Buffs Fall 3-1 To California

Sunday, October 9

Berkeley, Calif.

4:00 PM

Colorado

10-7, 2-5Pac-12

California

7-9, 1-5Pac-12

Colorado

California

October 09, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: by Linda Sprouse, Assistant SID

BERKELEY, Calif. — Colorado had a pair of attackers with double-digit kills, but it was not enough for the 19^th-ranked Buffaloes to earn their first road win of the season, falling 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21) to California on Sunday afternoon.

Cal is now 7-9 on the season, 1-5 in the Pac-12, while the Buffs are 10-6 overall, 2-4 in the conference.

WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore Alexa Smith led the Buffs for the third straight match, hammering 14 kills, while junior Gabby Simpson tallied 12 kills for CU. Simpson also recorded 20 assists and eight digs in the effort, while Smith tied a team-best 14 digs. Senior Cierra Simpson also recorded 14 digs for CU, while at the net, junior Anna Pfefferle posted six blocks, one solo and five assists, and sophomore Naghede Abu posted five blocks, one solo and four assists.

SET 1: Cal had the slight 15-14 edge at the media timeout in the first set, but the Buffs came back to take a 19-18 lead late in the frame, causing the Bears to take a quick break. The two sides exchanged points before Cal took two straight points for a 23-22 advantage, forcing CU to use a timeout of its own. The Bears finished the set off after the break with two straight points (25-22).

SET 2: The Buffs recorded a 7-3 lead to start the set, but the Bears roared back with a 5-0 run to take an 8-7 advantage. The two sides battled down the stretch; and after CU lead by two points late (18-16), Cal used its first timeout of the set. The set was tied late at 23-23 and Cal again finished the game with two straight points (25-23).

SET 3: The third set was much better for the Buffs as they used a 6-0 run to take an 11-7 advantage. CU did not let up and increased the lead to 21-15 before Cal had to take its final timeout of the set. The Buffs took the first point out of the break (a Cal attack error) before the Bears were able to side-out (22-16). CU was able to hang on and won the set 25-18 on an ace by Gabby Simpson.

SET 4: The Buffs got out to a quick lead in the set, taking a 5-3 lead, before the Bears stormed back to take a 10-7 advantage. After a CU timeout, the Buffs cut Cal's lead to one (11-10), but the Bears answered with a 3-0 run to go back up 14-10. The Buffs had to use another timeout when Cal was up 17-13, and were able to bring the score within a point at 19-18, forcing the Bears to take a timeout of their own. Cal took the next three points (22-18) and despite a great effort, the Buffs were not able to overcome the deficit, falling 25-21.

TEAM STATISTICS: The Buffs hit .119 with 49 kills and 30 errors on 159 attacks, while California hit .186 with 54 kills and 27 errors on 145 attacks. CU recorded 47 assists to Cal's 53. Cal out-dug CU 71-57 and out-blocked the Buffs 14.0-11.0. CU had five aces to the Bears' one.

NOTEABLE: The Buffs are now 10-6, 2-4 in the Pac-12…The Buffs are 0-4 on the road this season…CU is ranked 19^th in the latest AVCA Poll…The Buffs are 170-92 all-time when ranked in the Poll… The all-time series between Cal and CU is tied 6-6…This is the first weekend the Buffs have not gotten at least one win since the 2016 campaign started.

NEXT UP: Colorado will head to Pullman, Wash. to face No. 10 Washington on Friday, Oct. 14, and on Sunday, Oct. 16, the Buffs will take on No. 8 Washington in Seattle.

QUOTABLE:
Jesse Mahoney, head coach
"This was a disappointing loss. Cal played well, but we helped them along with our share of unforced errors and missed opportunities. Everyone in our league defends their home floor well and we have to find a way to break through on the road."