The No.3 University of Oregon Ducks took down the CU volleyball team (25-16, 25-20, 25-23) on Friday night at the Coors Events Center.
The Buff women wore pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, and former volunteer assistant coach Kim Jagd, a breast cancer survivor, served as honorary assistant coach.
CU put up a strong fight against a team that leads the Pac-12 in kills per set at 15.78. The Ducks also have Ariana Williams, who is leading the Pac-12 in attacking percentage at .386. Oregon’s record now stands at 19-1 and 10-1 in the Pac-12.
Alexis Austin spikes the ball towards the Washington State defenders Friday night. Alexis ended the night with a team high 17.5 points in the 3-0 win against the Cougars. On Friday, the Buffs lost against Oregon in three sets. (Tyler Gallardo/CU Independent File)
CU head coach Liz Kritza said the Buffs just couldn’t handle Oregon’s strength.
“We were playing point for point at times, but thats simply not enough against a team who is scoring almost 16 kills per set,” Krtiza said.
Freshman Alexis Austin led the Buffs with eight kills, and sophomores Ana Patovic and Kelsey English both tallied seven. Freshman Nicole Edelman had 23 assists and 11 digs to lead the Buffs. Freshman Chelsey Keoho added eight digs, and Austin added six.
The first set started as a very close match. There were three different lead changes and the score was tied 11 times. The score was tied at 11, until the Ducks managed a 6-0 run. The Ducks continued their momentum and took the set 25-17 with 17 kills and a .469 hitting percentage.
The Buffs were off to an early lead in the second set at 7-3. The Ducks called a timeout, and afterward went on a strong scoring run. A 5-0 run put the score at 23-16, and eventually OU claimed the set at 25-20. OU had 13 kills to CU’s 10.
“You have a group as young as ours, sometimes they don’t realize how close they are to being able to take down a team like this,” Kritza said. “You have to lose close ones, fight back in and not necessarily finish it for us to realize that you can’t let one or two points get away.”
The third set proved to be a battle for both teams. The Ducks led early 4-1, but the margin closed to 6-5 with a small run for CU. The Ducks then went on a run making the score 15-10. CU did not give up and went on a large run to tie the game at 21. OU called a timeout and the heat was on with a tie at 23. The Ducks took the next point and at match point, they took the victory at 25-23.
“They came back and showed great determination in this team,” Kritza said.
CU’s record is 13-10 overall and 3-8 in the Pac-12.
The Buffs play next on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m in Boulder against Oregon State University. Children will be admitted free and are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes for the “Trick-or-Treat Street” event scheduled before the match for for 12-1 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jessica Malknecht at Jessica.malknecht@colorado.edu.
