Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
1-0
Furman
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furman | 22 | 22 | 19 | 0 |
| CU | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Schroeder, Lindow Shine In Home Opener
August 27, 2010 | Volleyball
"This is the start to the season that we wanted and a good showing for the first time out for this young team," coach Liz Kritza said.
Schroeder recorded a match high 14 kills and hit .268, while Lindow hammered 12 kills to hit .346; each hitting just three errors. The pair had 67 of the 123 attacks for the Buffs.
"Kerra 'Boo' Schroeder and Nikki Lindow carried a strong offensive load for us tonight and the best thing about them is that neither is satisfied with their performances," Kritza said. "It is that pursuit of excellence that will allow us to improve and compete at the highest level possible."
The new team came together with everyone stepping up in their respective positions. Junior transfer Alyssa Valentine dished out 29 assists in the three sets and helped CU to a .171 attack percentage. She added four kills of her own as well as five digs and two block assists. Freshman Megan Beckwith led the Buffs with eight digs and freshman Hannah Walker tallied seven.
"This group is determined to do it the right way and embrace the challenges along the way," Kritza said. "Players and staff alike see the future of this program as being very bright and it will take diligence, patience, and persistence. Everybody performed in their assigned role tonight and good things happened for the whole group.
"The team chemistry was good, especially for their first time out on the floor together, but of course we will seek improvement in every area possible."
CU got off to a great start in the match by winning the first set 25-22 after a slow start. Furman started out with a 7-2 run but the Buffs came back to tie it up at 10. The two teams battled until CU took a 16-15 lead and would never let go; finishing with a 9-7 run. Lindow had three kills on six errorless attacks (.500).
The Buffs took control of the second set from the start, winning the first point off a Lindow kill. Furman got within one point of CU at 8-7, but the Buffs took the next two points for a 10-7 lead and just continued to add to their lead. The Paladins fought back to within one at 22-21, but CU got the next two points off a Furman service error and an attack error to go up 24-21. Furman took the following point, but Anicia Santos finished the set for the Buffs with a kill.
Colorado used seven kills, a pair of aces and a Furman attack error to get out to a 10-5 start in the third set; a lead the Buffs would not give up. They finished the set 25-19 after Furman hit the ball out-of-bounds. CU hit a match-high .209 with 18 kills. The Paladins hit .143 with just eight kills.
"Taking the three set win is good as it will allow us to make good use of the extra recovery time to prepare for a very strong opponent coming in tomorrow night in Duke," Kritza said.
The Buffs are back in action Saturday night at the Coors Events Center against the Duke Blue Devils. The contest is set for a 6:30 p.m. start. Duke is currently receiving votes in the AVCA Division I Coaches Poll and played at No. 17 Colorado State on Friday night (match result was not available).
"The Coors Events Center was a great place to play tonight with all the upgrades including video boards throughout the arena," Kritza said. "The effort and work of all the facilities and operations crew to get it ready for the home opener is a testament to the team atmosphere we have here at Colorado."
And don't forget to check out the latest news and highlights with coach Liz Kritza on the Buffalo Stampede Volleyball Show, exclusively on BuffsTV at CUBuffs.com/volleyball. New shows air every Tuesday starting August 31.
COLORADO BUFFALOES
