BUFFALO, NY – University of Rochester volleyball took the first set but ultimately fell, 3-1, to host Buffalo State in its opening match of the Bengal Challenge on Friday evening at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.
Myla Nover-Estes had an impressive evening to lead the Yellowjackets, tallying 26 kills, two shy of her career-high and tied for the 10th-most in a single match in program history. The senior notched one of the Yellowjackets' first two points of the match, as URochester battled back from an early deficit to keep pace with Buffalo State in the opening set.
Paige Stephenson's kill capped off a 4-0 spurt to give the 'Jackets an 11-9 advantage early in set one, but the Bengals answered back with four quick points of their own to retake a 13-11 lead.
The Bengals and Yellowjackets went back-and-forth, with Buffalo State slowly extending its lead out to five, before Rochester answered back and finished off the set with an extended run.
Trailing 22-18, the 'Jackets rattled off three straight and Buffalo State called a timeout, while four of the next six points out of timeout knotted the set at 24-all. Back-to-back kills from
Emilyn Dienger leveled the set at 24 points apiece, and though Anel Acosta put the Bengals up a point, Dienger sent over another kill to make it 25-all.
Dienger then sent over an ace to give URochester the lead, while a setting error gave the 'Jackets the set, 27-25.
Buffalo State, though, would race ahead early in the second set, leading 9-1 early and 14-4 after
Ladi Iya used Rochester's second timeout of the set. A trio of kills by Nover-Estes would cut the Bengals' lead down to six, while an 8-1 Yellowjacket run, with UR trailing 22-15, made it a one-point game late.
Lilly Kraemer sent over a pair of service aces, the second pulling Rochester within a point, but a service error gave Buffalo State back the serve, and Ella Whittman finished off the set with a kill, giving the Bengals a 25-22 set-two win to tie the match at one set apiece.
Rochester led early in the third set, opening a two-point advantage behind a 5-0 run, again coming on Kraemer's serve, but the Bengals would claw their way back, and the set would see ties at 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17-all.
Whittman's ace tied the set at 17, while two points later, Dienger smacked another kill to tie things up at 18. Following two more ties at 19-19 and 20-20, though, the Bengals would rattle off final six points of the set, winning the third, 25-20, to take a 2-1 match lead.
And while the Yellowjackets would again lead early in the fourth set, Buffalo State would take control with five-straight points down 15-11, turning a four-point deficit into a one-point lead.
Whittman's kill off Alex Arroyo's serve put Buffalo State up a point, 16-15, while after ties again at 16-all and 19-19, the Bengals would finish off the set and match with another run.
A service error put the Bengals up one, and from there, Buffalo State wouldn't trail the rest of the way. A pair of Acosta kills put the Bengals up two, 22-20, while out of a URochester timeout, an attack error and Acosta ace brought up match point.
Whittman's attack error briefly gave Rochester the serve back, but the Bengals would wrap up the set and match with Kate Rutigliano's kill, taking the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
With the loss, Rochester drops to 6-4 on the year, while the Bengals move to 3-4 with the win.
Individually, Nover-Estes led the 'Jackets with 26 kills, while Dienger added nine.
Iliana Balaskas dished out 29 aces, while Kraemer had a team-high two service aces.
Defensively,
Lydia Weeks and
Valeria Berrios Puig tallied 17 and 16 digs apiece, while
Emelia Cruz notched a pair of blocks.
The Yellowjackets will wrap up their weekend in Buffalo, NY, at the Bengal Challenge with matchups against SUNY Geneseo and John Carroll on Saturday, Sept. 19, beginning at 12:00 p.m.
