The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Buffalo
Volleyball stuns Buffalo with 3-2 victory at home
November 07 | Women's Volleyball
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AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron volleyball team executed a momentous comeback on its home floor Thursday night, stopping Buffalo in its tracks en route to a 3-2 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Trailing two sets to one, UA out-hit the Bulls in the final two sets to rally for its first win in Mid-American Conference play (25-21, 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13).
The victory also snapped a 13-match skid for the Zips.
Alex Cocklin delivered a team-high 18 kills for Akron (7-17, 1-12 MAC), while Kelsey Wilson added a career-high 16 kills, hitting .308 for the night.
Ashley Holder set a new career mark as well, keeping the offense running with 47 assists.
Jill Paluch and Callie Mack paced the Zips' defense with 24 and 11 digs, respectively.
Buffalo (16-10, 4-9 MAC) fielded three players in double-figures offensively in Tahleia Bishop (26 kills), Akeila Lain (14 kills) and Liz Scott (10 kills).
The first set was slow going as the two teams fought through eight tie scores before the Zips posted three straight points to untie a 13-all knot. Buffalo called a timeout in an effort to slow things down, but Akron continued to forge ahead, using the one-two punch of Wilson and Alex Wiederholt in the middle to maintain a three-point cushion.
UA took advantage of a few Buffalo errors late in the frame, and converted its first set point opportunity on a service ace from Tori Lanzillotti.
Akron hung around in the second and third set, but was not quite able to turn the corner and finish the job, and the Zips found themselves trailing UB two sets to one heading into the fourth.
The Bulls stayed in control for a majority of the fourth set, breaking a 13-all tie with a 5-1 run to take the lead at 17-14. Wiederholt came up with a huge solo block to make it a one-point contest at 19-18, but Akron and Buffalo would continue to trade points for several rotations.
It would be Wilson and Cocklin who led the charge that sparked a 5-1 run – this time for the Zips – that saw them through to the end of the set. A kill from each of UA's offensive weapons and a few breaks from UB miscues was enough to even the match at two sets apiece.
Akron out-hit Buffalo for the first time in that fourth set, .209 to .140.
The Zips overcame a 4-1 deficit early in the fifth set to take the lead at 10-9 on a Wilson kill. The score tied again at 10, 11 and 12 until a Buffalo attack error shifted the momentum in Akron's favor for good. Cocklin downed kills on two of the next three plays to keep the Bulls at bay and seal the victory.
UA returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 9 when it hosts its final MAC West Division opponent in Ball State. First serve is set for 5 p.m. at the JAR.
