It is hard to imagine a tree having the ability to ignite fear in the eyes of a Buffalo, however, that is exactly what happens when you take on the Cardinal. The University of Colorado women’s volleyball team suffered a home court loss to No. 13 Stanford, 19-25, 16-25, 25-14 and 20-25.
Colorado looked to snap a three-game losing streak in its quest for 17 wins, however, Friday’s loss set them back a bit. CU is now 12-11 overall and 4-9 in conference play.
Despite the painful loss, head coach Jesse Mahoney gave his players credit for their hard work.
“I think that this team has played a ton of competitive matches; we have been in four to five sets in almost every one of our matches and we never give up. That is something I am very proud of,” Mahoney said.
The Stanford block proved to be an unstoppable force of nature against the Buffs. The Cardinal block is ranked number one in the nation in blocks per set. The powerhouse at the net consists of three girls 6-foot-6 or taller, one of which is ranked fourth in the country in blocks per set.
“Every team in the Pac-12 is good at different things. Extremely good at different things,” said Anna Pfefferle, junior middle blocker.“So going into each match we focus on the ways that we can downplay their strengths and help play ours.”
The Buffs entered the first set with a dominating presence. Colorado took an early lead with a kill from sophomore outside hitter Alexa Smith.
CU was quick to establish a strong block against the Cardinal, however, mistakes in the backcourt helped Stanford to take an early three-point lead.
As expected, Stanford gained more ground against the Buffs by virtually shutting down Colorado’s offensive game with their block. The height at the net for the Cardinal forced multiple hitting errors for CU. Colorado committed 12 attack errors on 38 total hits, while the Cardinal recorded four-and-a-half team blocks.
Stanford extended its lead to seven at the midway point of the match. A Colorado comeback was unlikely, but the Buffs managed to narrow the lead to five with kills from junior right side Joslyn Hayes, junior outside hitter Stephanie Shadley and Smith.
Colorado was unsuccessful at its attempt to retake the lead. The Buffs continued to suffer at the hands of the Cardinal.
The Buffs concluded the set with 11 kills, five of which belonged to Smith. CU lost the match 19-25.
Colorado looked to improve on a dismal first set and came out of the blocks swinging harder. The Buffs started the set with the lead, but soon fell victim to their own errors. With a stronger block showing at the net, CU struggled to capitalize on the extra help.
The second set began to mirror the first for Colorado. Stanford took a huge 21-12 lead after defensive communications on the Buffs’ side of the net. CU’s last ditch effort to make the set loss a little less bitter failed. The Cardinal won 25-16.
Colorado added a total of four team blocks to their running tally. The team also raised their team hitting percentage into positive numbers after a depressing .027 mark in the first set.
The third set was a model of what all Buffalo volleyball should be. CU jumped to an early lead with a kill from junior setter Gabby Simpson.
A slight back-and-forth battle early on ended with the Buffs on top, and a large lead soon began to form.
Colorado extended its lead from two points to 12 after scoring seven consecutive points against the Cardinal. Kills from Smith and Simpson, along with major block assists from Pfefferle helped comprise the seven-point run. Pfefferle and Simpson recorded kills before defeating Stanford 25-14.
Shadley and Simpson each had four kills in the set. Both teams had managed nine blocks a piece by that point in the game.
If Colorado were going to pull out some awe-inspiring Chicago Cubs-like comeback, it would be in the fourth set. After dominating the Cardinal in the third, the Buffs seemed to be in the groove of things and were quick to capitalize on Stanford’s misfortunes.
A five-point lead quickly disappeared as Buffs hit three straight balls out of bounds in attempts to avoid the Stanford block.
A back-and-forth situation ensued for multiple plays, but the Cardinal soon took a four-point advantage. A solo block from Pfefferle late in the match would not be enough for CU, which fell, 20-25.
Colorado concluded the night with 44 kills on 133 total attacks and a hitting percentage of .150. Stanford barely edged out the Buffs on the block, recording 13 to CU’s 11.
Smith and Simpson were the leading scorers of the night, each having 10 kills. Pfefferle finished with six kills, two solo blocks and five block assists. Colorado’s backcourt defense headed by senior libero Cierra Simpson, tied the Cardinal, both teams recording 57 digs a piece.
The Buffs will be back on the court this Sunday Nov. 6 in Boulder, as they take on the University of California Golden Bears. Colorado will look for a much-needed win and are shifting their focus to Sunday.
“Every match is a big match. And same thing, we’ll prepare just as much as this game and stay focused on that right now and the next game,” Shadley said.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Olivia Butrymovich at olbu3713@colorado.edu.
