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Dawgs Show Toughness In Road Win At Boulder

by gohuskies.com
Nov 24, 2021

BOULDER, Colo. – The Huskies set themselves up for a chance at a Pac-12 title in the regular season finale on Saturday, overcoming a tough test from Colorado today at the CU Events Center. 12th-ranked Washington (23-4, 16-3 Pac-12) overcame a 19-23 third set deficit to win 26-24 to go in front two sets to one, and the Huskies then closed out the victory in set four.
 
The final scores of Washington's seventh-straight win were 25-17, 21-25, 26-24, 25-19. The Dawgs cruised to the opening set and led 15-13 in the second before Colorado (15-13, 6-13 Pac-12) stole the momentum on its Senior Day, winning set two and holding the late lead in set three. But the Huskies responded to the challenge and will control their Pac-12 title fate on Saturday against 21st-ranked Washington State. A win will clinch a share of the title, as UCLA also won on Wednesday to also improve to 16-3.
 
"There's always moments that you can point to in a season that really define your team, so maybe that third set had that feel," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "We had some really gritty performances down the stretch by some players demonstrating leadership in critical moments. Ella May and Claire were notable for their impressive resilience."

 
Washington hit .301 for the match as Ella May Powell distributed 47 assists. Colorado hit well at .279, but the Huskies had an edge in kills (63-55), aces (8-4), and digs (49-42).
 
Claire Hoffman impressively battled back from a slow start to lead the Huskies with 17 kills. She had five kills but six errors after two sets, but in sets three and four, Hoffman had 12 kills and just two errors to hit .416. Senior Samantha Drechsel put down 16 kills with 11 digs and freshman Emoni Bush had a stellar day with 13 kills on a .423 attack percentage, tying her season-high. Bush had three kills in four points when UW rallied from the 19-23 third set deficit.
 
The Husky middles were heavily involved today, as Marin Grote had eight kills and hit .400 and Lauren Sanders had seven kills, hitting .308. Lauren Bays had a team-high 13 digs, and was also instrumental in the third set run, as she had an ace and several key digs.
 
"The first set knocked us off script and made us think it was going to be easy, but the Colorado team we saw in sets two through four was the team we prepared for. They were executing at a high level and we made some unforced errors. So I'm really proud of the team to get back on track."
 
UP NEXT: Washington will host the rival Cougars in the Boeing Apple Cup Series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Huskies will honor seniors Lauren Sanders, Samantha Drechsel, and Emma Calle prior to the match. It's the final match of the regular season, with the NCAA Selection Show coming on Sunday.

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