The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team pulled out the brooms Wednesday night with a 3-0 sweep over cross-town rival Niagara. After dropping three of four matches last weekend at the Montana State Tournament, UB rebounded with a 30-22, 30-28, 30-25 victory.
Buffalo head coach Sally Kus said she was pleased by the way the team played.
I thought it was one of the best performances all year," said Kus. "Everyone stepped up and played well."
Sophomore Nikki Morzenti lead the team with 13 kills, while junior Katie Weekley and freshman Tammy Jul?(c) added 10 kills each. Weekley added a match-high six blocks and freshman Lizaiha Garcia contributed 10 digs. With the win, UB elevated its record to an even 5-5 overall while Niagara drooped to an abysmal 1-6.
"Overall we played well, but we still need to get better," said Weekley. "Last weekend we didn't do a lot of things we wanted to do, and tonight we wanted to get back on the right track."
In front of a packed Gallagher Center, the Bulls and Purple Eagles traded blows in the early stages of game one. After Niagara took an 11-9 lead, Buffalo staged a 16-6 run to ultimately take control of the game, led by a pair of kills by Weekley that shifted the momentum of the game.
Game two started off in similar fashion with both teams trading points. Niagara took a 23-22 lead, forcing UB to call their first timeout of the match. Composed and calm, UB's Garcia destroyed the Purple Eagle rally with an amazing dig, setting up another Weekley kill. Buffalo took the impetus and eventually squeaked out a game two win.
With a 2-0 lead, Buffalo appeared to be in control, as Niagara's confidence seemed to disappear. Game three began with UB jumping out to a 9-3 lead -?Ae?? a lead that was never relinquished. Niagara kept it close throughout but would not come within 3 points as Buffalo finished the match off with a 30-25 triumph in the third and final game.
Weekley, the tallest girl on the court, proved to be a major difference in the match for UB. With huge kills in games one and two, and a crowd-killing block in game three, Weekley was too much for the NU squad to handle.
"Reading our hitters and anticipating where the ball is ultimately going, is something we did a lot better tonight," said Weekley.
The Bulls make their way to Harrisburg, Va. this weekend to compete in the James Madison Tournament. UB plays Campbell at 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon followed by two matches on Saturday, first against North Carolina A&T at 10 a.m., followed by a night cap 7 p.m. match versus host school James Madison.
Kus plans on switching the lineup around this weekend in order to "trengthen and improve the Bulls' ball control.
"Playing in Virginia will allow us to test a new lineup. It's going to be a very competitive tournament," said Kus. "It gives us the basis to get ready for the upcoming conference schedule."
