The team was smiling and laughing even before the game. The crowd was raucous and there were children dancing in the aisles. There was a sense it would be a good night in Buffalo.
Coming off a disappointing and heartbreaking loss to Toledo on Thursday night, the UB volleyball team needed to make a statement against the Akron Zips.
UB dropped the first game 30-28, but the Bulls refused to get down and started game two with a 12-point run, beating the Zips 30-10. UB secured the match by winning both games three and four, by scores of 30-27 and 30-23.
"I'm proud of the way we bounced back," said head coach Jim Lodes.
The first game was a comedy of errors. The game was close but Akron (9-18 overall, 4-11 Mid-American Conference) maintained control-and the lead-for almost all of the game, relinquishing the lead only once at 19-18. It seemed that every time the Bulls (11-17 overall, 3-11 MAC) were ready to pull ahead they would commit an unforced error. By the end, the Bulls had committed 14 hitting errors and fell behind 1-0 in the match.
"They were right there," Lodes said. "We were playing well. We had to stop making unforced errors and block better."
The team took Lodes' words to heart as it sprinted out to an 11-0 lead in game two before Akron was forced to call a timeout. Akron slowly tacked on points here and there but it was UB in control the entire time. UB ended the game with another run, 6-0, to tie the match.
With the match knotted at one game apiece, both teams knew the third game was pivotal. The lead changed hands numerous times as both schools fought for that game-changing play.
Tied at 25, the Bulls received back-to-back kills from juniors Lauren Burd and Jenna Map?(c). Up four and starting at game-point, UB committed another attack error. Luckily for the Bulls, one error did not change the outcome as senior Katie Weekley registered the clinching kill.
Game four was more of the same, both teams competing fiercely. At 12-12, Akron ran off four straight points to make it 16-14. UB answered back with a tremendous run of its own. The Bulls used a 9-1 streak to make the score 21-17 and never looked back. A late 6-0 run gave the Bulls a victory in game 4 and a 3-1 match win.
Ball control helped the Bulls pull out their second victory in the last three matches.
"To have them only have two aces in four games and to get 101 digs was awesome," Lodes said.
The team was also helped by the effort from senior setter Amy Brown. Brown recorded a double-double with 10 digs and a match-high 54 assists.
"Amy Brown distributed really well tonight," Lodes said. "The last five or six matches, she's been doing a good job of getting everyone involved so that a lot of people get swings."
Map?(c) also had a double-double, with18 digs and a match-high 19 kills. Juniors Nikki Morzenti and Brandie Clark also registered double-doubles. Morzenti had 11 kills and 23 digs while Clark ended with 14 kills and a career-high 20 digs.
The Bulls now head into their two final games trying to build momentum.
The volleyball team will be home again next weekend to end its regular season. Northern Illinois comes to town on Friday at 6 p.m. The game against NIU is the first part of a doubleheader, as UB's men's basketball team will be taking on Gannon in an exhibition game immediately following volleyball.
UB will then host Western Michigan Saturday night at 7 p.m. to complete the regular season.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
