Buffaloes Suffer Hard Loss To No. 24 Southern California

Saturday, October 29

Los Angeles, Calif.

6:00 PM

Colorado

12-10, 4-8Pac-12

USC

15-8, 7-5Pac-12

Colorado

Southern California

Gabby Simpson Sets The Ball Against UCLA

Photo by: Mark Waldron

Buffaloes Suffer Hard Loss To No. 24 Southern California

October 29, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Linda Sprouse, Assistant SID

LOS ANGELES— Junior Gabby Simpson recorded her sixth triple-double of the season as Colorado lost a close three-set match (25-23, 25-22, 25-21) to No. 24 Southern California on Saturday night at Galen Center.

WHAT HAPPENED: Simpson led the Buffs with 12 kills and hit a match-best .647 with only one error on 17 attacks. She also handed out 17 assists and picked up 11 digs, another high for the Buffs, to round out her sixth triple-double of the season, which ties a CU single season record. (Elizabeth Gower also had six triple-doubles in 2000.)

Sophomore Alexa Smith was the only other Buff to reach double-digit kills, recording 11. Senior Cierra Simpson tied Gabby Simpson for a team-best 11 digs, while sophomore Naghede Abu had two blocks to lead CU.

With the loss, Colorado is now 12-10 overall, 4-8 in the Pac-12, while USC improved to 15-8, 7-5 in the Pac-12.

SET 1: The Buffs and Trojans were battling to start the match and had 10 ties before USC used a 3-0 run to go up 16-13. CU called a timeout and took the first point out of the break, but USC sided-out and went on to increase its lead to 21-15, forcing the Buffs to take another timeout. Out of the break, CU took the next four points, bringing the score within two (21-19). USC decided then to take a timeout of its own, but a USC attack error following the break brought the Buffs within a point (21-20). The Trojans took the next two points (23-20) and held off the Buffs attack as they finished the set 25-23.

SET 2: Southern California took a 13-4 lead to start the second set, but the Buffs did not give up and battled back. They started chipping away at the lead with a 5-1 run (14-9) and kept fighting. USC had a 17-11 advantage late in the set when CU scored four of five points to bring the score to 18-15. CU kept going and got the score within two points at 22-20. USC responded with two points (24-20), but the Buffs fought off the first two set points with a kill from Smith and a block by Abu before USC finished the set (25-22) with a kill.

SET 3: Colorado again fell behind to start the set, but just like in the second set, the Buffs fought their way back. USC had a 10-4 lead when CU called its first timeout. The Buffs rallied and recorded a 6-2 run to bring the score to 12-10 before USC used a 4-0 run to retake a six-point advantage. Again the Buffs had work to do, and that is what they did, bringing the score within a point at 18-17. At that point, USC responded with three straight points (21-17), and despite a good effort by CU, the Trojans finished the set 25-21.

TEAM STATISTICS: The Buffs hit .259 with 44 kills and 16 errors on 108 attacks, while USC hit .248 with 41 kills and 15 errors on 105 attacks. CU recorded 42 assists to USC's 38. The two teams each recorded 43 digs but the Trojans had the edge in blocks (8.0-5.0).

NOTEABLE: The Buffs are now 12-10 overall, 4-8 in the Pac-12… Southern California has never lost to the Buffs – holding a 14-0 lead in the series… CU is 4-7 this season against ranked teams…Gabby Simpson has seven career triple-doubles, which is second in CU history behind Elizabeth Gower's 10…Naghede Abu also hit well at .625 with five kills and no errors on eight attacks…Redshirt freshman Taylor Joachim recorded a career-high three kills and did not commit a single error on 10 attacks to hit .300.

NEXT UP: Colorado heads back to Coors Events Center for a pair of matches. The Buffs will host Stanford on Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 6, CU will take on California at 12 p.m.
QUOTABLE:
Jesse Mahoney, head coach
"This was a tough loss to swallow given that we had chances in each set. It was a tight match statistically - we were efficient enough offensively to give ourselves an opportunity to win - but we allowed too many free points, especially on service errors at key times in the match."