz Scott was on top again with 11 kills, while freshmen blocker Akeila Lain and hitter Tahleia Bishop came in with eight and seven, respectively, in the contest.
Junior setter Dani Reinert controlled the offense with 41 assists.
The Bulls have had a problem landing their points. Their trip to Ohio showed the weakness as Akron limited the Bulls to a .114 hitting percentage. Toledo, similarly, kept the Buffalo offense at bay, only allowing .106 percent of its hits to make contact.
The Zips had no trouble racking up the points. Two senior middle blockers, Tina Dimitrijevs and Paiton Twitty, both reached double digits in kills with 13 and 11, respectively. Junior defensive specialist Jill Paluch was the sole proprietor for the Bulls' hitting woes with a whopping 16 digs.
The Bulls will have a long week of practice before they face two more MAC opponents at home next weekend. Buffalo plays Miami Ohio (5-10, 0-2 MAC) on Friday and will match up against Bowling Green (6-7, 2-0 MAC) on Saturday.
The Bulls are 5-1 when they play at home.
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Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
