SALT LAKE CITY – Offensive struggles for the Utes caused a setback in the conference opener for the home team as Utah Volleyball fell to Colorado in three sets (23-25, 11-25, 22-25) on Thursday night in the Huntsman Center. Despite leading the Buffaloes on the defensive end in digs and blocks, the lack of rhythm offensively was too much to overcome.
Utah gave up four straight points in the opening set to trail immediately, but a 4-0 run of its own led by three Abby Karich kills evened up the score. From there, the two teams went back and forth throughout the first set with the Buffs eventually gaining a 17-13 lead. Utah fought back once again with a run that included another trio of kills from Karich, but the Utes couldn’t quite take a lead despite tying the set four times. Tied this time 18-18, Colorado pulled away to a 23-20 lead, which forced Utah to call timeout.
Out of the break, a service error from the visiting team earned the much-needed sideout for Utah, while Ashley West followed with the team’s third block of the set. Trailing by one point, Megan Yett served a ball off the tape to trickle in for an ace and see the frame tied 23-23. The small burst of momentum for the Utes was stopped after Colorado’s Meegan Hart collected a kill that was then followed by a Colorado block. Karich posted six kills, but the group as a whole could only combine to hit at a .176 clip.
The offensive errors poured on during the second set, and although the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Utah Athletics…