Junior setter Nicole Edelman (5) celebrates match point against California on Oct. 19, 2014. The Buffs won both games in Arizona this weekend, moving to 15-9 this season. (Matt Sisneros/CU Independent)
Colorado volleyball swept the desert land this weekend, defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils Sunday afternoon in five competitive sets — 25-19, 29-27, 23-25, 15-25 and 15-11. CU is now 15-8 on the season and hosts UCLA and USC in the next week on their home court in Boulder.
The Buffs jumped out to a quick start in the first set, leading the Sun Devils by 10 after a handful of kills by Colorado’s power three: senior Taylor Simpson, junior Niera Ortiz Ruiz and sophomore Anna Pfefferle. From that point on, ASU couldn’t handle the offensive strength of Colorado and trailed the entire first set.
Though Colorado trailed at the start of the second, accurate assists by junior Nicole Edelman and more impressive hitting by Ortiz Ruiz — who had 17 kills on the day — allowed the Buffs to stay in the game and force 13 tied scores. Eventually, after going into extra points, CU seized the win with a kill from junior Alexis Austin.
Arizona State then took the next two sets, 23-25 and 15-25. Great offensive work by Sun Devils McKenzie Willey, Bianca Arellano and Macey Gardner resulted in 34 total kills on the day, keeping ASU’s hopes alive in defeating their Pac-12 rivals.
But losing two straight sets didn’t stun the Buffaloes and they came out with the lead and never looked back. A kill from Taylor Simpson, who had 18 on the day, gave CU a five-point lead early, and it was just enough to keep momentum up and the points flowing. The Buffs took the fifth and final set 15-11 and walked away with their seventh Pac-12 win this season.
Colorado’s match against UCLA begins at 6:30 p.m. MST in the Coors Events Center.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Elizabeth Vogel at lizzi.vogel@colorado.edu.
