After falling short at the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament, the UB women’s volleyball team (3-7, 0-0 MAC) competed in the Ohio State Sports Impact Classic in Columbus, Ohio, this past weekend, where they struggled to find a rhythm and ended the tournament without a win. Losing to Wright State (7-2, 0-0 HL), Ohio State (5-3, 0-0 B10) and No. 20 ranked Miami (FL) (6-2, 0-0 ACC). UB volleyball currently holds a seven-game losing streak, a stark contrast to their success a few weeks ago.
Opener against Wright State
To start off the Classic, the Bulls went up against the Wright State Raiders and were defeated 3-1. After dropping the first set, Buffalo were able to win the second set in a close contest, but couldn’t hold any momentum following that. They were outpointed and outhit overall, as they only managed to score 50 points with a .161 hitting percentage, to the Raiders’ 77 points and .305 hitting percentage.
Despite the loss, senior outside hitter Maria Futey played well defensively. She set her season high in digs with 23 and three assists. Fifth year outside hitter and team captain Katrin Trebichavska led the Bulls with 11 kills and an ace.
Match two against Ohio State
In the second game, UB faced the Ohio State Buckeyes and lost 3-2 in what turned out to be the most competitive game of the Classic. After dominating the first set and winning the third, UB took the lead early but ended up falling in the fifth and final set. It was their first 5-set game since last October.
Sophomore outside hitter/right side Manoela Forlin set her career high in both kills and points, with 23 and 28.5, respectively. She led the team in kills. Freshman middle blocker Luli Arcucci also recorded new career highs in kills (17), points (18), blocks (4) and digs (6).
Closer against Miami (FL)
The final game saw UB going up against the No. 20 ranked Miami Hurricane, marking the second time the Bulls have faced a nationally ranked team this season. Although UB was looking to produce an upset, Miami simply outclassed the Bulls, sweeping them 3-0. The Hurricane dominated the first and third sets, defeating the Bulls with a lopsided 25-12 score in both.
Forlin led in kills for the second match in a row at 12 and also had a .212 hitting percentage.
UB will next face the Niagara Purple Eagles (2-6, 0-0 MAAC) at home in Alumni Arena. The game is set to begin at 6 p.m.
Rodrigo Feijão is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at rodrigo.feijao@ubspectrum.com
