Contact CU Independent Sports Writer Olivia Butrymovich at olbu3713@colorado.edu.
The University of Colorado volleyball team defeated the No. 19 Arizona Wildcats Saturday night in Boulder. The Buffs rallied early to win three straight sets against the Wildcats 25-14, 25-23 and 25-19.
This is the second time this season the Buffs have upset Arizona, and it is the sixth time Colorado has beat a ranked opponent, which is the highest for any CU volleyball team.
Senior outside hitter Alexis Austin acquired 15 kills in three sets with only one error in 32 total attacks, giving her an outstanding .438 hitting percentage for the night. Sophomore right side Gabby Simpson recorded 13 kills and only five errors on 31 attacks to give her a .258 hitting percentage.
Colorado was strong on the defensive side of the ball as well, putting up a strong block against the Arizona offense. Sophomore middle blocker Anna Pfefferle had six block assists against the Wildcats and junior right side Joslyn Hayes added another five block assists to CU’s 11 total team blocks.
The Buffs are not intimidated when it comes to playing these higher level teams.
“We just go out there and play,” Pfefferle said. “It’s just another team in different jerseys and we just have to play our game and know what to expect from them. I think every time we do that we end up coming out strong and beating those ranked teams makes it even better.”
It was the Buffs’ game from the beginning of the first set. CU immediately took control on the first point of the game with a kill from Simpson. Back to back blocks by Hayes, followed by a block by Pfefferle gave the Buffs a 5-1 lead over the Wildcats.
A back row attack by Austin and a kill by senior setter Nicole Edelman helped boost the Buffs six points above Arizona and forced a Wildcat timeout. As the set continued, the Buffs’ lead never wavered. Multiple kills and Arizona errors led the Buffs to lead by 11 at the midpoint of the game.
A kill from junior middle blocker Katelyn Cuff helped to increase the Buffs growing lead on AU. Back to back kills by Simpson led to the strong 11 point defeat over the Wildcats.
The Buffs played catchup throughout the entire second set. Arizona came out with an aggressive start in the set with back to back hits. Block errors along with hitting errors caused the Wildcats to lead 1-5 early on.
Kills by Pfefferle and Cuff allowed the Buffs to stay within two points of Arizona. A kill from Austin tied the match at nine all and forced a timeout from the Wildcat sideline.
Colorado broke the tie and extended their lead by two after a kill from Simpson and a kill and solo block from Austin. Then, multiple defensive errors by the Buffs allowed the Wildcats to regain the lead and once again CU attempted a comeback win.
Back to back Pfefferle kills and an ace granted the Buffs a 23-20 lead. Two kills from the Arizona offense allowed for a close 24-23 game, but a Simpson kill made it two in a row for set wins.
CU cruised to the win in the third set, in a game where the Buffs never surrendered the lead. Multiple Colorado kills and blocks helped the Buffs to a seven point lead over the Wildcats mid-way through the set.
After Arizona’s 6-foot-7 middle, red shirt sophomore middle McKenzie Jacobson scored two kills on the Buffs, Colorado called a timeout.
The Buffs quickly regained control of the set and a solo block from Gabby Simpson secured the sweep for the Buffs.
Head coach Liz Kritza discussed the importance of celebrating this weekend as well as preparing for the Buffs’ trip to California this week.
“One thing about playing in the Pac-12 is you have two tough teams every week, you have two legitimate matches every week, so for us, we need to make sure we are battle tested on the road and know we have serious business to attend to,” Kritza stated.
CU will hit the road again this week, traveling to take on No. 6 Stanford University on Thursday and the University of California on Saturday.
