The volleyball team lost two matches last weekend with perhaps its best player in All-Mid-American Conference junior outside hitter Tahleia Bishop.
This weekend, Buffalo won a match and Bishop returned to the court. But the two events did not coincide.
The Bulls (13-7, 3-3 MAC) split their two matches this weekend. Buffalo defeated Akron (8-13, 2-4 MAC) in straight sets Thursday without Bishop before losing to Ball State (11-8, 5-1 MAC) in four sets at Alumni Arena on Saturday in Bishop’s return.
Sunahara said he could not comment on why Bishop missed three games between last weekend and Thursday’s match.
Junior setter Marissa Prinzbach also missed last weekend, but did not return to the court this weekend with Bishop. She has now missed four straight games.
The Bulls defeated Akron in straight sets 27-25, 25-19, 25-22. Buffalo fell behind midway through the first and second sets, trailing 18-13 and 18-14, respectively. Buffalo went on large runs in both sets to earn the victory.
“It was an up-and-down game for us,” Sunahara said. “When we were good, we were really good. We didn’t start fast in the first two sets. When you play good teams, you can’t put yourself in that position.”
Freshman outside hitter Skyler Day finished the match with 12 kills and 11 digs, while junior middle blocker Amber Hatchett added 11 kills. Junior outside hitter Megan Lipski added 13 kills and nine digs and sophomore setter Megan Lin finished with 35 assists.
The Bulls lost to Ball State in four sets 25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 25-22 Saturday. After taking a 20-16 lead in the fourth set, Ball State used a 9-2 run, highlighted by three attack errors by the Bulls, to take the fourth set and the match.
“Unlike the Akron game, we came close, but we couldn’t close,” Sunahara said. “Our intensity was low. We have to keep the intensity throughout, and that’s the only way we can be consistent.”
Bishop added 11 kills and three digs for the Bulls in her return to the court. Lipski said the Bulls have work on being consistent in their performances.
“We have times of greatness and times of not-so-greatness, and that was exposed tonight, so we’re just working on being a consistent team,” Lipski said after Saturday’s loss.
The absence of Bishop and Prinzbach in recent games has led to several freshmen like Day, Bozinoski and middle blocker Cassie Shado to have significant court time. Sunahara has been impressed the freshmen’s performances but said the team as a whole needs to improve in order to win this season.
“The future is bright, but the future is also the future – we need now,” Sunahara said.
After starting the season 12-4, Buffalo has gone just 1-3 in its past four matches. The Bulls have won just four of their last 14 sets after a 12-set winning streak.
“We aren’t playing consistently and it’s hard,” Sunahara said. “All we can do is work hard and work on it in practice.”
The Bulls go on the road next weekend to face Western Michigan (12-7, 4-2 MAC) and Northern Illinois (12-7, 5-0 MAC). Buffalo faces the Broncos at 7 p.m. Friday before facing the Huskies Saturday.
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Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
