Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Texas
Buffs Fall To No. 3 Texas
October 11, 2008 | Volleyball
BOULDER — The University of Colorado volleyball team fell 19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 20-25 to No. 3 Texas on Saturday night at the Coors Events Center.
The Buffs fought hard in the effort and weren't afraid to try to take down the third-ranked team in the nation.
“We came out and thought we were going to win that match, especially after winning the third game,” Alex Buth said. “We definitely stuck with them and were with them the whole time. It was just a matter of breaking away and being the better team. They are a good team and I believe that we should have beaten them tonight. I can't wait to see them again because they are definitely a beatable team and are really fun to play with.”
With the loss, CU falls to 9-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12 while Texas improves to 12-2 overall and 6-1 in the league.
“I thought we played really well tonight; we just got beat by a team that's a little better than us right now,” Colorado Head Coach Pi'i Aiu said.
This was the first time since Nov. 9, 2005 the Buffs have taken a set from Texas. The Longhorns have only dropped sets three times in league play prior to this match, which include set losses to Nebraska (3), Kansas (1) and Oklahoma (1).
“We did a nice job of coming out in game three and staying focused after losing a tight game two,” Aiu said. “They pressured us at the end, but we did some nice things. We came out with a lead in game four. They are a very talented game and we have to play really well to beat them.”
Emilee Sisco once again led the Buffs. She recorded 18 kills, which was also a match-best, and hit .378 (18k-4e-37att). CU recorded a .262 hitting percentage with 61 kills on the night. Kaitlyn Burkett handed out 48 assists.
Buth recorded 14 kills and was close to a double-double with nine digs. She also added three block assists.
Amber Sutherland recorded 15 kills in the effort. She has been looking more like the player she was before suffering her injury which forced her to use a redshirt for the 2007 season.
“Amber took some nice swings tonight that looked like last year's Amber for sure and that is exciting to see,” Aiu said. “We've told her all year that we are going to stick with her because she is going to get better and better and she is. She just needs to try to stay healthy.”
Colorado and Texas both picked up 49 digs and 9.0 blocks in the match. Ashley VenHorst recorded a team-best 13 digs and Lauren Schaefer led the Buffs with five blocks (one solo and four assists).
“I think we showed a lot of fight,” Aiu said. “We did some really good things but there are things we obviously have to work a little better on. I'm not saying that we should go out and beat the No. 3 team in the country every night, but we had our shots tonight and I am really proud of how we did.”
The Longhorns took a 4-1 lead to start the first set and increased it to a 19-12 lead. The Buffs chipped away at the lead and got back within five points at 17-22. Texas would take the next two points to get to set point, but CU fought off the next two points with a kill from Sutherland and a block from Schaefer and Schylur Edelman before Lauren Paolini recorded the final kill for UT in the set. The Buffs hit .300 in the set with 14 kills; but UT recorded a .406 attack percentage with 17 kills.
The Buffs kept the second set closer and got within two points at 9-11 before Texas put together four straight points to take a six point lead. CU didn't let up and took 10 of the next 16 points to get back within two at 19-21. The two teams exchanged points until Texas put together two in a row to go up 24-21. Once again CU fought off two set points, but UT converted on a CU attack error to take the game at 25-23. Both teams recorded eight errors in the set as neither hit above .200. The Buffs hit .128 with 13 kills while UT hit slightly better at .194 with 15 kills.
Colorado came out of the intermission fired up and traded off points with Texas until the Longhorns took two straight to take a 10-8 lead. The Buffs tied the set back up at 14 and took their first lead of the match at 16-15. CU took three of the next four points to go up 19-16 with a pair of kills from Buth and a kill from Sutherland. This time it was the Longhorns who fought off a set point, but Sisco hammered down the final point to seal CU's first set win against a ranked team in 2008. The Buffs hit a match-high .432 with 19 kills and three errors.
CU got out to a 6-4 lead to start the fourth set thanks to four kills from Sutherland. The Buffs continued to hold the lead until Texas tied it up at 10. The Longhorns took the lead and got out to a 19-15 advantage. CU took the next two points but UT followed up by taking the next three to own a five-point lead at 22-17. The Buffs got back within three at 23-20, but Texas finished the match with the next two points.
CU will hit the road on Wednesday, Oct. 15 to face Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The match is set for 5:30 p.m.
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