The Buffs came into the Omni Hotels Classic with an unbeaten record but finished the tournament winning only one of their three matches.
The University of Colorado played host to Northern Arizona University, Fresno State University and Cornell University on Friday and Saturday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder. The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks won the tournament with their own Kelli Dallmann taking home MVP honors.
Colorado’s Kelsey English, left, and Ana Pantovic, right, go up to block an attempted kill by Northern Arizona on Saturday at Coors Events Center. The Buffs lost three sets to one against Northern Arizona. (CU Independent/Annie Rumbles)
The Buffs beat Cornell on Friday in their home opener, marking the 19th time the Buffs have won their home opener in 27 seasons. The Buffs won in three sets with sophomore Neira Ortiz Ruiz’s career-high of 11 kills.
Colorado also picked it up on defense, posting 16 block assists as a team throughout the tournament. This was a good start for the Buffs, as they wanted to put on a good showing at their own tournament.
On Saturday the Buffs lost to Fresno State and Northern Arizona in three and four sets respectively.
One bright spot for CU was junior Nikki Lindow, who was named to the all-tournament team. Lindow led the Buffs against both FSU and NAU, with nine and 15 kills respectively.
The Lumberjacks beat all three of the schools they faced at the Omni Hotels Classic, bringing their record to 6-0 overall. The Bulldogs won two out of three, improving their record to 4-2, but the Buffs’ record dropped to 4-2.
CU will go back on the road next weekend to participate in the Maddie Bingaman Memorial Tournament in Baltimore, Md. The Buffs will take on Howard University, Robert Morris University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu.
