Buffs Battle No. 3 Penn State At Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Colorado put up a great battle, but ultimately suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of third-ranked Penn State on Friday afternoon, 3-0, in the first match of the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.

The Buffs never backed down to the perennial powerhouse throughout the entire match and out-blocked the Nittany Lions 9.0-5.0 with three players posting two or more blocks in the contest. Junior middle blocker Naghede Abu led CU with four blocks, including one solo, while senior Anna Pfefferle was second with three total blocks (one solo and two assists). Junior Frankie Shebby also posted one block solo and one block assist.

Penn State improved to 6-0 on the season with the win, while the Buffs moved to 6-1 after recording the loss. Set scores were 25-22, 25-18, 25-21.

WHAT HAPPENED: Shebby, along with junior Alexa Smith led CU's offense with double-digit kills. Smith tallied 11 in the effort, while Shebby had 10 kills and added 12 digs for her third double-double this season. Abu and senior Joslyn Hayes were tied for third on the team with five kills each.

SET 1: The Buffs had a 5-3 advantage to start the match before the Lions recorded four straight points to go up 7-5. The Buffs answered back with a point and gained a bit of momentum, tying things up 9-9 a short time later, but PSU responded with three straight points to regain the lead. The Lions went up 21-16 late in the set, forcing the Buffs to take a timeout, and despite scoring after the break, CU was unable to get back in the set, falling 25-22.

SET 2: Penn State came out fast in the second set, and despite a valiant comeback attempt, the Buffs were not able to catch up. The Lions went up 5-0 right off the bat and after going ahead 9-2, forced the Buffs to take a timeout. CU fought hard and brought the set within a pair of points at 15-13, but PSU responded with three consecutive points (18-13). The Buffs were able to get the frame within three points again late in the set (20-17), but were unable to finish the comeback, falling 25-18.

SET 3: After regrouping during intermission, the Buffs scored the first point, before PSU went on a 6-1 run to cause the Buffs to use a quick break. After the timeout, CU scored and possession went back and forth between the teams until the Buffs went on a three-point run, slashing the Lions' lead to 8-7. The Buffs kept things close, eventually evening up the set 12-12 and then again 13-13. Despite this surge, PSU pulled away late in the set, going 3-1 with the Buffs in the final points to secure the set, 25-21.

TEAM STATISTICS: Penn State had the edge in the box score, hitting .307 with 53 kills and 18 errors on 114 attacks. The Buffs hit .265 with 36 kills and just 10 errors on 98 swings. PSU recorded 48 digs to the Buffs' 38 and also had the advantage in aces (4-1).

NEXT UP: The Buffs will be back in action at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge on Saturday against Illinois. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. MT. Link to live stats, live stream and radio broadcast are available at CUBuffs.com.

QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
"I thought we played well offensively, well enough to win a lot of matches. But we didn't put enough service pressure on Penn State to get them out of system. They are hard to defend when they can set all options."

Buffs Battle No. 3 Penn State At Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge

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Team Stats

Alexa Smith

Frankie Shebby

Naghede Abu

Joslyn Hayes

Players Mentioned

Naghede Abu

Joslyn Hayes

Anna Pfefferle

Frankie Shebby

Alexa Smith

Players Mentioned

Naghede Abu

Joslyn Hayes

Anna Pfefferle

Frankie Shebby

Alexa Smith