University of Washington
Colorado
Valiant Husky Comeback Falls Short In First Defeat
November 14, 2014 | Volleyball
BOULDER, Colo. – The second-ranked Huskies certainly were not overlooking or underestimating the 22nd-ranked Buffaloes, as Washington lost its first match of the 2013 season in Boulder. But history repeated itself again at the Coors Event Center, despite a gritty comeback attempt from the Dawgs (25-1, 14-1 Pac-12), who charged back after losing the first two sets to force a fifth set. However, Washington's fifth set luck came to an end along with the longest win streak in program history, as Colorado (16-11, 8-7 Pac-12) pulled it out 27-25, 26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 15-11.
The first time the teams met in Seattle, Colorado had set points in the first and second sets, but the Huskies came back to win both. It was a complete reversal tonight, as Washington had a set point in the first set and another in the second, but couldn't capitalize and lost both sets. Still, Washington would not go down without a huge fight, rolling to the third set win, and then winning the final five points of the fourth set to turn the 20-23 deficit into a 25-23 win. But in the fifth set, Colorado blocked the Huskies six times, as UW had just four kills and eight errors in the set to fall short.
“I think Colorado played well, and for sure they played better than we did tonight,” Head Coach Jim McLaughlin said post-match. “I think we had some difficulties in some areas, and we'll have to look at it honestly, find the good and the bad, and make improvements.”
Ranked second in the NCAA in attack percentage coming in, the Huskies hit a season-low .177, their first time under .200 all year. Washington had a big edge in aces, 8 to 1, and held a slim 16.0 to 15.5 lead in blocks despite Colorado's late surge. Colorado hit just .189, but senior Taylor Simpson was terrific with 29 kills on a .299 attack percentage with 22 digs. The Buffs had 92 digs to 78 for UW, and 12 more kills, 69 to 57.
Krista Vansant had 20 kills but hit just .154, as nearly every Husky had an off-night on offense. Freshman Tia Scambray was one off her career-high with 14 kills but hit .143, while freshman Crissy Jones had eight kills, hitting .286, and had a career-best eight blocks. Bailey Tanner had her first career double-double with 26 assists and 18 digs, doubling her previous season-best for digs. Lianna Sybeldon put down 10 block assists and six kills but hit just .167.
The Huskies will have to bounce back from defeat for the first time this season, as the best win streak in program history ended at 25. Washington had also won 13 straight matches that had gone into five sets, including a 5-0 mark this year, dating all the way back to 2012. Yet another tough road match comes right up on Saturday at Utah, starting at 6:00 p.m. Pacific.
The Buffs came out with the first three points of the match until Vansant got one to the floor off the defense for a kill. Cassie Strickland then banged an ace straight to the floor for 2-3 Buffs. A Vansant kill on the combo made it 4-6. The first Husky block of the night by Tia Scambray and Lianna Sybeldon cut it to one at 6-7. Sybeldon then moved to the other side of the net and teamed with Kaleigh Nelson to tie it up. Colorado then overpassed the Melanie Wade serve and Katy Beals went quick to Sybeldon for a kill and UW's first lead of the match at 8-7. The Buffs came back with a 3-0 run as UW let a free ball fall in for a kill, but Sybeldon put one away to get back to 10-11. Scambray dug one off the block touch and Vansant had a transition finish to tie it back up, and then UW went back on top, 13-12, as Jones finished after CU overpassed the Strickland serve. A high-hands shot from Vansant went down for a 15-14 Husky lead at the media timeout. Colorado retook the lead with a kill and an ace out of the break, but Scambray got a kill on a CU net violation for 16-all. The lead swapped sides again, until a big stuff from Nelson tied it at 18, and after a Colorado error, Scambray crushed one up the line in transition for a 20-18 lead and Colorado took timeout. Scambray then had one on the right off the block for 21-19. Colorado came back to tie it, but Jones won a critical point by hitting down an overdig. Colorado came back with a kill off the block and then Vansant got blocked to put CU back up, 22-23, and UW took its first timeout. The Huskies answered, as a perfect Scambray pass led to a Vansant kill for 23-23. Beals served a tough float and it got Colorado in trouble, and Vansant and Wade were above the net to turn the swing back down for a block and get the Huskies to set point first, 24-23. After a Colorado timeout, the Buffs saved it with a Taylor Simpson crosscourt kill in serve-receive. The Huskies then got in trouble and sent over a free ball and Colorado won a long rally to get its own set point and UW took time. After a rally, Vansant hit off the block from the right and down to get even at 25, but Colorado answered. The Huskies had a poor swing on the next attempt and Simpson had a fourth-straight kill for CU to take the set, 25-27. The Huskies could not stop Simpson, who had 10 kills on 16 swings without a miss, as the Huskies lost the set despite outhitting Colorado, .310 to .286.
The fourth kill for Jones got UW on the board in the second set after Colorado took the first point. The Buffs picked up three blocks in a five point span to take the lead, 4-7, and force the Huskies to take their first timeout. Sybeldon and Jones got one block back for the Dawgs to make it 6-7, and then Scambray had a solo stuff to get it back even, 7-7. Colorado terminated to end the 3-0 Husky run, but Scambray came back with a right side finish for 8-8. A couple kills from Vansant kept UW even as the teams swapped points. Wade put one away on a slide set from Beals for 11-all. A Colorado misfire finally put the Huskies up by one, 13-12, and more tough defense earned another Buffs error for 14-12, before Simpson got the touch call to end the 3-0 run. That was the start of a 4-0 Colorado run right back into the lead until Nelson got one down on the right to make it 15-16. UW got even again at 16-all on a block error. Vansant snapped one down on the left to tie it again at 18. A Strickland serve was passed above the net and Wade got up to hit it down to get the Huskies up, 19-18, and force Colorado's first timeout. Strickland missed her next serve out of the break, but Wade and Jones ended a tense rally with a stuff for 20-19. Simpson killed two straight for Colorado as the Buffs inched back ahead, but then Vansant fired back with a kill and then served up an ace for 22-21. Strickland bump set Vansant out of the back who found the right speed for 23-22, but Simpson answered again. Nelson came back and killed in serve-receive to get UW a set point up 24-23, and Colorado took time. The Buffs went quick to their middle for a kill to erase the set point, and then Vansant missed long out of the back row and Colorado had set point and UW took time. The Huskies couldn't get the ball down on their first swing and after a back and forth, Colorado tipped one to empty space to win the set, 24-26.
Some nice energy to start the third set resulted in kills for Jones and Sybeldon for a 2-0 lead. A couple great digs from Scambray led to a Vansant kill for 3-0. Another Vansant kill made it 4-0 before the Buffs got one down in serve-receive. From the right side, Vansant went off the hands for another kill to make it 7-3. The Buffs closed the gap with a 4-1 run but Scambray kept the lead with a smash up the line for 9-7. A long defensive rally forced a CU error, and then a Husky triple block centered around Sybeldon pushed the lead back to four at 11-7 and forced a Colorado timeout. Tanner dropped a serve to the sideline that was shanked out for an ace, and another Buffs error made it 13-7. Tanner dove to dig a setter dump attempt and Strickland set Scambray for a kill to make it 14-7, which would cap a 6-0 Husky run. Vansant hit up the line on the left for a kill for 16-10, and delivered another two points later for 17-11. Wade and Nelson then stood up to the Simpson swing and stuffed it down. Scambray blistered one through a gap in the block to make it 20-14. After the Buffs took two points to make it 20-16, Coach McLaughlin called for time. The Huskies stabilized with a quick set to Sybeldon who put it away with ease. Jones then found the deep corner from the right for 22-16. Tanner then notched her second ace of the set and Colorado took time. Out of the break, Jones crushed down a swing by CU's Alexis Austin for set point, and after saving one, Colorado missed its next serve for a 25-17 win. The Huskies hit .270 in the frame with five kills on 11 swings without a miss for Vansant, and Colorado was held to just .105.
Jones and Sybeldon got a booming block on the right side to start UW off well in the fourth frame, then Vansant hit down an overpass. The Dawgs then put up the triple block to stop the Simpson back row swing for a 3-0 lead. Washington moved out to a 6-2 edge on a couple CU errors. Nelson saved a near CU kill at the net and Sybeldon went to the floor to bump it up, and Scambray smartly knocked it down for 8-4 and a Buffs timeout. Out of the break, Wade dropped in a service ace for 9-4. Colorado rallied with four of the next five points to cut it to 10-8, and then Sybeldon hit into the net for 10-9 and UW needed timeout. Washington missed again on the next point and Colorado was back even at 10. A Sybeldon tip fell to snap the run and put the Huskies back up one. Errors continued to crop up on both sides, two for Colorado that made it 13-11 Dawgs. But Colorado came right back with two straight to tie it again. A Vansant swing up the line went down for 14-13 and she added another on a combo but the Buffs answered both to keep it knotted up. The Huskies overpassed, but Wade somehow dug the swing above the net, and Scambray converted for a big point. Nelson rolled the next set over the block and down, and then a Wade serve was overpassed, and Scambray finished high off the hands for an 18-15 lead and Colorado called timeout. Simpson had a kill in serve-receive to snap the 3-0 Husky run out of the break. A Buffs block got it back to a one-point match, but Scambray slammed one in serve-receive to keep the lead, 19-17. Colorado though went on another run, taking three points including a marathon on the third, killing off the block for a 19-20 lead as UW took timeout. Tanner set Scambray on the left in serve-receive on the big point, and she hit off the block and out for the 20-20 tie. Colorado kept pushing with three more points as the Huskies couldn't find the floor, and things looked grim down 20-23. But the Buffs missed a serve, and then CU found the top of the tape on what looked like it was headed for a stuff, and was called for four touches for 22-23. Strickland popped up a huge Buffs swing and Vansant hit a sharp angle crosscourt for a kill to tie it at 23-all. Abandoning her jump serve for the time being, Strickland still earned an ace, as her float got the tape and dropped over and the Huskies suddenly held set point, 24-23. This time around, Washington would not let it slip away, as Jones shut down the attack from Neira Ortiz Ruiz to win the set in stunning fashion, UW closing it out, 25-23, on a 5-0 run.
Scambray got the Dawgs on the board with an ace in the fifth, then Vansant and Sybeldon rejected the first Buffs swing for 2-0. Colorado earned the next two to stop the early momentum, and then blocked a Vansant tip attempt for 2-3. Vansant rolled one long on the next point and UW needed the early timeout down 2-4. Vansant was blocked again out of the timeout, but Tanner then set Jones for a kill to snap the 5-0 run and make it 3-5. Nelson tipped sharply past the block to get UW back within a point at 5-6, and then Beals dropped a perfect ace short to the floor to tie it up at 6-6 and CU took time. Colorado converted out of the break to regain the lead but served into the net. A couple UW swings were dug and Alexis Austin rolled to the back corner for a Buffs kill and 7-8 as the teams changed sides. The Buffs blocked Scambray twice in a row on the left after a couple tough sets, and UW took timeout at 8-10. Nelson got UW back on the board with a clutch tool of the block on the right. But CU had a quick kill in serve-receive, and then stood up to three Husky swings and eventually killed in trans for 9-12. Scambray missed wide up the line and it was a four-point gap. Jones broke that run with a kill off the hands for 10-13. The Buffs answered with a kill in serve-receive to get to match point at 10-14. Colorado had a swing at the first, but Jones stuffed it along with Sybeldon for keep UW's hope alive. In the next rally, UW dug one up above the net, and Colorado jumped on the chance, with Ortiz Ruiz hitting it down to thwart the Husky comeback and end it, 15-11.
