Buffs Fall To Sooners In Five

Saturday, September 30

Boulder, Colo.

7 p.m.

Colorado

Oklahoma

Photo by: Chip Bromfield, ProMotion Ltd.

September 30, 2006 | Volleyball

By: Linda Sprouse, Assistant SID

BOULDER ? Amber Sutherland was Colorado's go-to-girl, recording 25 kills as CU (8-5, 4-2 Big 12) fell to Oklahoma (12-3, 4-1 Big 12) 30-22, 18-30, 21-30, 30-22 , 6-15 at the Coors Events Center on Saturday night in Boulder. It was the first loss Colorado has suffered on their home court as CU now owns a 7-1 record at the CECC.

“Oklahoma is a real good team,” Colorado Head Coach Pi'i Aiu said. “I think they are really steady. They don't make a whole lot of mistakes and they really force you to beat them. And that is the kind of thing we need to learn. You have to force teams to beat you and not give up a ton of points to a team.

“So we can learn a lot in playing a team like this. They are really good. I think they are going to be a factor in the conference if they can stay and grind it out.”

The Buffs easily took the first game 30-22, but dropped the second and third game. CU fired back in the fourth game and got the crowd of 908 into the match. At 16-8 in the fourth game, Oklahoma Head Coach Santiago Restrepo was given a yellow card. CU won the game 30-22 to force the final set. The Buffs were unable to complete the upset by giving OU a 9-1 run in the fifth game.

Sutherland added 17 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. She put up three blocks, including two solos.

“She was passing real well, and moving to the ball,” Ashley Nu'u said. “She was doing real well.”

Ashley Nu'u directed the Buffs to a .212 hitting percentage and recorded 61 assists. Nu'u added nine digs and added a pair of blocks.

“Ashley is always doing a great job,” Sutherland said. “It doesn't matter whether we are in practice or in a game. She is always working hard day in and day out. She does a great job all around.”

Lara Bossow added 11 kills for CU and hit .321. Mallori Gibson was also in double-figures as she tallied 10. Lauren Schaefer hit a team-best .375 with six kills on 16 errorless swings.

Colorado was putting up blocks, including seven solos, and recorded 15.0 in the match. Bossow notched six blocks assists and Alex Buth recorded five assists and one solo for a career-best.

Kristin Karlik picked up 16 digs for the Buffs and Callie Webster added a season-best with 11. Overall, CU notched 65, four more than the Sooners.

Amber Nu'u tallied a season-high three kills in her first match back after missing eight contests this season.

Colorado will head to the road for a match on Saturday, Oct. 7 against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. The contest will start at 6 p.m. MST.

Game recaps follow:

The Sooners got off to a three-point lead to start the first game at 6-3. Colorado got within one at 14-15 and tied it up at 15 with a kill from Buth. The Buffs retook the lead at 16-15 with a kill from Sutherland. The two battled back and forth until CU rattled off three straight points, taking a 20-17 lead. OU came back with three of their own to once again tie it up. The Buffs used a 10-2 run to close out the game 30-22.

Colorado took its first lead of the second game at 9-8 with an ace from Bossow, but the Sooners put together a 9-5 run to take a four-point lead at 17-13. Oklahoma extended their lead to 24-15, scoring six straight points. CU was unable to recover and lost the game 18-30.

Oklahoma pulled away with the lead in the third game, taking a three-point lead at 20-17. OU used a 6-3 run to gain a five-point lead at 26-20, forcing the Buffs to use a timeout. The Sooners took the next four of the next five points to complete the game.

Schaefer helped CU to a 4-1 start in the fourth game by recording a block solo and a pair of kills, along with am OU error. The Buffs extended their lead to five points at 8-3 with a pair of kills from Sutherland and a block from Alex Buth and Bossow. It was all CU as the Buffs finished the frame 30-22.

In the last game, CU took its first lead at 3-2 with a kill from Sutherland. OU took the next four, retaking the lead and forcing a CU timeout. The Sooners took a 10-4 advantage, causing the Buffs to use their final timeout of the match. OU completed the game at 15-6.

--COLORADO VOLLEYBALL--