Head Coach Maria DePeters and the women’s volleyball team met the high expectations they had for themselves coming into the season in their first slate of games. The Bengals defeated both Stockton and Lebanon Valley on Friday, then on Saturday, the Bengals took down Utica and Hartwick.

Coach DePeters spoke very highly of her unit. She feels that the importance of starting off a season well can’t be overstated.

“We started off at a high level and with more work. I know the possibilities are endless for this team,” she said.

Led by Hannah Renaldo, the Bengals took care of Lebanon Valley in game one of Friday’s two game schedule by winning three of four games. Renaldo finished the match with thirteen kills as well as three blocks. The Bengals also got a huge boost from Jennifer Cecchettini, who added 26 assists.

After starting fast by taking a two set lead against Stockton, Buffalo State dropped the next two sets by margins of 25-12, then by a score of 25-21. When it came down to the intensified fifth game, the Bengals answered the call, winning the set 18-16. Renaldo finished the match with another 13 kill performance, while middle hitter Kayla Pyc’s registered 11 kills and seven blocks, six of which were solo.

Renaldo believes that the support everyone has for each other is going to help the team get where they want to go.

“Our positivity and support that we have for each other on and off the bench played a huge role in the wins we had this weekend,” she said.

Buffalo State took on Utica in the first match of Saturday’s games. The Bengals swept the Pioneers, winning three sets in a row. Rachelle Kelchlin tallied a team-high 25 digs. She mirrored her teammates and coaches thoughts when she spoke about how chemistry is crucial to the team’s success.

“You can already tell that there is a tremendous amount of team chemistry on and off the court and that really translates into our play,” Kelchlin said.

She also stressed the importance of getting off to a good start in the first matches of the season.

“We wanted to start out strong from the beginning, and that’s what we did,” she said. “So it feels good to know that everyone is on the same page and now the sky is the limit.”

Against Hartwick, it was another smooth victory for Buffalo State. The unit won the match three sets to one.

Renaldo was unstoppable all weekend long. She had double-digit kills in each match the Bengals played in, and was named to the All-Tournament team for her performance.

Buffalo State was crowned champions of the tournament after defeating their opponents in fewer sets than Fredonia, who played 18 sets to Buffalo State’s 16.