Junior outside hitter Richi Bigelow blasts the ball by Kansas State's Alex Muff (9) and Kathleen Ludwig (5) during the Buffaloes match against the Wildcats Wednesday night at the Coors Events Center. (CU Independent/Patrick Ghidossi)
The Buffaloes defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 3-2 with set scores of 25-22, 21-25, 14-25, 25-21, 15-10.
CU breaks a three-game losing streak and beats KSU for the first time in three seasons. Colorado improves to 4-5 overall (1-2 Big 12), while Kansas State moves to 7-6 overall (2-1 Big 12).
Schroeder racked up several career-highs in the win. She recorded 24 kills and 12 digs to give her a third double-double of the season and hit .327 for 25.5 points. Junior middle blocker Anicia Santos added 15 kills of her own and hit a team-high .375.
“Kerra [Boo] and Anicia led the way with points scoring for us tonight, and we will look for their leadership as we forge ahead to another tough Big 12 opponent on Saturday against Kansas,” head coach Liz Kritza said in a news release. “We are starting to figure out where our strengths really lie and starting to learn how to execute a strategy through to completion.”
The freshmen on the team stepped up their game and helped the Buffs’ back row. Defensive specialist/libero Megan Beckwith and libero Elysse Richardson each put up 17 digs.
“It doesn’t really matter that they are freshman anymore because they know that they have to step up because no one else is going to do it for them,” Santos said. “We rely a lot on them and I think they really have come to know that and they are willing to take on that role.”
The night’s win had added meaning for the Buffaloes because they were playing in honor of Spencer Nelson, who passed away this past August. Serving as honorary coaches for the Buffs, Nelson’s parents Peter Nelson and Peggy Smith were present during the game.
“Every time we were down one of us would say ‘Who are we playing for?’ and we would get back in there and immediately come back so that was a big impact,” Schroeder said.
The Buffs started the match out strong, coming out with a 9-3 lead. The Wildcats came back to within three at 18-15, but a kill by Schroeder set the pace for the Buffs to get back up by four. The teams went back and forth and KSU went on a 4-1 run to get within a point at 23-22. Kills from Santos and Schroeder ended any comeback the Wildcats could have hoped for and the Buffs finished the set out at 25-22.
The Wildcats really sunk their paws into the second frame. KSU came out to an early lead, but the Buffs managed to tie it up at 7. The rest of the set would be a battle of runs, with KSU going on an 8-2 run to take a 15-9 lead, while the Buffs answered with a 9-4 run of their own to get within one at 19-18. Three kills from Schroeder weren’t enough to come back from another KSU 3-0 run, and the Buffs fell 25-21 in the second.
Kansas State was even stronger at the beginning of the third, taking the first eight points. CU cut the lead to 9-5 after going on a 5-1 run. However, the Wildcats went on a 10-3 run of to take a fierce 19-8 lead. The Buffs tried to battle back, but just nine kills and five errors in the set caused them to fall 25-14.
KSU once again had the lead at the start of the fourth. They were up 9-4, but CU answered right back with a 9-4 run to tie the set at 13. CU then pulled ahead taking five straight points to make their lead 18-13. K-State cut the lead to 20-18, but the Buffs stayed strong and took the set 25-21.
The fifth set belonged to the Buffs from the beginning. They took a 5-4 lead, which quickly increased to 9-6. The Buffs held KSU to .042 in the set and solidly won 15-10.
“Every one of these players is thrilled with this victory tonight, but the best thing about these players and staff is that we will be right back at it tomorrow working diligently to be the best possible team we can be this season,” Kritza said.
The Buffs are back at the Coors Events Center to face Kansas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Marlee Horn at Marlee.horn@colorado.edu.
