The Oswego State volleyball team traveled to face the Buffalo State Bengals on Oct. 20. In a game that showed promise for the Lakers in the second set, they went on to lose to the Bengals 3-0.
The first set began with each team getting a point each until the Bengals ripped off a five-point run, bringing the score to 6-1. The Bengals never looked back after this, as they went on an eight-point run, then a late four-point run which put them in position to win the set by a score of 25-9.
The second set was a much more even affair, as neither team were able to put up a substantial lead on each other. Kill after kill from both teams brought the score to an 8-7 lead for the Lakers. The Bengals went on another run after this, because of multiple errors from the Lakers, and they would jump to the biggest lead of the set so far at a score of 11-8. The Lakers brought the lead only down to one, but after even more errors, they found themselves in a four-point hole at a 14-10 score. After kills by the Lakers, the closest they got to getting the lead back was a 14-16 score. The Bengals went on another four-point run, and they put the game away in the end by a score of 25-19.
The third set was another dominating set from the Bengals. The game broke open with a three point lead for the Bengals, and after errors from both teams, the set began at a 5-3 Bengals lead. After an error and three straight kills from the Bengals, the Lakers found themselves in a 9-4 hole. The closest the Lakers found themselves to a lead was a 10-14 deficit after four kills. The Bengals went on a 15-2 run after this, closing out the set at a score of 25-12.
The Lakers also traveled to face the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils on Oct. 21. In a game where the Lakers were blown out in the first two sets, they clawed their way back and ended up winning the contest 3-2.
The Lakers shot themselves in the foot in the first set, as the Blue Devils scored eight points off errors, and five points off bad sets alone. So, because of this, they jumped to an early 13-3 lead. It was a much more even contest after this, with the Lakers edging the Blue Devils out on an 11-10 run. However, after this the Blue Devils scored four points in a row, solidifying a 25-14 win.
It was the same story for the second set, as the Blue Devils scored ten points off Lakers errors. The Blue Devils went on a six-point run early in the set, five of these points off errors, and jumped to an early 10-3 lead. Back-and-forth action brought the score to 17-11 in favor of the Bengals, before they ripped off a five-point run off the backs of errors and service aces. This run practically ended the game for the Lakers, as they found themselves in a 0-2 hole after the 25-14 loss.
The Lakers found themselves trailing early again in the third set, with the Blue Devils jumping to a 7-3 lead. They broke out after this, going on a 11-4 run, bringing the score to 14-11. After a roller coaster of exchanges between the two teams, the closest the Blue Devils got was a 19-17 deficit. The Lakers went on a 6-1 finish of the set, keeping them alive at a final score of 25-18.
The fourth set was as even as it could get, with the biggest lead in the contest only being five points. Neither team could establish a lead bigger than one early in the matchup, and after that back-and-forth action the Blue Devils led 14-13. After a 10-6 run by the Blue Devils, the Lakers found themselves on the brink of defeat at a score of 24-19. This was until they went on a 8-1 run to finish out the game, coming back to tie the Blue Devils 2-2.
It was a battle in the fifth set, but the Lakers still jumped to an early 4-1 lead. Runs by both teams brought them neck-to-neck, and the game was brought all the way to a 13-13 tie heading into the final moments. Clutch kills by Chiffriller and Farry followed next, and the Lakers came back down 0-2 to beat the Blue Devils 3-2.
These games bring the Lakers to a 6-13 overall record, 3-4 in conference, as they return home to face SUNY Brockport on Oct. 27, and SUNY Geneseo on Oct. 28.
Photo via: Oswego Athletics
