Volleyball struggles on road trip

The volleyball team's momentum built by last week's win against Ball State came crashing down over the weekend.

The Bulls (14-10, 2-6 Mid-American Conference) were swept by both Western Michigan (14-6, 5-2 MAC) and Northern Illinois (21-2, 7-1).

"This was definitely the toughest road trip, so we talked a lot about the preparation for this," said head coach Todd Kress. "Not only is this the toughest road trip travel wise, but it is the toughest road trip with the caliber of teams we played."

On Friday night, the Broncos disposed of the Bulls, 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-16), thanks to an efficient start. Western Michigan finished the match with a .293 hitting percentage compared to Buffalo's .103.

"We didn't play with a whole lot of energy [Friday] night," Kress said.

Western Michigan had a very balanced attack, as five players recorded at least six kills. The Broncos were led by outside hitter Taylor Richard, who recorded nine kills on the night and a hitting percentage of .381.

The Broncos ended the first set on a 9-1 run, topping the Bulls by a score of 25-15.

Western Michigan had four kills each from Richard and outside hitter Ali Gossen, while Broncos setter Sam Viox contributed 13 assists in the first set.

The second set was much tighter before Western Michigan again opened up a 9-6 lead after a 4-1 run. After a timeout, the Bulls came out strong, taking a 13-12 lead and the momentum for the time being.

Buffalo's lead did not last for long, though, as Western Michigan took control of the set with an 8-4 run and gained a 20-16 lead. The Broncos' run continued, and they ended the second set with a 25-18 victory.

WMU had 13 kills as a team in the second set with a hitting percentage of .281, whereas Buffalo had 12 kills but only a .147 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Allyson Doyle led the way for Western Michigan with five kills in the set while hitting for an outstanding .556 percentage.

Western Michigan dominated the third set, and the Bulls didn't come within six points the rest of the way. WMU took the set, 25-16.

The Bulls were led by senior middle blocker Kayla Govier, who had eight kills and hit for a team high .389 percentage. Junior blocker Abby Niekamp and senior blocker Kristin Bignell contributed seven and six kills, respectively.

Buffalo's offense was led by freshman setter Dani Reinhart, who had 19 assists, while senior setter Lindsey Schlegel tallied 11 assists.

Defensively, junior defensive specialist Heather Pyle led the Bulls with 16 digs.

Despite the loss, the volleyball team was encouraged by its effort on Saturday evening against another top team in the MAC – Northern Illinois.

The Bulls' execution, however, was not sharp enough to earn the win at Victor E. Court, as they dropped the match 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-19).

"The fight tonight, combined with a little better execution, will get the job done against a number of good teams." Kress said. "We have a couple of players who are sick. We just need to get healthy and get back out there."

Veteran play from seniors Schlegel, Bignell, and Marisa Hornbaker was not enough to push the Bulls past the Huskies.

The Huskies hit for a better average than the Bulls, .254 to .164. But the Bulls were able to keep it close throughout the match despite being swept.

The Huskies were led by freshman standout Lauren Wicinski, who finished the night with 21 kills on 42 attempts, hitting .357 and contributing 10 digs.

Hornbaker had a strong performance with only one error on 28 swings and notched the lone service ace for the Bulls. Schlegel finished the night with a team-high 24 assists, while freshman Dana Musil recorded six digs and eight kills on 24 total swings.

Buffalo returns home to face Eastern Michigan on Friday at 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.

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