BUFFALO STATE, BEHREND MEN'S VOLLEYBALL SEASONS COME TO AN END
The Buffalo State University men's volleyball team fell in the first round of the NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Tournament to top-seeded Springfield College Pride, 3-1, ending their stellar 2025-26 season.
FINAL SCORE: Springfield College – 3, Buffalo State – 1
SET SCORES: (25-22, 14-25, 15-25, 17-25)
Gavin Wilczewski led the Bengals with 15 kills, while racking up 17.0 points. Kaden Strong, Kellen Palmer, and Brady Bowman all finished with five kills in support. Drew Bowman led the Bengals with 30 assists, while Wilczewski led defensively with eight digs. B. Bowman added seven digs, and Palmer recorded a team-high three blocks.
Battling it out and surviving a five-set play-in bout with New Jersey City on Thursday, the Bengals returned to NCAA Tournament action Friday night as they looked to pull off the upset on top-seeded Springfield College Pride. Action began in the first set, as the Bengals faced a tough road to victory, trailing in the set after an eight-point rally from the Pride. However, things would play out well for the Bengals, who respond with a five-point rally of their own to stay afloat in this contest. After trading points throughout the set, the Bengals found themselves in the driver's seat, holding onto a two-point set lead before driving past the Pride and stealing the first set.
The second set was another series of trading points to start out. The Bengals fell behind as the Pride rattled off six straight points to gain the advantage. This would be the theme of the set, as the Pride rallied from four straight points late in play, taking down the Bengals and tying the First Round matchup at one game apiece.
In the third set, the Bengals tried to regain momentum, but the Pride dominated from the start. Two consecutive runs of four points each put the Bengals in an early hole, and another four-point streak later in the set widened the gap. Although the Bengals fought back, picking off points when possible, a final four-point run secured the set for the Pride and left the Bengals on the brink of NCAA Tournament elimination.
The Pride took control in the fourth set. Momentum swung the Pride's way, and a run of four consecutive points proved too much for the Bengals, who ultimately fell in the First Round of the NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Tournament.
Springfield's Carter Durivage led all players with 16 kills and 18 points, while Dyan Mulvaney also led all players with 49 assists. Defensively, the Pride's Ricardo Ortiz led all players with ten digs, with Brennan Cutter finishing with five total blocks at the net.
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ECAC RECAP
The Baruch College men's volleyball team defeated Penn State Behrend 3-1 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) semifinals on Friday afternoon.
FINAL SCORE: Baruch 3, Penn State Behrend 1
SET SCORES: 25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-20
Senior Luke Mumpower entered the match with 96 services aces and needed two to tie and three to break, as he concludes his career breaking the program's all-time service aces record. Mumpower delivered three service aces to become the all-time leader at 99. The senior setter also had his fifth double-double of the season with a team-best 10 digs and 23 assists. Joseph Sciscio led with 11 kills, hitting .500 in the four sets, while Cameron Schleicher added nine kills.
The Lions fell behind in the first two sets before capturing the third. In a close third set, Behrend faced a three-point deficit at 17-14 before the Lions used a 5-1 run to take the lead for good at 19-18. No more than two points separated the two teams down the stretch with the Lions earning the final two points on a service error and then a kill from Lewis Rhodes. In the fourth set, Behrend grabbed the lead and kept it until 15-14. Baruch won the next 11 out of 16 points to win the match at 25-20.