The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Buffalo
Akron Comes Up Short in Five-Set Battle at Buffalo
October 27 | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Several Zips turned in career performances, but The University of Akron volleyball team came up just short, falling 13-15 in the fifth set at Buffalo on Thursday night (25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 13-15). UA falls to 4-20 on the season and 1-10 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Bulls improve to 10-15 overall and 3-8 in the MAC.
Senior Courtney Jarvis tallied a match-high 24 kills, a season-best and just three shy of her career high, and finished with a .246 hitting percentage. Freshman middle blocker Mary Delich had a breakout effort, notching a career-best 10 kills, six service aces and four block assists. Her six aces in the match tie for sixth place in program history. Also at middle blocker, junior Paiton Twitty had a career-high nine kills and three solo blocks.
In the first set, the score was even at 4-4 until Buffalo won three consecutive points to gain the upper hand. The Bulls took a 10-7 lead, but Akron responded to pull within one at 11-10. Buffalo managed to stay in front and went on to take a 16-12 advantage, but again Akron bounced back and took two in a row to keep it close.
Ahead 16-14, UB went on a three-point run to take a 19-14 lead late into the frame. After a timeout, the Zips took the next three points to cut into the deficit. With Buffalo leading 21-19, Mary Delich notched a service ace to pull UA within one, and a kill by Paiton Twitty tied it at 21 on the ensuing point to cap a four-point run. Akron then took a 23-22 lead off a Jarvis kill to force a UB timeout. Out of the break, the Zips kept up the pressure and took the set on the next two points, 25-22, to end another four-point run for Akron, who won eight of the last nine points in the set.
In the second, UA jumped out to a 7-3 lead to put Buffalo on its heels. The Bulls slowly climbed back to trail by one, but a tip kill by Delich put UA up 11-9 to maintain the lead. Delich then tallied back-to-back aces to extend the margin to 13-9. UB came back to win the next three points, however, and made it 14-13, Akron.
The Zips narrowly held on to a one-point advantage, as both teams traded points until Buffalo evened the score with an ace at 17 all. UB continued its run with a kill to take a 19-17 lead and swing the momentum in its favor. After a seven-point run, Buffalo led 22-17 and compelled Akron to call a timeout.
Another tip kill from Delich put a point on the board for the Zips, and an ace by Chelsea Harvey on the next point chipped away at UB's margin. The Bulls fought back with two-straight points to go up 24-19 and then went on to even the match with a 25-20 victory.
In the third frame, Akron came out firing and took a 5-1 lead to gain control early. With an 8-2 Akron lead, the Bulls tried to come back by winning three-straight points that made it 9-7, but the Zips answered by extending their advantage to 11-7. Buffalo then went on a three-point run to pull within one, but a service error ended the streak.
The teams traded points as play went back-and-forth, but Akron maintained a slim lead. After a block by Twitty and Alex Wiederholt, the Zips owned a 17-13 lead late in the set. Another block for UA made it 18-14, but the Bulls notched a deep kill on the next point to start a four-point run that tied it at 18 all.
After a timeout, a UB service error gave the lead back to Akron, and back-to-back kills made it 21-18, Zips. Buffalo countered with two points in a row, but an Akron block made it 23-20. The Bulls kept battling and came back to take a 24-23 lead after a string of four points, forcing a UA timeout. Out of the break, UB needed just one point to end the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Play started out even in the fourth until Buffalo went up 7-4 after winning three-straight points. The Zips came back to trail by just one at 8-7, but the Bulls managed to stretch their lead to 11-7 after notching another block. Aided by another ace from Delich, Akron bounced back with three consecutive points to trail 10-12 and force a Buffalo timeout.
With UA down 13-11, Jarvis notched back-to-back kills to even the score at 13. The Bulls then countered to take a 17-14 lead late into the frame. With Akron trailing 16-18, an ace by Christina Furda brought the Zips to within one, and a UB error tied it at 18 on the next point. Akron continued its run and quickly took a 20-18 lead, forcing a Buffalo timeout.
After the break, Akron increased its advantage to 22-18, capping a seven-point run. Buffalo continued to fight, making it 24-23 after four points in a row, but the Zips managed to put it away, 25-23, and send the match to a deciding set.
In the fifth, Akron again took an early lead, going up 4-1 after a slam by Twitty. Out of a Buffalo timeout, the Bulls rallied to tie it at 4-4, but the Zips regained the lead on the next point. With the score again even at 7-7, UB took an 8-7 lead as the teams changed sides. After an Akron error, UB led 9-7, but Harvey tallied a kill to earn the sideout, and the Zips tied it at 9-9 on the next point.
After a timeout, Buffalo went on top 11-9 after a pair of points, but Akron countered with a point to make it 10-11. The Bulls extended their lead, however, to 13-11 to put the pressure on UA. A Buffalo service error made it 13-12, UB, but a kill on the next point gave the Bulls match point. Jarvis kept the Zips alive with a kill, but an error on the ensuing point ended the match, 13-15.
The Zips will face Toledo on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. ET at UT's Savage Arena. Live stats will be available at GoZips.com.
