BUFFALO – Rochester couldn't get its hitting game in sync on Friday evening and host Buffalo State College defeated the Yellowjackets, 3-1. The Bengals (4-6) won a tough opening set, 31-29. Rochester battled back, taking the second set, 25-21. BSC won by identical 25-19 counts in sets three and four. Rochester is 7-3 overall heading into Saturday matches against John Carroll University and SUNY Fredonia.
 
Alara Kocak led Rochester with 16 kills. Kate Korslund and Elizabeth Thomas had seven apiece. Renae Lapins and Beth Ghyzel had three service aces apiece. Kayla Sell had three total blocks. Clara Martinez had two, and Korslund had one.
 
Ghyzel registered 23 assists. Lapins had 10, and Courtney Vidovich had three. The digs leader was Vidovich with 22. Lyida Barnard had 12, Lapins had six.
 
In the first set, Buffalo State led early, 9-3, before Rochester established itself and eventually pulled even at 17-17. UR did manage to move in front, 24-22, but BSC took advantage of three errors – a serve, an attack, and a ball-handling error – to move back in front 25-24. From there, the Bengals were eventually able to get the two-point difference.
 
Down 6-3 at the start of the second, Rochester ran off 11 of the next 13 points for a 14-8 lead. UR held onto its margin to even the team score at 1-1. In the third game, a late charge by Rochester cut the deficit to 24-19 (a kill by Megan McHugh, a block by Korslund, and an attack error by BSC) before Buffalo State earned the 25th point.
 
A 9-2 Buffalo State run helped the hosts nudge in front, 18-16, before a kill from Thomas (set up by Ghyzel) and two Ghyzel aces moved Rochester ahead by one, 19-18. UR's hitting turned cold and Buffalo State ran off the last seven points to seal the game and clinch the team victory.