BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State women’s volleyball team fell to the Fredonia Blue Devils, 3-0, in a tightly contested opening match of the 2025 “Battle by the Lake” rivalry series.
GAME BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Fredonia – 3, Buffalo State – 0
SET SCORES: (30-32, 23-25, 16-25)
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: (8-12, 1-2 SUNYAC), Fredonia: (5-12, 1-2 SUNYAC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville Griffith) led the Bengals with a team-high 11 kills. Delia Lake (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) added seven kills in support, while Delaney McCarthy (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) and Nicole Delli Colli (Rye, NY/Rye) followed with six kills apiece.
- Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) directed the Bengals’ offense with 17 assists, while April Jakubowski (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) contributed 15 assists of her own.
- Defensively, Wittman led the Bengals with 12 digs, and Autumn Flanders (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) added seven in support.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After splitting their weekend road trip with a win over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday, the Bengals returned home looking to build momentum in SUNYAC play, hosting the first matchup of the 2025 “Battle by the Lake” series against rival Fredonia.
- The opening set saw both teams come out firing, trading points early before a string of rallies on each side locked the score at 16-16. What followed was a tense finish, as both teams pushed beyond the standard 25-point mark in pursuit of the opening-set edge. After a brief two-point surge gave the Bengals the lead, the Blue Devils responded with three straight points to steal the first set.
- In the second set, the Bengals stormed out strong, delivering an early offensive statement. However, the Blue Devils countered with a four-point run to close the gap and again forced a tight finish. With both sides knotted late, the Blue Devils put together another timely three-point rally to edge the Bengals and take a 2-0 match lead.
- In the third and final set, the Blue Devils seized control early, jumping out to a double-digit advantage that proved difficult to overcome. Despite a late Bengals push that cut into the deficit, the Blue Devils held on to complete the sweep and secure the first victory of the 2025 “Battle by the Lake” series.
FOR THE FOES
- Kylie O’Brien led the Blue Devils with 17-kills, while Olivia Boswell led with 17-assists.
- Defensively, Kailea Sullivan led with ten digs.
UP NEXT
The Bengals will enjoy a week of rest before returning to SUNYAC action on Friday, October 17th, when they host the Oswego State Lakers at 6:00
