WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

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Bulls Open Season With 3-0 Win at Marist

Amy Brown

The University at Buffalo volleyball team opened the 2005 season on a high note with a convincing 3-0 win at Marist on Saturday afternoon, 30-26, 30-18, 30-17. Junior Nikki Morzenti (Safety Harbor, FL/Clearwater) led the Bulls with a match-high 10 kills and nine digs to fall just shy of a double-double, while junior Jenna Mapé (Calgary, Alberta/Father Lacombe) had eight kills and six digs to lead the Bulls' effort. Senior setter Amy Brown (Pittsburgh, PA/Mt. Lebanon) finished with 32 assists, four kills, five digs and two service aces, and junior Lauren Burd (York, PA/Central York) added seven kills. Senior Katie Weekley (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne) had six kills and a match-high five blocks and junior Brandie Clark (Medicine Hat, Alberta/Medicine Hat) added six kills, four blocks, five assists and nine digs. Libero Lizaiha Garcia (Dayton, OH/Beavercreek) finished with seven digs.

Bulls Get Edged Out By Great Danes

The Bulls had three players reach double figures in kills, led by Mapé with a career-high 16, but it was not enough for a win as the Albany Great Danes edged out the Bulls in four games on Sunday afternoon, 30-22, 25-30, 31-29, 30-21. In addition to Mapé, Morzenti (14) and Burd (11) also reached double digits in kills, while Burd also added four blocks. Weekley had nine kills and four blocks, and Clark finished with six kills, 11 digs and three blocks. Brown had 45 assists and Garcia had a team-high 15 digs.

Lauren Burd

Mapé, Burd Record Career Highs

Mapé and Burd each recorded career highs in kills at Albany on Sunday. Mapé led the Bulls with 16 kills, twice as many as she had at Marist on Saturday and more than three times her career high entering the season of five, set at Toledo on November 4, 2004. Burd tied her career-high mark of 11 kills against the Great Danes. She also had 11 kills against Dartmouth on September 11, 2004.

Bulls Start Out Strong in Hitting Percentage

The Bulls had strong hitting performances in each of their first two matches of the season with a .253 percentage at Marist on Saturday and a .252 percentage at Albany on Sunday. Leading the way was Brown who had seven kills in nine total attacks with no errors for a .778 percentage, followed by Burd (18 kills, 4 errors, 36 attacks, .389 hitting percentage) and Mapé (24 kills, 7 errors, 46 attacks, .370 hitting percentage). In 2004, the Bulls hit over .250 as a team in just five out of 30 matches all season.

Up Next

The Bulls, along with Canisius College and Niagara University, host the 2005 Western New York Invitational this coming weekend. Buffalo will host Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday, September 2 at 7:30 pm and then take on Army at 1 pm and Colgate at 7 pm on Saturday, September 3 in Alumni Arena.