Buffs Drop Heartbreaker To Top-Ranked USC

BOULDER ? The Buffaloes laid it all out on the line on Friday night, giving top-ranked Southern California everything they had, but unfortunately the University of Colorado fell just shy of the win in five sets (21-25, 29-27, 27-29, 25-15, 15-7). ?

The Buffs took the first set of the match from the Trojans, something that no other team has been able to do this season. They also played two sets to extra points, something else no team has done. USC entered Friday's contest with a 16-0 record and only went to extra sets in four of those matches. The Trojans improved to 17-0 (4-0 Pac-12), while the Buffs are now 10-7 (2-3 Pac-12).

“When you're playing a team like this, they'll never go quietly,” head coach Liz Kritza said. “Credit to both teams. It was a really good match. Some of the scores were lopsided, especially in the last two sets, but there was a lot of really high level volleyball being played. We just didn't close the door on them; we didn't finish them. That's a really valuable lesson. We tested this team probably more than anybody else has. We crossed paths with USC's coach (Mick Haley) afterwards and that's what he said to me. I'm very appreciative of that. It's a great compliment for our players but we're not satisfied with that. We're not satisfied until we come away with the win and playing a complete match all the way through.”

USC's Samantha Bricio entered the match averaging an NCAA-best 0.81 services aces per set and left the Coors Events Center without a single ace in the five-set match thanks to CU's stellar defense which was led by junior Cierra Simpson's 31 digs, a career-high.? She became the first Buff since 2011 to record 30 or more digs in a match.

“To go away from a match of five sets without a single ace from her (Bricio) is a pretty great feat,” Kritza said. “That's one of their strengths. We worked on it. Cierra did a very good job of controlling that service and trying to pass as many of those balls as possible, as our experienced libero. We did a really good job of containing that. Typically Bricio goes on runs of points and she didn't serve more than two or three times in a row tonight. That's different and something that other teams have not been able to do against USC. That is definitely one of the highlights and the pluses from that match.”

Senior Alexis Austin and sophomore Gabby Simpson led the match with 21 kills each. Simpson added 16 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and posted five block assists. Austin had 10 digs for her first double-double of the season.

The Buffs had 67 kills in the match and hit .173. Senior Nicole Edelman had 54 assists in the match and tallied six kills of her own, as well as eight digs and a pair of blocks. ?

CU had other great performances. Freshman Abbie D'Agosta recorded 10 digs, while freshman Naghede Abu had five kills and six blocks. Sophomore Anna Pfefferle posted four blocks and added six kills while hitting a team-best .429.

Bricio, who also ranks fourth in the NCAA in kills per set (5.06), led USC with 17 kills. Brittany Abercrombie, Alicia Ogoms and Alyse Ford each tallied 15 kills. As a team, the Trojans had 74 kills in the match and hit .250.

The first set was tied 8-8 when Gabby Simpson hammered a kill to give the Buffs a lead. The Trojans would come back to even the set two times (11-11 and 12-12), but CU would put some distance between it and USC, taking a four-point lead at 20-16 thereby forcing the Trojans to use a timeout. The Buffs went up 24-19, but after USC fought off two straight set points, CU needed to take a timeout (24-21). The break worked and the Buffs finished the set 25-21 with a kill from Austin.

The second set was another closely contested one. It was tied 17 times before USC took a 20-18 advantage, at which point the Buffs called a timeout. After two more consecutive points by the Trojans, CU took its final timeout of the game (22-18). Austin recorded a kill on the first point out of the break and followed it up with a huge block assist with Abu. After a kill from Edelman, the Trojans found themselves needing to take a timeout.

USC took the first point, a kill from Abercrombie, to get a two-point lead (23-21), but the Buffs answered with two points, including a kill from Austin, to tie it back up at 23-23. The Trojans used their final timeout and after a kill from Bricio, they had set point (24-23). Gabby Simpson wasn't going to let them win that easily and recorded two kills to give the Buffs set point (25-24). The two sides exchanged the next five points before USC had set point at 28-27. The Trojans won the set on the following point (29-27).

USC and Colorado found themselves in another good set in the third frame. The Buffs took a timeout after USC recorded a 4-0 run to take a 12-10 advantage. CU rallied back and recorded a 6-2 run to retake a 16-14 lead and this time it was the Trojans who wanted a break. The set would be knotted three times before USC took a 23-22 lead, making the Buffs call timeout.

CU tied the set with a kill from Austin (23-23) and again the two teams battled and went into extra points. The Buffs fought off three USC set points and were up 27-26 when USC need to take its final timeout of the set. USC took the following point, but Gabby Simpson answered with a kill (28-27). Joslyn Hayes finished the set for the Buffs with a kill (29-27).

The Trojans took a 9-5 lead to start the fourth set. After a CU timeout, the Trojans continued to attack, extending their advantage to 15-7 before the Buffs took another timeout. CU tried to get back into the set, and was within seven points (22-15) when USC took a timeout. That was the closest the Buffs would get as they fell 25-16.

USC took the first four points to start the fifth frame. The Buffs answered with a 3-1 run (three kills from Gabby Simpson) to bring the score to 5-2. USC had an 8-4 lead at the side-change and increased the lead to 12-6, forcing CU to take a timeout. Austin answered with a kill, but USC sided-out and went on to take the set, and the match, 15-7.

Colorado will host No. 12 UCLA on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 12 p.m. ?