Colorado
17-13, 9-9Pac-12
California
9-20, 3-15Pac-12
Buffs Earn Commanding 3-0 Win At Cal
November 21, 2015 | Volleyball
BERKELEY, Calif. — Senior Alexis Austin recorded 15 kills as the University of Colorado volleyball team defeated the California Bears 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-21) Saturday night at Haas Pavilion.
CU improved to 17-13 overall (9-9 Pac-12) with the win, while Cal is now 9-20 (3-15 Pac-12).
Sophomore Anna Pfefferle was second on the team with 11 kills and hit .500 with just two errors, while sophomore Gabby Simpson tallied nine kills for the Buffs. Simpson also picked up five digs.
Senior Nicole Edelman directed the Buffs to a .270 hitting percentage (50 kills and 20 errors on 111 attacks) with 39 assists, while adding eight digs.
Defensively, junior libero Cierra Simpson tallied 13 of CU's 41 digs and added five assists, while junior Gwen Herring picked up four digs and one assist.
Freshman Naghede Abu posted a team-best four blocks, one solo and three assists. Austin added two block assists while Pfefferle, sophomore Joslyn Hayes and Edelman added one block assist each.
Cal's Lara Vukasovic led the team in kills with 14. Lillian Schonewise hit .353 with seven kills and one error on 17 attacks, and also had three blocks, one solo and two assists. Christine Alftin tallied 10 digs defensively for the Bears.
At the first timeout of set one, the Buffs held a strong 13-6 lead, but the Bears were able to regroup, producing five straight points. Set one remained close, and the Bears took a timeout after the Buffs edged ahead 22-21 late in the game. The Bears continued to put pressure on the Buffs, tying it at 24-24, forcing Colorado to take a timeout. It took extra points, but the Buffs were able to win the set on an ace from Edelman (27-25).
The Buffs had more control in set two, holding a 10-6 lead before the Bears took their first timeout. Cal tallied four straight points after its timeout and came back to even the set at 13-13. The Buffs took a timeout and scored four straight points, which included two kills from Austin and one from Abu. CU finished off the set 25-18 with a kill from Pfefferle.
The third set stayed close the entire way with the Buffs edging the Bears 25-21. Colorado took the first timeout of the set at 16-14 after Cal recorded three straight points. The Buffs eventually scored seven straight, including two kills from Abu, to bring their lead to 24-19. The Buffs ended the match on a kill from Austin.
The Buffs will finish the regular season next week at the Coors Events Center, hosting Washington State on Nov. 25 and Utah on Nov. 27.
