After winning the University of South Florida Tournament last weekend, the volleyball team looked to do the same at the University of Illinois Chicago Tournament this weekend.
This time around, the team did not just win; it dominated.
The Bulls (7-3) won the UIC Tournament while going undefeated Friday and Saturday with victories against Western Illinois (1-7), Chicago-Illinois (4-6) and Eastern Kentucky (8-5). Buffalo is currently on a five-game winning streak.
“We’ve made leaps and bounds since the start of the season,” said head coach Reed Sunahara. “I’m not really worried about the record, but rather, the process, the execution and the progression that we continue to make. Overall, another fine performance from our team.”
Junior outside hitter Tahleia Bishop was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. She finished the weekend with a team-best 53 kills and added 33 digs. Junior setter Marissa Prinzbach earned All-Tournament honors, finishing with 117 assists and 19 digs.
The Bulls started the tournament with a straight victory over Western Illinois Friday, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16. Western Illinois had early leads in the first two sets, before Buffalo rallied back for the victories.
Bishop finished with a game-high 13 kills and a team-high 11 digs, while junior middle blocker Amber Hatchett finished with eight kills and two digs. Prinzbach finished with 30 assists and eight digs.
After defeating Western Illinois Friday, the Bulls defeated host Illinois-Chicago 3-1 on Saturday. The Bulls took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-16, respectively, before Illinois-Chicago took the third set. The Bulls led the third set 25-24, before Illinois-Chicago rallied to claim the next three points. It was the only set the Bulls lost over the weekend.
“We need to keep competing,” Sunahara said. “That’s the one thing we had trouble with; we need to compete on every point. We need to learn how to compete all the time. We can’t take plays or sets off.”
The Bulls won the fourth and final set 25-12 to take the match.
The Bulls defeated Eastern Kentucky in straight sets 26-24, 25-22, 25-16 to end the tournament. After two close sets, the Bulls used a 10-4 start to defeat Eastern Kentucky in the final set. Bishop capped off her strong weekend with another 20-kill performance.
Junior outside hitter Megan Lipski finished the weekend with 29 kills and 19 digs, while freshman libero Niki Bozinoski totaled 27 digs in the three games.
The Bulls travel to Bloomington, Indiana next weekend to take part in the Hoosier Classic. Buffalo’s first game of the tournament will be against host Indiana (7-1) and is set to for Friday at 7 p.m.
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Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
