BOULDER– The Colorado Buffaloes (12-16, 5-11 Big 12) hosted the No. 9 Arizona State Sun Devils (28-2, 16-1 Big 12) for a four-set defeat on Saturday afternoon. The black and gold were no match for the Sun Devils as the Buffs lost 3-1, however Colorado did steal the third set and showed resilience throughout the game.
The Sun Devils came into this game winning its last 11 sets and Colorado coming off a 3-0 loss to Arizona that snapped a short two game winning streak for the Buffs.
The first set was all ASU. Colorado went down 9-4 early in the game and were forced into a timeout. Out of the break, the Buffs went two-for-three in their next three points. Despite the momentum, it wasn't enough to best Arizona State in the first set as the Sun Devils found the lead again at 20-15. ASU then scored five of the next six points to close the set 25-16.
The second set was another collapse from the Buffs. Colorado kept the set tight early on but couldn’t hang on for the long-term. Arizona State took a tight early lead at 7-6 and both teams traded points until ASU knocked four straight past Colorado. The Buffs couldn't overcome the lead and dropped the second set 25-18. The set win for Arizona State added to its dominant set win streak, extending it to 13 straight sets won.
The third set had all the fun for Buffs fans as CU came out firing. The game also saw surprise playing time from two freshmen, expected as Colorado gets to the end of a season without playoff hopes. Coach Jesse Mahoney opted to play the young ones.
Freshmen Katie Salonga and freshman Maria Spławska both got in during the set and helped the Buffs take an early 8-5 lead. The stampede stomped on as the Buffs went on a 3-0 scoring run to extend Colorado’s lead to 12-7. The Sun Devils responded with a 3-0 run of their own but sophomore hitter Ana Burilović put the black and gold on her back, knocking over two thunderous kills and extending Colorado’s lead once again. Arizona State couldn't overcome this lead for the rest of the set and the Buffaloes closed out set three 25-19.
This set win broke the Sun Devils’ long set winning streak, however that was the best the Buffs were going to be in this game.
ASU came into the final set wanting to end it and go home. Colorado’s killer? A 10-0 scoring run by ASU to put the dagger in the Buffs. The Sun Devils’ double-digit run was enough to effectively knock CU out of the set early on, and the lead was one the Buffs couldn’t combat. After ASU’s early 11-1 lead, the Buffs showed some fight and were still able to score 16 points late against a top-10 team, but it ultimately was not enough as Arizona State triumphed with a 25-16 final set victory to seal the deal in four sets.
On a positive note, Saturday’s game saw senior Taylor Simpson reach 3,000 career assists while she finished with 35 on the night. Burilović also scored 17 kills, marking her 23rd match with double digits in that stat.
The Buffs now fall to 12-16, (5-11 Big 12) and will host their final home game of the season against the Kansas State Wildcats (10-14, 8-7 Big 12) next Wednesday at 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+).
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