Arizona volleyball had it in their grasp! They were up 2-1 on No. 21 Colorado Sunday afternoon in Boulder, looking to kick off Big 12 play with a huge road win. Instead, the Buffaloes clawed their way back, stealing a 3-2 victory with sets going 25-20, 20-25, 20-25, 25-22, and 15-6. Talk about a gut punch to start the conference schedule!
That Fourth Set Breakdown Is Brutal
You wanna know what makes this loss sting the most? The Wildcats started strong in four of the five sets, even getting to 4-0 leads in three of them and 5-0 leads in two! They had a comfortable 7-2 lead in that pivotal fourth set when Ana Burilovic stepped up to serve for Colorado. Her first two serves were those weird ones that just dribble over the net for an ace. The third? A solid ace. Just like that, it was 7-5 and you could feel the air go right out of Arizona’s sails. It wasn’t over either; setter Jenna Ylivainio hammered home two more aces soon after, giving CU a ridiculous five aces in that fourth set alone. That’s more than half of their nine for the whole match!
Head coach Rita Stubbs laid it out plainly, “We had our chances.” She wasn’t holding back either on those soft aces, “Granted, the two that trickled over the net, no one banks on that, but we weren’t ready to make a play on it either, which is the frustrating part.” And then the cross-court ace. “It’s just like we got to be better in that situation,” Stubbs said. The team also failed to adapt to Colorado’s adjustments, particularly playing Sydney Jordan in the back row. “We got lax when 11 was back there, knowing that she’s their go-to player,” Stubbs noted. You just can’t let a team dictate the game like that when you have a lead.
The Stakes Were High, And They Knew It
This wasn’t just any game. Colorado isn’t just a ranked team at No. 21; they were hovering in the mid-40s of the unofficial RPI. Stubbs made it clear: “Colorado is the kind of team Arizona needs wins against if it hopes to make the tournament again.” A victory could have launched them into the top 100 when the official RPI drops next week. Just playing them bumped Arizona up 20 spots, which is something, but a win would have been massive for their tournament hopes. That’s the focus behind it all.
Despite the bitter taste of defeat, there were some individual bright spots. The team’s pins showed up big time, with three of four recording double-digit kills and three hitting .250 or better. Both outside hitters snagged double-doubles. Carlie Cisneros was an absolute beast, leading the squad with 18 kills, four aces, and a block for a team-high 22.5 points. She even added 10 digs and three assists! Destiny Ndam-Simpson, who’s had some ups and downs lately, stepped up with 16 kills on .308 hitting and 14 digs for her own double-double. Stubbs even tweaked the setter/right side combo, starting Renee Jones at OPP and Harmony Sample at setter over the usual Kennedy Osunsanmi and Maria Olga Siapani. Everyone handled that change well, and Osunsanmi’s numbers weren’t hurt coming off the bench.
This one stings, no doubt about it. The Wildcats know they let a huge opportunity slip through their fingers, especially against a ranked opponent. They’ll need to learn from not adapting and that fourth set breakdown if they want to get those tournament-making wins when the official RPI drops next week. Gotta bounce back and show they can close!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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