The volleyball team came within two points of perfection over the weekend.
On Saturday night, The Bulls (13-5, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) allowed Bowling Green (6-10, 1-1 MAC) to come from behind to win in a five set war, 3-2 (25-18, 16-25, 19-25, 25-22, 17-15).
The disappointing loss to the Falcons put a damper on a great start. Friday night, the Bulls crushed Miami (Ohio), 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-20), to win their first MAC opener since joining the conference.
"I am proud of the kids… of the way they played," said head coach Todd Kress. "They were very in tune with what they wanted to accomplish tonight. They came out as a team. Not as 12 individuals."
Against Bowling Green, a back-and-fourth battle raged, which came to a head in the fifth set. Both teams were determined to win and they put together several long points, which left fans in attendance grasping their armrests.
In the end, defense prevailed according to junior blocker Abby Niekamp, who finished with 11 kills in the match.
"They played amazing defense in the end," said junior blocker Abby Niekamp "We couldn't get anything on the ground. We had some of our best girls playing as hard as they could and they were picking up everything."
The Bulls will look to rebound when they battle Kent St. on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
