BOULDER Things around CU Events Center have been different this season, to say the least. This weekend the Colorado women s basketball team will add another to the list.
Colorado (7-9, 5-8 Pac-12) will take on USC (6 p.m.) on Friday and No. 8 UCLA (1 p.m.) on Sunday to conclude the home schedule as is. Normally, that would put the focus on the team s two seniors,
Mya Hollingshed and
Annika Jank. Instead, it s just going to be business as usual. We are going to find a way to celebrate our seniors when the season is over, head coach
JR Payne explained. We want to celebrate them in the best way possible. They deserve a great celebration. It s very difficult to do that when no one can be in the building. Families can t be here. They wouldn t be able to walk on the court even if they could be here. It just wasn t how we wanted to celebrate these guys.
Colorado dominates Cal, completes sweep at CU Events Center
February 7, 2021
Junior Jenna Ewert and Sophomore Sterling Parker celebrate after scoring against California at the CU Events Center. Feb. 7, 2021 (Kara Wagenknecht/CU Independent)
Following a 3-2 victory over California on Friday, the University of Colorado volleyball team looked to complete the sweep of the Golden Bears in Sunday’s matinee matchup at the CU Events Center. Despite California’s winless start to the 2021 campaign, CU head coach Jesse Mahoney said following Friday’s match that Cal’s young talent makes the team somewhat of a wildcard each time it steps on the court. After taking five sets to defeat the Golden Bears last match, Colorado needed just three to down California on Sunday.
Feb 7, 2021
BOULDER, Colo. – California was stopped by Colorado in a 17-25, 11-25, 14-25 loss Sunday afternoon at the CU Events Center.
The Bears (0-6, 0-6 Pac-12) were paced by seven kills from Sydney Lilomaiava. Katarina Pantovic recorded five kills with seven digs and Sam Taumoepeau tallied five kills and three digs. Gabby Bellizzi had a team-high 11 digs for Cal.
The Buffaloes (4-0, 4-0 Pac-12) got a match-high 15 kills from Elissa Alcantara.
HOW IT HAPPENED
CU used a 6-0 run to go up 8-3 in the first, forcing the first Cal timeout. The Buffs built the lead to eight points until kills from Pantovic and Makana Meyer made it three straight for the Bears to pull within 13-8. Cal closed to within five again at 20-15 on a kill from Taumoepeau, but Colorado scored five of the final seven points to take the opening set.
Feb 7, 2021
BOULDER Jenna Ewert led an impressive offensive output by the Colorado Buffaloes Volleyball team that led to a 3-0 sweep of the Cal Bears, 25-17, 25-11, 25-14, Sunday afternoon at the CU Events Center.
Colorado moves to 4-0 to open a season for the sixth time in history and open with a 4-0 record in conference play for the seventh time, but first since 1998 when the Buffs opened Big 12 Conference play 7-0. Cal drops to 0-6 on the season. Colorado is now just one of two undefeated teams remaining in the Pac-12 along with Utah.
The Buffs hit .337 as a team and held Cal to just .106 in the three-set match. The Buffs, who also hit .386 on Friday against the Bears, hit over .300 in consecutive matches for the first time since the start of the 2019 season in the Pac-12/Big Ten Showdown, hitting. 334 at Iowa and .462 the next day against Illinois.