BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Houghton men's volleyball finished its first season of competition with two losses at the Buffalo State tri-match on Saturday.

The Highlanders opened the day with a 3-0 (loss (25-16, 25-12, 25-19) loss to Elmira before falling to the host Bengals, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-21).

Against Elmira, the Soaring Eagles got off to a strong start, hitting .333 and .355 in the first two sets. The Highlanders got a team-leading seven kills from Elijah Sproull, with Gabriel Lucena and Luke George contributing three kills each. Anthony Panboon added a team-high eight digs, while Jerry Buno led the team with eight assists.

In the Buffalo State match, the Bengals produced a powerful attack throughout the match, blasting 45 kills and a hitting percentage of .419. The early moments of the match was evenly played, with the teams tied at 13. The margin remained within three points over the next few volleys, but the Bengals used a 4-0 run to push their lead to 23-17 before pulling out the win. The second set was controlled by the hosts as Buff State used two 4-0 runs to game a 23-9 advantage. 

Houghton played strong in the final set, using an early 6-1 run to take a 10-5 lead. Each time the Bengals responded, Houghton bounced back with key points, and still led by two (18-16) late in the match. However, Buff State ripped off five-straight points to go up 21-18. Houghton scored three-straight of their own to tie the set at 21 apiece, before the Bengals finished the match with four-straight points.

Sproull had another strong overall performance with five kills, seven assists and six digs. Lucena led the team with nine digs, while adding three kills. Buno tied with Sproull with a team-high seven assists. Elijah Studt and Luke George each finished with three kills.