BUFFALO, N.Y.—The 11th-ranked Hobart volleyball team added two more wins to its resume as it defeated Penn State Behrend 3-1 and Buffalo State 3-0 this afternoon at the Bengal Invite. With the wins, the Statesmen move to 17-2 on the season, while the Lions fall to 4-10 and the Bengals fall to 8-9 overall.

Sophomore outside hitter Daniel Sappia led Hobart through the two wins, combining for 26 kills (.230) through seven sets. He added 10 digs, four service aces, three blocks and three assists within the wins. On the day, Sappia averaged 3.71 kills per set, 1.43 digs per set and 4.64 points per set.

Classmate Noah DeLong chipped in 16 kills (.146), 11 digs, four blocks and two aces through the two matches, while graduate student Andrew Kim added 15 kills (.308), two digs, one service ace and one block in the three-set win over Buffalo State.

Graduate student Benjamin Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position and combined for 61 assists, averaging 8.71 assists per set on the afternoon. He tallied a career-high 36 assists in a four-set win over Penn State Behrend and added five digs, five blocks, two aces and a kill on the day. Sophomore libero Gavin Meador led Hobart defensively and tallied 33 digs on the afternoon, averaging 4.71 per set.

MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Penn State Behrend):

• Hobart came out strong in the opening set of the day, putting down 11 kills as a team, hitting a collective .409 hitting percentage. The Statesmen held the Lions to just nine kills (.095) and tallied three total blocks to grab an early 25-19 win in set one.
• Penn State Behrend responded well, racking up four blocks along with its seven kills (.182) in the second. Hobart tallied 13 kills (.172) but were plagued by errors as they recorded eight attack errors and six service errors in the set to hand the Lions a 25-20 win, tying the match at 1-1.
• The third set saw both sides struggle offensively, combining for 13 hitting errors in the set. The Statesmen combined for 10 kills (.108) and held the Lions to just eight kills (.033). Hobart tallied four blocks and two service aces to propel them to a come-from-behind 25-21 win in set three.
• Hobart put on a dominant performance in the fourth set, combining for 14 kills (.286) as a team. The Statesmen held Penn State Behrend to just five kills on a -.071 hitting percentage. A Lion hitting error and a DeLong kill closed out the match with a dominant 25-14 win in set four.

Match stats:

• Sappia led the Statesmen with a season-high 16 kills, hitting .237 through four sets. Sophomore Aiden Kemora chipped in 10 kills (.217), while DeLong added nine kills (.167) in the win.
• Lincoln led Hobart from the setter position and tallied a career-high 36 assists. He added three blocks, two digs, one service ace and a kill (.067) in the four-set win.
• The Statesmen held a 42-34 advantage in digs and were led by Meador with 15. DeLong and Kemora chipped in seven digs each for Hobart.
• Hobart combined for six service aces as a team and was led by DeLong and first-year Lawson Drabik with two each. Lincoln and first-year Kian Kischke chipped in one ace each in the win.
• The Statesmen also held an 8-7 edge in blocks against the Lions and were led by Sappia, Lincoln and first-year Alain Malcolm with three each.

Match 2 (Buffalo State):

• Buffalo State jumped out to an early lead but was matched by a powerful Hobart side that clawed its way back into the match. The Statesmen combined for 12 kills, hitting .135 compared to the Bengals 13 kills (.235). Hobart took advantage of Buffalo State's service errors and slipped away with a 25-23 win in set one.
• The Statesmen responded well in the second and stepped up their play as they combined for 11 kills, hitting .358 as a team. Hobart held the Bengals to four kills, hitting -.138 as a team thanks in part to a big Statesmen block that recorded four blocks in the second set. Hobart also served well, tallying four aces to extend its lead to 2-0 with a dominating 25-11 win in set two.
• Hobart completed the nonconference sweep with another impressive performance as it combined for 15 kills (.243) as a team, while holding Buffalo State to eight kills (.074). The errors continued to plague the Bengals as they recorded six hitting errors in the final set to hand the Statesmen a 25-20 win in set three.

Match stats:

• Kim led Hobart with 15 kills, hitting .308 in the sweep. Sappia chipped in 10 kills (.217), while DeLong added seven (.118) in the win.
• Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position again and tallied a match-high 25 assists. He added three digs, two blocks and a service ace in the sweep.
• Hobart held a 33-31 edge in digs against Buffalo State and was led by Meador with a season-high 18. Sappia chipped in five digs, while DeLong added four for the Statesmen.
• The Statesmen continued to serve strong and tallied seven aces as a team. Sappia led the way with four aces, while Lincoln, Kim and Kischke added one each in the win.

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Tuesday, Feb. 25, when it travels to Rochester to open UVC play against Nazareth. First serve between the Statesmen and the Golden Flyers is set for 8 p.m. in Kidera Gymnasium.