Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
7-22, 2-18Big 12
Nebraska
23-6, 16-4Big 12
Burkett Earns 3,000th Career Assist In Loss To No. 8 Huskers
November 28, 2009 | Volleyball
LINCOLN, Neb. — University of Colorado senior setter Kaitlyn Burkett became the sixth Buff in CU history to record more than 3,000 career assists, but it wasn't enough as the volleyball team fell to No. 8/9 Nebraska on Saturday night at NU Coliseum in three sets (25-16, 25-11, 25-11).
Burkett finishes her career in the black and gold with 3,001 assists. She recorded 12 of those assists in the effort against the Huskers and added four kills on eight errorless swings to hit .500. Burkett totaled 244 kills, 552 digs and 149 blocks in her career.
“We really intended to finish off with a stronger sendoff for our lone senior, but recognizing her for reaching this milestone in the Colorado volleyball history books is the bright spot from tonight's performance,” Colorado coach Liz Kritza said. “We wish her all the best as she completed her degree and continues on to great success in her chosen endeavor.”
The Buffs finish the 2009 season with a 7-22 overall record and were 2-18 in the Big 12 (tenth in the Big 12). Nebraska improved to 23-6 overall and 16-4 in the league.
Kerra Schroeder recorded a team-best seven kills against the Huskers. Becah Fogle added six kills and a team-high nine digs. CU once again went with a 6-2 offense with Burkett and Megan Cyr at the helm. Besides Burkett's 12 assists, Cyr added nine. The Buffs hit .104 in the match with 23 total kills.
The first set started off close until NU took an 18-9 lead off a 9-2 run. The Buffs didn't let the Huskers roll to the finish of the set though as they kept fighting. CU recorded seven more points before NU finished the set 25-16. The Buffs hit .212 with 11 kills and four errors on 33 attacks, but the Huskers had 15 kills and four errors on 34 swings to hit .324,
Colorado got down 14-4 in the second set and was never fully able to recover; falling 25-11. The Buffs recorded just five kills in the set and hit .033. Nebraska hit .333 and tallied 17 kills in the set. The third set was similar to the second set with the Buffs falling behind 14-4 after the Huskers had a 7-0 run. NU went on to take the frame 25-11. This time the Huskers hit .516 with 19 kills and held CU to .061 with only seven kills.
“Credit to the Huskers tonight, they were very strong offensively and really showed where our deficiencies are, thus the resulting loss,” Kritza said. “Even though we have had some signs of marked improvement, we have been a program going through a building phase this entire season and with the completion of this challenging season, we have hardened our resolve to continue the building process and make the progress necessary to be a competitive force within this conference by next season.”
Don't forget to check out the latest news and highlights with head coach Liz Kritza on the Buffalo Stampede: Volleyball Edition, exclusively on BuffsTV at CUBuffs.com/volleyball. New shows air every Tuesday.
COLORADO BUFFALOES
