UB Volleyball wins slugfest with CMU, then sweeps EMU

[dj_paige]

The UB Volleyball team picked up two more wins, with a very hard-fought five set win against Central Michigan, and then a sweep over Eastern Michigan. Buffalo is now 15–3, and 5–1 in the MAC. They entered the weekend with an RPI of 66, very likely the best in program history.

Against the Chippewas, both Buffalo and CMU struggled to open a lead and then maintain it; the lead jumped back and forth as each team gave it their all. Buffalo had a four point lead at 8–4 in the first set, and never had a four point lead again until 14–10 of the fifth set. CMU once had a six point lead early in the fourth set at 9–3, but after Buffalo wiped out that lead to tie the set at 11; and other than that CMU could not manage a lead bigger than four points.

In the first set, after CMU took a 14–12 lead, Buffalo managed to keep close to CMU, but never got closer than 2 points, CMU winning 25–22. The second set look like a replay of the first set, with the Chippewas taking a 21–18 lead. Then Buffalo made one of its few extended runs of the match, as senior defensive specialist Juliana Lopez served two aces and senior outside hitter Katrin Trebichavská had three kills, and Buffalo led 23–18. Still, CMU fought back to tie the score at 23, but then Buffalo's fifth year middle blocker Abby Leigh ended the set with a kill and then a solo block. The third set was the closest set of the match, with no team ever picking up a lead bigger than three points, but Buffalo prevailed 25–22.  The fourth set was more of the same, Buffalo leading 21–20 with many lead changes, but CMU scored the last five points.

The fifth set began as the first four sets had gone, and was tied at 9. Buffalo then went on a 5–1 run to take a 14–10, using two kills by Abby Leigh and one from freshman outside hitter Manoela Forlin. After a CMU point, Forlin's attack off the block gave Buffalo a 15–11 win.

This match belonged to Trebichavská, who had a career high 27 kills, plus 4 aces, to pick up 31 points, also a career high. In particular, Trebichavská did a great job of scoring on back row attacks, as EMU was unable to slow her down. But she had a lot of help — fifth year middle blocker Courtney Okwara had 13 kills and just one error, plus two blocks. Okwara had entered the weekend second in the NCAA and first in the MAC in hitting percentage. Abby Leigh, second in the nation in solo blocks at the start of the weekend, had 5 more solo blocks, and 3 block assists. Junior setter Mandy Leigh had 57 assists. Junior libero Maria Futey had 17 digs, but the star of the back row once again was Lopez who led the team with 18 digs and absolutely rock solid defense, and added 3 aces. Lopez is quietly having an outstanding season both serving and digging.

Senior outside hitter Katrin Trebichavská attacks from the back row

 

Senior defensive specialist Julianna Lopez

Against Eastern Michigan, Buffalo ran away from EMU in the first set, when with Buffalo leading 9–7, they went on a 6–1 run and cruised to a 25–17 win. The Bulls looked like they would take the second set, with an 18–10 lead, but the EMUs made it close, getting to within 2 points at 23–21 and then closed to 1 at 24–23. After a Buffalo timeout, Trebichavská's kill ended the set. The third set was an absolute blowout with the Bulls winning 25–9; Buffalo hit nearly 0.400 while EMU hit 0.000.

Trebichavská again led the Bulls in kills with 12, and she also had 2 aces and one block. Okwara, who made one error against CMU, surpassed that against EMU with 10 kills and zero errors, and her season hitting percentage is now up to 0.520. Grad student outside hitter Maurine Calande led the team with 10 digs, while Lopez had 8. Mandy Leigh had 34 assists.

Set from Mandy Leigh to Courtney Okwara

Other Stuff

Buffalo next plays at Toledo on October 13 at 6pm and October 14 at 4pm, both matches on ESPN+.

Calande had five kills against EMU, including two back row kills despite a triple block.

Trebichavská's 27 kills was the most by a UB player since Andrea Mitrovic set the school record with 34 kills at Kent State in 2018. Mitrovic also had an ace and four block points, for a total of 39 points, also a school record. (By the way, if you look in the UB media guide, for most kills in a match, Mitrovic's 34 is listed, but for most points, the record listed is 29 which doesn't seem right).

For the two matches, Okwara had 23 kills, one error and 31 attacks, for a hitting percentage of (gasp!) 0.710. For the two matches, Lopez had 6 aces and 26 digs.

They call that play a "mango". Okay, no one calls it that, but I made up the term last week for a two-handed push from the front row to the opponent's right back corner where there is no defender for a kill, after Abby Leigh did it last week. It is similar to a "pineapple", which is a real name for a real play when the setter pushes the ball deep to the opponent's left back corner. This week, another mango at Alumni Arena, when EMU setter Olivia Szylar pulled off the unusual play.

Thursday was an unusually warm day in Buffalo, and it was quite warm inside Alumni Arena against CMU. The Buffalo coaching staff all wore long sleeves, with two of the coaches actually wearing sweaters. I get overheated just thinking about it. But Alumni Arena had cooled off nicely for the EMU, as it was a cooler day in Buffalo and the UB coaching staff adjusted by wearing short sleeves.

And I don't know what this is, but the UB bench sure has a lot of fun during the matches. I think it might be senior defensive specialist Emilie Davis (wearing #6) doing the limbo, as Abby Leigh tries to serve.

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by dj_paige