While playing Texas in Boulder earlier this season, Ellen Henry returns volley to the Longhorns. CU lost 3-0 Sept. 23. The Buffs suffered the same defeat while on the road in Austin on Saturday. (CU Independent file/Ilana Finer)
The “Growing Pains” continue for the Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team.
Unlike the television series that ran from 1985 to 1992, the Buffs aren’t in the limelight for their wins. Instead, they fell in three sets to the undefeated Texas Longhorns, 25-23, 25-12, 25-13, on Saturday at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.
The Buffs are now 6-14 overall and 1-10 in the Big 12 Conference. The No. 2 Longhorns improved to 16-0 and 11-0, respectively.
Texas jumped out to an 11-1 lead to begin the match, but the Buffs used a pair of runs to close the deficit to four. When the Longhorns reached set point, a kill by sophomore outside hitter Becah Fogle and a block error by Texas senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker got CU to within 24-23. But the Longhorns scored the next point and won the set.
“We had some very bright moments on the court today against a team that will be contending for the national championships this year,” CU head coach Liz Kritza said. “The ability to recover from a 10-point deficit at this level is a unique experience and the fact that we fought with everything we had instead of letting them roll over us is encouraging.
“It speaks to the heart and character of this team, and we need to see more of it on the court to turn the rest of this season around. We are clearly not satisfied with this result, but we are encouraged by the quality of some of the plays today.”
CU will return to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday against the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla. The Buffs next home game is at 4 p.m. on Halloween against No. 14 Iowa State.
Contact CU Independent Co-Sports Editor Cheng Sio at Cheng.Sio@colorado.edu.
