WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

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Emily Dills

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo volleyball team snapped a 49-match losing streak in the Mid-American Conference with a 3-2 win over visiting Toledo tonight in Alumni Arena. A service ace by junior Emily Dills (East Bethany, NY/Pavilion/San Francisco) sent the Bulls to a 17-15 win in the deciding fifth game, giving them their first MAC win of the season and their first league victory since a 3-1 win over Ohio on October 31, 1999.

The Bulls tied game one at 10-10 on a block assist by freshman Katie Weekley (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne) and Dills, and a service ace by sophomore Molly Schrantz (Depew, NY/Lancaster) ended the game in the Bulls' favor at 30-27. The Rockets held a five-point lead for much of the second game before the Bulls tied it at 17-17, but Toledo took a 19-18 lead and never trailed after that. A kill by Heidi Neumeister gave the Rockets a 30-25 win to tie the match at one game apiece. Game three was back and forth until the end when a kill by senior Becky Ashare (Coram, NY/Longwood) followed by a block assist by Ashare and Weekley gave the Bulls their needed two-point advantage to end the game at 31-29. The Rockets would not give up, however, and they took an early 11-5 lead en route to a 30-17 dominating win in game four to even the match at 2-2. In game five, the Rockets led by three points on five different occasions before the Bulls tied the game at 13-13 on an attacking error by Toledo's Jessica Buck. Buck and Schrantz then exchanged kills to make the score 14-14, and Buffalo went ahead 15-14 on a setting error by Toledo's Carrie McCaw. An attack by the Rockets' Becky Radomski knotted the score at 15-15, but the Bulls pulled away on a kill by junior Alexis Bouie (Albion, NY/Albion) and a service ace by Dills to end the match.

"I'm so happy for all the players, especially the juniors who are celebrating their first MAC win after two winless conference seasons," said head coach Sally Kus. "We need to relish this for the next day and then build on it starting on Sunday against Central Michigan."

Schrantz led the Bulls with 12 kills and 17 assists, and junior Lindsay Matikosh (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) also posted a double-double with 10 kills, 19 digs and seven blocks. Bouie added eight kills and eight blocks, and Weekley posted a match-high nine blocks. Freshman Amy Brown (Pittsburgh, PA/Mt. Lebanon) recorded 27 assists and 10 digs, while sophomore Kathryn Henry (Buffalo, NY/City Honors) and senior Amie Wall (Eden, NY/Eden/Daemen) finished with 15 and 14 digs, respectively. As a team, the Bulls posted 17 blocks in the match.

The win snapped a seven-match losing streak for the Bulls dating back to the beginning of the conference slate on September 26. The Bulls went 4-14 in their second season in the MAC in 1999, ending the year with six straight losses, and they went 0-18 in conference play in 2000 and 2001.

Buffalo (9-13 overall, 1-7 MAC) is back in action on Sunday, October 20 when it hosts Central Michigan at 3 pm in Alumni Arena.