BOULDER, Colo. – After dropping a decisive opening set, California posted back-to-back set wins to move ahead 2-1 at Colorado on Friday night.
Unfortunately, the Golden Bears (8-8, 0-5 Pac-12) would not regain momentum after a .027 hitting average displayed in set 4 against the Buffaloes (10-6, 2-3 Pac-12) to fall 3-2 (17-25, 28-16, 25-18, 16-25, 8-15) in their first Pac-12 road contest.
Cal overcame a gut-wrenching second set, after giving up a sizable lead when it allowed Colorado to force extra points late in set 2. The Bears dropped a nine point cushion, but were able to win out the set-point battle 28-26 on an attacking error. Despite getting outhit 17-15 in the set, Cal proved more efficient tallying a .344 hitting percentage in set 2, compared to the Buffs .186 clip.
However, the fifth set proved the Bears undoing as the team was outhit 10-4 and recorded -.050 attacking percentage.
The Bears were led by
Mima Mirkovic who recorded her eighth double-double of the year with a team-high 11 kills and added 10 digs.
Preslie Anderson, currently the most efficient hitter in the Pac-12 and the eighth best in the country, added 11 kills with just one error on the night. She recorded a game-high .435 percentage.
"Our middles continue to step up for us an win rallies," said Cal head coach
Jennifer Dorr. "Good passing allows for them to be an option and I am very proud of our passing tonight for most the match.
"The frustration with the final result continues," Dorr said. "But, we keep growing and learning from playing more and more sets in this conference. It is not expected to be easy, but what we're gaining from each match is going to be invaluable long term."
The third set was the Bears most demonstrative defensively as they limited the Buffs to a .025 hitting clip. There was only one lead change, when the Bears took over 7-6 and never looked back. Ironically, Cal was limited in set 4 to just a .027 clip, while Colorado posted a .222 hitting average to force the fifth set.
Sophomore setter
Isabel Potter led with a career-best 18 digs and also recorded 19 assists, while redshirt freshman
Lauren Forte recorded a match-best 9.0 blocks to match her career best.
The Bears dropped the first set after recording just a .156 attacking percentage in set 1 with 11 kills, while the Buffs collected 15 kills on a .314 effort.
The Bears finish their road trip with a visit to Salt Lake City on Sunday as they take on the 24th-ranked Utes of Utah. Action starts at 1 p.m. (PT) and will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Networks.
For more information on Cal volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalVolleyball.
