Arkansas Falls 3-1 to Colorado on Friday
The Hogs came out strong in their first match of the Buffs Invitational on Friday, but host Colorado won sets two, three and four and handed Arkansas a loss (25-22, 16-25, 15-25, 22-25).
Outside hitter Lakin Laurendine led the offensive effort with a team-high 13 kills, also a new career high. She had just three errors on 29 attempts for a .345 hitting clip.
Setter Kiki Remensperger showed up in all areas for Arkansas with four kills, 35 assists and a team-high 13 digs, her fourth double-double of the season. Remensperger also contributed two of the Hogs’ three aces on the night.
Graduate middle blocker Zoi Evans provided good effort on both sides of the ball for Arkansas with four kills and four blocks, including one solo.
With the loss, the Razorbacks fall to 1-5 on the season and will look to right the ship with two more matches of the Buffs Invitational: on Saturday against Denver at 4 p.m. and against Toledo on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Set 1
The first set was mostly back-and-forth to start with eight ties until Colorado gained a narrow 10-8 lead. The two teams kept trading blows, but the Razorbacks strung together a four-point run thanks to attack errors by Colorado and went up 15-13. The Buffs regained the lead at 17-16, but the Razorbacks answered with a 5-2 run capped with a kill from Laurendine for a 21-19 advantage. Colorado came within one shortly after, but a solo stuff from Evans pushed it to set point. A kill from Parker Duncan finished it off 25-22 in the Razorbacks’ favor.
Set 2
The Buffs came out swinging in set two, never letting the Hogs get more than two at a time and quickly reaching a 13-5 lead. Arkansas was able to add three after that, but Colorado kept pushing and made it 17-9. The Hogs continued to chase but couldn’t generate a run long enough to substantially chip into the Buffaloes’ lead. They thwarted set point twice for Colorado, but the home team came out on top at 25-16 and knotted the match 1-1.
Set 3
The third frame was a bit tighter in the beginning, but the Buffs began to pull away with a 6-1 run that saw them gain a 15-9 lead at the media timeout. Colorado got three of the next four points after that, prompting an Arkansas huddle. The Buffs kept their foot on the gas, and the Hogs had no answer. Colorado finished the set on a 4-1 run with back-to-back service aces, taking the third set 25-15 for a 2-1 match advantage.
Set 4
The Buffs had all the momentum in the start of the fourth set and were the first to hit double digits. Arkansas then responded with a four-point run that featured an ace from Gaby Cornier, which tied the score at 10-all. Colorado quickly went up by four again, but five points of their own shifted the lead to the Hogs at 16-15. The Buffs responded with three more points to make it 18-17 in their favor, and Arkansas called time. Colorado maintained the lead from there, but an ace from Remensperger brought the Razorbacks within one at 21-20. The Hogs called one more timeout shortly after to slow the Buffs down, but they shut the door on the set 25-22 for the 3-1 match victory.
More Information
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