BOULDER ? Alex Buth hit a team-high 15 kills and made
11 digs, but the University of Colorado volleyball team was unable to break their
losing streak, falling to Iowa State on Wednesday, October 17, at the Coors Events
Center. Game scores were 30-24,
24-30, 30-25, 19-30, 13-15.
Callie
Webster of Colorado and Ashley Mass of Iowa State
tied for match-high digs, each hitting 21. Kaylee Manns and Laura Cady also recorded
double-digits for the Cyclones, hitting 18 and 10, respectively.
Erin Boeve
scored a match-high 19 kills for ISU. Lauren Cummings contributed 16 and
Victoria Henson also ended up in double-digits with 14.
The Buffs
set two school records during the match. Colorado
made 26 total blocks and 42 block assists. The previous records were 23.0 total
blocks and 40 block assists; both were set on Dec. 7, 1997 against Oral
Roberts.
Lauren
Schaefer recorded a team high hitting percentage .355 with 13 kills on 31
assists with only two errors.
Colorado out-blocked Iowa
State 26.0-19.0, who
leads in the conference in blocks per game. Four Colorado players made career high blocks: Schaefer
with 12 (one solo, 11 assists), Schylur Edelman with 11 (two solos and nine
assists), Buth with 8 assists, and Kaitlyn Burkett with 10 (one solo and nine
assists). Colorado
is ranked last in the conference for blocks per game.
“We've been
working on blocking all season. We changed our blocking technique and I think
some things are starting to come together,” said head coach Pi'i Aiu.
This game
put Colorado
at 0-10 in the Big 12 and 0-8 in five game matches. This losing streak is the
longest in CU history.
“I think we
lose on the same things-we don't hit well, and we don't block well and when the
game is on the line we're passing poorly,” Aiu said. “I think we're getting
better and better at it, we've just got a long way to go. We're playing with a
lot of young kids and there are times when there are inexperienced players on
the court. We have to play a little bit better when the game is on the line.'
Both teams
kept game five close; tying five times, but only exchanging the lead once. Colorado was within two
points of the win with the score tied at 13, but ISU closed the game and sealed
the victory.
“I thought
we played pretty well through the fifth game. We just have to do a little bit
better, from the first touch of the ball to the termination of the ball,” Aiu
said. “Part of it is just getting confidence; right now our kids are shaken.”
“That's when
we start need to making plays- the last two points of the fifth game.” Buth
said. “Nothing else matters the last three or four points we need to go out
there with attitude that every ball we dig is going to go right to Kaitlyn
[Burkett]. I think a lot of us just don't have that fire in us, and it's also
experience that comes with that.”
Colorado will hit the road to face Baylor on Saturday, October 20 at
6 p.m. at the Ferrell Center in Waco,
Texas.
--COLORADO--
