Buffs Post Season-Best Numbers in Close Loss to Cougars

BOULDER – Despite numerous season-best performances and a dominate defense, the University of Colorado women's volleyball team found itself just short in a close four-set (24-26, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25) match with No.19-ranked Washington State Friday evening in Boulder.

The Buffs fall to 12-10 on the season with a 4-7 record in conference play with the loss. Washington State survives the week of play and improves to 17-5 with an 8-4 record in the Pac-12 after defeating Utah Wednesday.

Colorado recorded three double-doubles in the loss and posted the second 20-kill performance of the season. Alexa Smith led the charge with 20 kills and 16 digs, finishing with her fourth 20-point match of the season. She was joined in the kills-dig double-double by Justine Spann with 11 kills and 19 digs.

Also for the Buffs on the offensive side, Naghede Abu was a force in the middle with 11 kills and a .391 hitting percentage to lead the team. She was the beneficiary of solid setter play from Brynna DeLuzio and Jenna Ewert, who combined for 46 assists. DeLuzio led the team with 24 assists, while Ewert picked up her second double-double in a row with 22 assists and 12 digs.

Defensively the Buffs were a blocking machine with 13.5 total team blocks. Danielle Price finished with six block assists to lead the team, while Abu and Emily DeMure tallied five blocks apiece. That wasn't it though as Spann and Lauren Dorrell put down four blocks each. The large dig numbers directly benefitted from the blocking up front, highlighted by a career-high 26 digs from libero Rachel Whipple.

The Buffs played hard, holding small leads late in every set of the match. Serve receive play haunted the first set with five Cougar aces, but that was stopped for the rest of the match as WSU only added a single more ace. Washington State relied heavily on outsides McKenna Woodford and Penny Tusa, who delivered with 22 and 19 kills, respectfully.

The match featured 43 ties and 20 lead changes. Each set saw exactly five lead changes, while the third set had 13 tied scores.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET 1: Both teams came out swinging to a four all tie, but a six-point run gave Washington State a 9-4 lead and forcing CU into a timeout. The Buffs rallied back to an 11-9 deficit, slowly chipping at the lead. Colorado tied the match back up at 16 all, taking its first lead at 18-17 from an Alexa Smith ace. The Buffs continued to push to a 20-18 lead, forcing Washington State into a timeout. Washington State battled back to a tie at 22 all. The teams traded the next set of points, then the Cougars put down an ace to take a 24-23 lead and forcing a CU timeout. Brynna DeLuzio laid out to save the first set-point and dish a pass to Alexa Smith the next rally to force extra points. In extra points the Cougars believed they won the set at 26-24, but it took a video review to confirm it and end the set. Colorado led in nearly every statistical category but aces in which Washington State had five.

SET 2: CU jumped out quickly to a 5-2 lead in the beginning of the set. The Cougars battled back to tie it at six all, finally taking the lead at 9-8. The Cougars jumped on the chance and took a 13-9 lead before CU finally called timeout. The Buffs brought it back within a point at 15-14, finally tying the set at 17 all and taking the lead at 20-19. The Cougars stole back the lead after a pair of points and pushed it to 22-20 which led to a CU timeout. Washington State put down the next pair of points and believed to take the set but a net violation nulled an attack error and kept the Buffs hopes alive. A block brought the set to 24-22 and Washington State called timeout to stop any momentum from building. The Cougars put down a kill after the timeout to take the two-set lead.

SET 3: Washington State moved out to a 5-3 lead in the third set. Buffs rallied back to tie the back-and-forth match at six all. CU took at early lead at 10-9, but the Cougars responded to a 13-11 lead and held it to the media break at 15-13. A dump kill from Jenna Ewert tied it up at 16 all. The Buffs continued to push to a 19-17 lead, forcing a timeout from the Cougars. Colorado was in a 6-1 run when the timeout was called. The Cougars tied it back up at 19 all, forcing CU into a timeout. Washington State took the next pair of points before CU finally put together a set of points to tie it at 21 all. Naghede Abu put down a kill to tie it at 22 all, then was a part of a block to take the lead at 23-22. A miscommunication tied the set back up at 23 all, but Abu put down another kill to give CU its first set-point of the match. Abu finished off the set with a block, accounting for all five of CU's final points in the set win.

SET 4: The teams kept it close through 7-7, but CU finally found daylight at 9-7 and pushed it to 11-7 when WSU called timeout. The Buffs held strong behind Alexa Smith earning her second 20-point match of the season and a double-double with 19 kills and 15 digs. The Cougars fought back to a tie at 17 all, forcing a CU timeout. Smith, Spann and Ewert all had double-doubles while Whipple had more than 20 digs. The teams traded points to a 20 all tie, but a service error and attack error led to a WSU lead at 22-20. The Buffs tied the match back up at 22 all behind Smith's 20^thkill and an Emily DeMure cross-court kill. The Cougars took the next two points to force match-point, ultimately taking the match.

QUOTABLES:

Head Coach Jesse Mahoney

On the close match
"I thought it was a really well played match, especially on the defensive end. Both teams had about 90 digs. There were a lot of long rallies and really nice plays. Four really tight sets and really competitive sets. In all of them, teams were tied up at 20 or 21. For us, we just couldn't get kills at the end of sets. Credit Washington State, I thought they defended really well. We became a little bit predictable, towards the end, and we couldn't find the kills that we needed on the side-out game. We had 13 or 14 blocks, but I felt like we left a lot of blocks on the floor too. I thought we could have had a lot more, but we didn't quite get it done. I thought we played well and if we play like that, we'll be in a lot of matches moving forward."

On the adjustment in aces after set one
"That is hard to say. We moved some things around a little bit. They were targeting certain people in certain rotations. We passed two a couple of times which I think helped a little bit. They did a really nice job of serving short. I thought we adjusted to that in sets three and four. I think that first set is a little bit different if we could pass the ball. The rest of the match was better serving and receiving."

On Naghede Abu
"Naghede is having a great senior year. She is a leader offensively and defensively. Whenever she gets set, everyone knows where the ball is going, but she is still finding ways to score and score at a high rate. She hit about .400 tonight. She is fantastic."

On the passing performance
"It was pretty up and down. The first set was particularly bad. We still had an opportunity and were still up in the end game and couldn't close it out. As the match went on, we got better and made some adjustments. Usually, when we are not scoring at a high rate, it is because of passing. I thought we passed well enough to score. Washington State is just a really nice blocking and defensive team."

On the upcoming match against Washington
"We are going to spend the next 18 hours trying to get healthy and recovered. That was a pretty grueling match. Washington has the same issue. They are going to be traveling from Utah. This time of year, it is going to come down a little bit to who is fresh and explosive. They are big. They are much like Washington State. Washington and Washington State are really similar. Big, powerful, terminal left side hitters. We are going to have to play defensively like we did tonight and find ways to be a little bit more efficient offensively."

UP NEXT: Colorado will play host to No.21 Washington Sunday at noon. The match will serve as the trick-o-treat street match. After that the Buffs have a quick turnaround and head back on the road to take on California Wednesday evening and No.2 Stanford Friday evening.

Buffs Post Season-Best Numbers in Close Loss to Cougars

Next Event

Team Stats

Alexa Smith

Justine Spann

Naghede Abu

Lauren Dorrell

Players Mentioned

Naghede Abu

Brynna DeLuzio

Emily DeMure

Lauren Dorrell

Jenna Ewert

Danielle Price

Alexa Smith

Justine Spann

Rachel Whipple

Players Mentioned

Naghede Abu

Brynna DeLuzio

Emily DeMure

Lauren Dorrell

Jenna Ewert

Danielle Price

Alexa Smith

Justine Spann

Rachel Whipple