The Bison volleyball team went 2-1 during its first away trip this past weekend in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. at the St. Francis Brooklyn Terrier Invitational. The Bison swept Delaware State 3-0, fell to Cal State Fullerton 3-0, but came back strong with a 3-1 win against NJIT. The team currently holds a season record of 4-2 after its first two weekends of competition.

In their first match of the tournament, Mimi Richards ’20 led the team in hitting percentage, finishing with six kills on eight attacks for a .750 clip. Close behind was Bridgette Holland ’20, who contributed seven kills and six blocks, finishing with a .462 hitting percentage.

Meanwhile, Alexa Bonanno ’21 led the team with assists, tallying 17 while fellow teammate Selby Schnobrich ’20 finished with 13 assists. Sweeping Delaware State, 25-12, 25-15, 25-23, the Bison looked to build momentum going into Saturday.

“This was our first time playing off the bus this season and we came out firing on all cylinders. Our goal for the match was to focus on our side of the court and play at our best the entire match,” Schnobrich said. “Delaware State was a solid opponent for us to work on new lineups and to get in a rhythm for our two tough opponents on Saturday.” 

In day two of action, the Bison first faced Cal State Fullerton, falling 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-20). Despite Richards only having one error, Sophie Bullard ’20’s team-leading 11 kills, and Bonanno’s 26 assists, a solid defensive effort by the opposition proved too tough to overcome.

In their final match, the Orange and Blue overcame a first set loss to win the match 3-1 against NJIT. Holland had a total of 12 kills, a .417 hitting percentage, and seven blocks. Bullard tallied her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs, while Brooke Stark ’20 and Blake Buchholz ’19 tied with a team high 13 digs.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Holland and Richards were named to the All-Tournament Team. This is Richards’s second All-Tournament honor following last week’s Bucknell Invitational, along with previously earning Bison Athlete of the Week.

“The team played well this past weekend. We play three games a weekend, so we are learning how to play consistently throughout the weekend,” Richards said. “We have two more weekends until Patriot League begins and we are all pumped for our season to start.”

The Bison will next travel to the Hartford Invitational held on Sept. 8-9. There, the team will look to excel in non-conference games against Niagara, Hartford, and Brown.