BOULDER — The Colorado Women’s Volleyball team (6-3) fell in five sets (25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 24-26, 13-15) to the Colorado State Rams (6-4) Thursday night in the CU events center.
It was a back-and-forth battle between the two rivals, as the Buffs took the first two sets, but the Rams bounced back and completed the reverse sweep to complete their first win in Boulder since the 2019 season, which was also in five sets.
Outside hitters Lexi Hadrych and Maya Tabron once again led CU in kills. Hadrych had 16 kills with a .256 hitting percentage, and Tabron had 15 kills while also hitting .256.
Despite the loss, the Buffaloes posted a season-high 17 blocks with first year Cayla Payne posting a career-high six of her own, while team leader Skyy Howard tallied five on the night. Howard led the team with a .478 hit percentage, with 13 kills on 23 total attacks.
Malaya Jones played a big role for CSU, registering 21 kills for the Rams and nine digs to come roaring back from an 0-2 deficit.
Arizona transfer Emery Herman made her presence felt on the court tonight, logging a double-double with 52 assists and 14 digs.
Colorado will get another crack at Colorado State tomorrow night in Fort Collins, where the winner will claim the Golden Spike trophy for the 2023 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE:
CSU jumped out a 9-5 lead off several Buff errors, getting four points in a row. From there, the Rams maintained their lead until the Buffs went on a three point scoring run to get within one at 17-18, forcing CSU to use their first timeout.
The Rams’ offense proved tough for the Buffs to stop early in the set, with CSU hitting over .300 at one point, but the Buffs made their comeback with several key defensive stops late in the set. By the time the Buffs had a 22-20 lead, CU was hitting .259 while CSU was attacking at .258 — the first time CSU had a lower attack percentage than the Buffs in the set. CU held their lead and ended the set 25-23.
SET TWO:
In the second set, blocking made a huge impact in CU eventually winning the set 25-23. Once again, the Rams took an early lead, with their largest lead coming at 7-2. From there, the Buffs responded and slowly chipped away at the lead to get within one at 7-8.
The Buffs earned back-to-back blocks to take their first lead of the set, and cause CSU to use…
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