Box Score CHICAGO, Ill. - The Leatherneck volleyball team continued non-conference tournament play Friday (Sept. 12) evening, taking on Buffalo in the 2014 UIC Invitational. The Bulls came away victorious, taking a 3-0 decision over Western Illinois.
The Leathernecks opened the first set with an early lead over Buffalo. Freshman
Kayla Ruff picked up her team-leading eighth ace of the season to give the Purple and Gold a 3-0 advantage. Junior
Jordan Jackson added a kill to make it 4-1 Leathernecks and fellow junior
Peyton Crosser collected a kill of her own to extend the lead to 6-2. Buffalo would tie things up at 9-9 before pulling away. The Leathernecks would fight back at the end of the set, going on a 4-0 run thanks to a
Molly Murphy ace and a pair of
Ann Miller kills. The rally would fall short as Buffalo took the first set, 25-19.
Set two belonged to Buffalo, but the Leathernecks once again led early in the set. Crosser picked up another kill and senior
Samantha Fournier added one of her two aces on the night to give Western Illinois an 11-7 advantage. A service error from the Bulls gave the Purple and Gold a 14-12 lead midway through the set. From there, the two teams would trade off points down to the wire. Ultimately, the Bulls would head into the break with a 25-21 set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match. The final set opened with a 6-0 run by Buffalo, a set in which Western Illinois never led.Â
Ann Miller paced the Leathernecks on offense collecting 10 kills, while Crosser added eight kills of her own. Fournier dished out 20 assists and Murphy anchored the defense with 18 digs.
The Leathernecks continue play in the UIC Invitational tomorrow, as they face Eastern Kentucky and UIC. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
