Buffalo, NY - Nazareth men's volleyball team wrapped up their Saturday game day at Buffalo State. The Golden Flyers dropped the first match 3-2 against Buffalo State and won the second match against Penn State Behrend in three.
Nazareth Falls Short to Buff State in 5 Set Battle
Nazareth suffered a tough 3-2 loss to Buffalo State (29-27, 25-19, 23-25, 23-25,13-15) in their first match of the day. The Golden Flyers had strong individual performances but came up short in the final three sets.
Senior outside hitter
Owen Wickens led Nazareth, finishing the match with 20 kills and a .115 hitting percentage.
AJ Burda had a strong presence as well; he delivered 38 assists.
Bodey Groff contributed on defense and added 14 digs to the team's efforts.
The match began with a thrilling first set, where Nazareth won 29-27, hitting a .226 as a team. Wickens led with 7 kills in the opening set.
Alex Bertino's steady defense and
Andrew Bodensteiner 's help on attack also contributed to the team's success in the set.
In the second set, Nazareth maintained strong play with 25-19 victory, posting a .444 team hitting percentage. Wickens delivered another 5 kills in the set, and Bertino added 3 kills to help close it out.
Buffalo responded in sets three and four winning both 25-23 to even the match.
In the decisive fifth set Buffalo State edged out Nazareth 15-13, as the Golden Flyers couldn't capitalize on opportunities in the final moments. Despite a strong 6-kill performance from Wickens, it wasn't enough to hold off Buffalo State.
The match ended with Nazareth tallying 61 kills and a team hitting percentage of .263, but Buffalo State managed to get the upper hand in the final set to claim the victory.
With the loss Nazareth drops 8-8 on the season overall.
Nazareth Defeats Penn State Behrend 3-0
In their second match of the day, Nazareth triumphed over Penn State Behrend 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-17) to wrap up their day. The Golden Flyers played a dominant game, led by Wickens, who finished with 14 kills in the match.
Nazareth's offenses hitting percentage was .409 in the opening set and .360 in the second. Alongside Wickens, Bondensteiner added 7 kills and Bertino contributed solid defense throughout the match.
In the first set, Nazareth won 25-22 while .409 as a team. Wickens contributed 5 kills, leading the Golden Flyers to control the pace.
In the second set, Nazareth kept up the momentum taking the set 25-21. The Golden Flyers hit .360 compared to Penn State Behrend's .185 with Burda dishing out key assists to keep offense flowing.
The third set saw Nazareth seal the victory with a 25-17 win. Wickens added 4 kills in the set and Burda continued to shine with 8 assists. Nazareth secured the 3-0 victory.
With the win Nazareth improved to 9-8 overall.
The Golden Flyers return to action at 8 pm Tuesday, February 25 against Hobart at home in the first conference match-up of the season.
