No. 1 Huskers Fall to Colorado in Five

[Eric the Red]

No. 1 Huskers Fall to Colorado in Five

 

 

Despite a career night from Tracy Stalls, the No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling in five games (19-30, 30-28, 15-30, 30-27, 15-12) to Colorado in front of a Coors Event Center record crowd of 4,111 Saturday night.

 

 

Colorado, (15-9, 11-6 Big 12) not only snapped the Huskers’ 23-match win streak, but downed a No. 1 team for the first time in program history. CU’s win also snapped an 18-match losing streak to Nebraska (23-1, 15-1 Big 12) that dated back to 1997.

 

 

 

According to Nebraska Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers’ inconsistency tonight proved to be their downfall, as Nebraska totaled 28 errors, including 21 in the second and fourth games to put Colorado into the match.

 

 

 

“We had too many errors and didn’t execute,” Cook said. “You can’t be that inconsistent on the road and give a team as many chances as we did. Colorado played well and once they got the momentum in game four, they ran with it.”

 

 

 

Stalls was one of the lone bright spots for the Huskers in a losing effort, recording a career-high 16 kills while matching her personal best with 12 blocks, while hitting .357. Behind the efforts of Stalls, Nebraska dominated the overall stats, out-hitting Colorado, .229-.162, while totaling a season-high 23.5 blocks, but the Huskers were out-hit in each of the final two games, including a .308-.214 total in the finale.

 

 

 

Stalls was one of four Huskers to finish in double figurers, as Sarah Pavan totaled 17 kills and 10 digs, while Jordan Larson and Dani Mancuso chipped in 13 and 11 kills, respectively. In all four Huskers Stalls, Pavan, Larson and Rachel Holloway (57 assists and 13 digs) totaled double-doubles in the loss.

 

 

 

Amber Sutherland’s match-high 18 kills led three Buffaloes in double figures, as Mallori Gibson and Alex Buth totaled 16 and 14 kills, respectively. CU also had a strong effort from Austin Zimmerman, who totaled nine kills and a team-high 10 blocks.

 

 

 

Nebraska’s block was on full display in the opener, as the Huskers rolled to a 30-19 victory. NU totaled 8.5 blocks, including three each by Kori Cooper, Larson, Stalls and Pavan, as Colorado hit just .085. While the Buffaloes struggled with NU’s size, the Huskers were efficient on offense, hitting .469 as a team. Pavan had five kills while Cooper had four kills on five swings. NU took control midway through the game, running off seven straight points, including six off the serve of Larson, turning a 9-8 lead into a seven-point cushion. Colorado eventually cut the Husker lead to 21-16 on a Mallori Gibson kill, but a Cooper kill sparked a run of five straight points to spot the Huskers a 10-point lead.

 

 

 

As efficient as Nebraska looked in the opener, the NU sputtered offensively in game two, as Colorado evened the match with a 30-28 victory. The Buffaloes out-hit the Huskers, .188-.059, as NU committed 11 attack errors.

With the game tied at 22, Colorado ran off four straight points, taking advantage of consecutive hitting miscues to take a 26-22 lead. Nebraska trailed 28-24 before making a valiant comeback, running off three straight points to pull to within 28-27. Gibson’s kill gave CU an opportunity for game point before she closed out the game moments later with her fifth kill of the game, sending the teams tied into the locker room.

 

 

 

In game three, the Huskers used an early spark from Mancuso and pulled away in a 30-15 victory to take a 2-1 lead. NU hit a blistering .355 as a team, as Mancuso had four kills on six swings and a pair of blocks to lead the Big Red. The senior sparked an early 8-1 run with two kills and a block, as NU turned a one-point deficit into a 10-4 advantage. NU continued to build on the lead, pushing the advantage to 18-9 after Dani Busboom’s second ace of the game and took a 24-13 lead on Stalls’ service ace before cruising to a 15-point win.

 

 

 

The Buffaloes responded in game four, hitting .263 as a team in posting a 30-27 victory to send the match to a decisive fifth game. Early on, the Huskers found themselves in a hole, as the Buffaloes took an early lead and eventually built a 14-8 cushion after a Zimmerman block. Nebraska roared back, running off five straight points to pull within 14-13 on a block by Pavan and Stalls. Nebraska trailed 19-16 before a Holloway solo stuff started a run of four straight points, as Nebraska took the lead at 20-19 on a Larson kill that forced a CU timeout. The Buffaloes would not go away, taking the lead for good at 27-26 on a Gibson tip before a Husker error made it a two-point lead. The Huskers would eventually close to within 29-27, but Gibson’s kill sent NU to a fifth game for only the second time this season.

 

 

 

In the fifth game, Nebraska took an early 5-4 lead, but Colorado roared back, running off three straight points to take a 7-5 lead after two straight Gibson blocks. CU, which hit .308 in the finale, eventually pushed the lead to 9-6 on a Gibson kill that forced NU to take its second timeout. Nebraska pulled to within 10-9 on a Larson kill, but a Sutherland kill and a wide tip by NU gave CU a three-point lead. Kristen Karlik’s ace pushed the lead to 13-9, and the teams traded points to give the Buffaloes match point. NU continued to fight, as kills by Mancuso and Larson pulled the Huskers within 14-12, but Buth’s kill ended the match and the Huskers’ quest for a perfect season.

 

 

 

The Huskers return to action on Wedn

[General Blackshirt]

DAMNIT

[huskerguy]

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