BUFFALO, NY – The St. John Fisher University women's volleyball team beat the Buffalo State Bengals before dropping in heartbreaking fashion to the University of Rochester Yellowjackets Saturday afternoon at Buffalo State. With the split, the Cardinals wrap up the regular season with a 19-7.

FISHER 3, BUFFALO STATE 0

In the first set, Fisher found themselves down five 15-10. Looking to rebound, timely errors from the Bengals and kills from Kiana Walker and Lindsey DeBonis helped bring the deficit to two at 19-17. After bouncing back-and-forth to bring the score to 21-18 in the Bengals favor, the Cardinals would tally off an incredible 7-0 run to take the set 25-21. The run saw kills from DeBonis, Walker, Katie Leaty, and Sydney French.

Looking to bring the momentum into the second set, the Cardinals opened up an 11-5 lead. While the Cardinals lead slimmed to one at 15-14, a 6-1 run padded the score to 21-15. Looking to not go down quietly, the Bengals responded by tallying off five of their own, but two attack errors from the Bengals and kills from Olivia Nellis and DeBonis capped the second set, 25-21. 

Fisher finished hitting 0.293 in the second set, their best offensive set of the contest. They would tally 15 kills compared to just three errors across 41 attempts. The second set propelled Fisher to a 0.248 hitting percentage in the game, which saw 45 total kills and 12 errors, five of which would come in the third set.

The Cardinals and Bengals exchanged points throughout the third set. With the score 20-19, Fisher would take four of the next five points, which featured three kills from French. The Cardinals would be able to wrap up the third set by a 25-22 score, taking the game 3-0. 

The offensive juggernaut French would finish with 16 kills in the win, hitting 0.609. French was also credited with four blocks. Walker had nine kills, three blocks, and 10 digs in the win. Kiera Hartpence finished with 15 digs and four assists.

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER 3, FISHER 2

The Cardinals dominated the Yellowjackets in the first set, opening up a 21-9 lead and eventually winning 25-11. Fisher hit 0.354 in the first set, finishing with 14 kills to only two errors. The University of Rochester only hit 0.025 in the first set, behind seven kills and six errors.

After the score was tied 6-6 in set two, an 8-2 run by the Yellowjackets forced a Cardinal timeout as the score swelled to 13-8. Out of the timeout, the Cardinals captured six of the next nine points, bringing the deficit to two at 16-14. In a persistent manner, the Yellowjackets would rally off seven points in a row to bring the score to 23-14. The Yellowjackets would move to take set two by a 25-15 final. After an overwhelming first set, the tides turned in the second set, as Fisher hit 0.037 and the University of Rochester hit 0.345.

The third set saw seven ties, including at 17-17. The Yellowjackets would go on a 5-1 run to take a 22-18 lead, before the Cardinals stormed back and rallied to score seven straight to cap off the set 25-23. This was the second time in the day that the Cardinals had a 7-0 run to come from behind to win a set. DeBonis was credited with three of the seven points.

The fourth set continued the back-and-forth nature, with the score all knotted at 16-16. A powerful 7-1 run from the Yellowjackets helped to give them a insurmountable 23-17 lead, as they took set four by a 25-18 final.

Knotted up at 2-2, the Cardinals opened up the fifth set with an 8-6 lead that would be elevated to 13-8. In a stunning manner, seven points rattled off by the Yellowjackets handed the Cardinals the 3-2 loss.

DeBonis paced the Cardinals with 16 kills and two aces. The senior has now tallied four straight games with 10+ kills. Walker added 13 kills in the loss, her second 10+ kill performance of the week and fifth this season.

The Cardinals will return to action next weekend, as they host the Empire 8 tournament with their eyes on their fourth straight title.

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