Drechsel Shines And Blocking Stuffs Buffs

Sunday, October 27

Boulder, CO

12:00 PM

University of Washington

16-4, 7-3Pac-12

Colorado

8-12, 0-10Pac-12

Washington

Colorado

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

October 27, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score PDF

By: UW Athletic Communications

BOULDER, Colo. – Junior Samantha Drechsel drummed out 18 kills on a .469 attack percentage and the Husky block turned back 17 Colorado swings as the Huskies picked up just their second win at the CU Events Center since 2013. Washington bounced back from a tough match at Utah on Friday with a 25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 25-13 win over the Buffaloes to close out the first half of Pac-12 play with a 7-3 record.

Depending on the results of the USC-Stanford match, the Huskies will make the turn either tied for first or tied for second, one game out of first, in a very tightly bunched Pac-12 title race. The Dawgs will play six of their final 10 conference matches at home, starting next week hosting USC and UCLA.

Today the Huskies hit .288 and held Colorado to a .155 mark as middle blockers Lauren Sanders and Avie Niece both had excellent efforts. Sanders had a season-high 10 blocks, just one off her career-high, and Niece had seven stuffs and both were excellent offensively as well. Sanders had seven kills and hit .333 while Niece hit over .500 for the second-straight match, getting eight kills on 12 swings and one error for a .583 percentage.

The best rally of the match ends in a Sanders-Drechsel stuff!! That helps the Dawgs take the 2-0 lead!!#PointHuskies // #NCAAVB // #NCAAVolleyball pic.twitter.com/fkyh9L5syu
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) October 27, 2019

Drechsel hammered away at the CU defense, getting her 18 kills on just 32 swings with three errors. She also served up two aces and also had career-highs in both digs, with 12, and blocks, with six. It's her first career double-double.

Sophomore Ella May Powell had 43 assists and notched three aces as the Huskies held an 8-1 lead in service aces. Senior Kara Bajema adde 14 kills, an ace, and three blocks.

UP NEXT: The Huskies have a big home week ahead hosting USC on Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m. and then taking on UCLA on Sunday at 2 p.m. in two matches on the Pac-12 Networks.

Sam dressing up as an Absolute Stud for Halloween ??????#PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/sedTAIufOI
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) October 27, 2019

SET 1: A couple CU errors and the first Husky kill for Drechsel made it 3-1 in the first set. Drechsel added second and third kills for 6-4. Lauren Sanders had the first Husky block for an 8-7 lead and then the first UW ace came from Bajema for 9-7. Bajema had a kill on the pipe set from Powell for 11-9. Redshirt freshman Dani Cole pounded her first kill and then Powell dropped in another ace. Drechsel ended a long rally with a kill from the right and then Cole got one off the block from the left for 15-10 to force a Buffs timeout. Out of the break, Drechsel and Niece teamed for a big stuff to keep the run going. Shannon Crenshaw got the third ace of the set to make it 18-11 and Colorado used its last timeout. McPherson bumped to Bajema who buried one for 19-12. Bajema went up the line from the left and Drechsel and Sanders added kills as the Huskies reached set point, and then Cole terminated from the left to end it, 25-15.

The Huskies hit .324 to take the set with Colorado at .114. Powell had 14 assists as Drechsel put down six kills and Bajema had five.

SET 2: Colorado earned an early lead in the second set but Powell dumped for a kill and a Buffs error got the Huskies back within two at 5-7. Sanders and Drechsel roofed one to get the Huskies within a point at 11-12. Sanders and Bajema the blocked down a tip attempt to get back even at 14-14. Drechsel then followed up with an ace for 15-14 and Colorado called for time. Out of the break, Drechsel had a dig and Powell found Sanders on a slide for a kill, and then Sanders and Powell teamed for a block. Another Drechsel ace capped the 7-0 run and made it 18-14 Dawgs. A Bajema swing was dug over the net and Cole pounced on it for 20-17. Niece had a kill on the quick in serve-receive for 22-19. One of the best rallies of the match with several big Buff digs was finally ended by a Sanders-Drechsel block on the right for 24-20 Dawgs and a Colorado error on the next point ended the set.

Washington had 13 kills and just two errors in the set to hit .297 with the middles going well as Sanders and Niece both had three kills and no errors, with four blocks from Sanders.

SET 3: Drechsel got the first Husky kill and then Crenshaw fired an ace for 2-1 in the third. Drechsel and Sanders stuffed a CU swing for a 4-2 edge. Colorado got even but Sanders finished a quick set for 5-4. Powell tipped deep on two for a kill for 8-8. Niece tipped over and down for 10-9. Colorado had a three point run to retake the lead, with Drechsel stopping it for 12-13. But Colorado then scored four of the next five points to move the lead to 13-17 and force the Huskies to take timeout. Out of the break, Colorado hit into the net and then Niece ended a rally the Huskies thought they'd won twice before finally getting it on the third try for 15-17. Niece and Cole had a crucial block for 16-18 and then Powell floated an ace to pull UW within one. Colorado got back out to a three-point lead but a Drechsel serve was overpassed and CU netted trying to block it for 21-22 Buffs and CU took time. Washington had chances in a marathon rally out of the break but couldn't finish and Colorado did, then Bajema got blocked for set point at 21-24. The Buffs missed a serve but then finished on the next point for the 22-25 win.

Colorado got its offense going in the third, hitting .394 against a .242 mark for UW. Drechsel had five kills and hit .444 in the ste.

SET 4: Powell got an ace with help from the net and then Niece tipped for a kill after a Bajema dig to start set four on the right foot. Crenshaw and Niece teamed for a kill for 3-0. Another mini Husky run on a Bajema tip from the left and a Drechsel transition blast from the right pin made it 8-3 Dawgs and Colorado took timeout. Out of the break, Bajema and Sanders blocked the first CU swing for 9-3. A couple setter dumps caught UW by surprise and a Husky error cut the lead in half down to 10-7. Two straight Husky rejections helped rebuild the lead to 15-9 and then Colorado missed long for 16-9 and needed timeout. Out of the break, Drechsel got a dig after the soft block and she then blasted straight to the floor from the right for another big point. Another Drechsel kill made it 18-9 Dawgs before Powell finally missed serve to end the 6-0 Husky run.
Niece and Crenshaw got the sideout back with a block and then Drechsel padded her total with two more kills from the right pin for 22-12. Bajema got her hands on a UW triple block for 23-12 and a Colorado service error got it to match point. One more Husky stuff, with Sanders reaching across, ended it for the Huskies by a 25-13 count.

Drechsel led the way in the fourth with five kills and no errors on seven swings to hit .714 as the Huskies hit .280 and held Colorado in the negatives at -.094 thanks to nine blocks in the fourth set alone, five from Niece and four from Sanders.