No. 22 Aggies Top Buffs

COLLEGE STATION, Texas?The University of Colorado volleyball team fought hard but fell in four sets to No. 22 Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon, 25-17, 25-11, 23-25, 25-17 at Reed Arena.

The Buffs are now 6-12 overall and 1-8 in the Big 12 while the Aggies improve to 13-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12. CU played well in the match despite only being able to muster 11 points in the second set. This was the first time this season that CU has taken a set from a ranked opponent.

Rosie Steinhaus led the Buffs with 13 kills and recorded her second double-double with 10 digs. Kerra Schroeder and Becah Fogle each recorded 10 kills in the effort. Schylur Edelman had a team-high attack percentage of .286 with six kills and two errors on 14 attempts. The Buffs hit .148 in the match with 14 kills and 22 errors on 142 swings.

Katie Evanyo had a team-best 13 digs and Kaitlyn Burkett added 10 in three sets. Nikki Kinzer was the top blocker for the Buffs with three block assists in the effort.

Sarah Ammerman led the Aggies with 21 kills and hit .486, along with adding a match-high 15 digs. Jennifer Banse added 15 kills and 14 digs for A&M.

The Buffs were patient to start the match as seven of the Buffs points eight points came off of Aggie errors. The set was close throughout until A&M took a three-point lead at 18-15. After a quick Buffalo timeout, Schroeder got CU back within two points.  The Aggies took the next two points to go up 20-16 and seized control of the frame. A&M finished the set 25-17. The Buffs recorded just eight kills in the set with three errors on 36 swings to hit .139. The Aggies hit .293 with 20 kills and eight kills on 41 attacks.

A&M jumped out to a 7-3 lead to start the second set. CU took the following two points, but then the Aggies went on a 7-0 run to take 14-5 lead. The Buffs tried to get back in the set, but the deficit was too big. CU was able to take six more points from A&M before falling in the set 25-11. The Buffs hit just -.037 with only five kills and six errors on 27 attempts. The Aggies hit .333 with  14 kills and five errors on 27 swings.

Colorado came out ready to play in the third set and had a two-point lead at 13-11. The Aggies answered back, taking the next three points and the lead. The two teams kept it close. The Buffs had the lead at 21-20 but after an A&M timeout, the Aggies fired back to take the lead at 22-21. Schroeder tied it back up at 22 with a kill­, but A&M answered back. The Buffs got to set point first (24-23) after a kill from Fogle and an Aggie attack error. CU finished the set at 25-23 with a block from Kaitlyn Burkett and Nikki Kinzer. The Buffs hit much better, recording a .316 attack percentage with 16 kills and just four errors on 38 attacks. They held the Aggies to .270 with 16 kills and six errors on 37 swings.

The Buffs used their momentum from the win in the third set to get out to a 5-1 lead to start the fourth. The Aggies got back in the frame and retook the lead at 9-8. The two teams were tied at 13 when A&M went on a 6-1 run to take a 19-14 advantage. Colorado fought to stay in the set, but eventually fell 25-17. CU hit .122 with 14 kills and A&M hit a match-high .400 with 14 kills.

The Buffs will host Kansas State on Wednesday, October 21, at 7 p.m. at the Coors Events Center to finish the first half of its Big 12 Conference schedule. The Wildcats are 7-11 overall and are 1-7 in the Big 12.

And don’t forget to check out the latest news and highlights with head coach Liz Kritza on the Buffalo Stampede: Volleyball Edition, exclusively on BuffsTV at www.cubuffs.com/volleyball. New shows air every Tuesday.   

COLORADO BUFFALOES