BOULDER, Colo. — Central Arkansas (0-2) fell to Colorado (2-0) 3-0 at CU Events Center on Saturday night with scores of 25-13, 27-25, and 25-18. The Sugar Bears recorded 28 kills and 8 total blocks in the match.
The first set began with Central Arkansas facing an early deficit as Colorado took a 4-0 lead. Central Arkansas got on the board by way of a service error from Colorado, followed by a block from
McKinzee Haas and
Tatelyn Brandsma, narrowing the gap to 4-2. Despite scoring through kills by
Nicole Sargent and
Ella Chaney, the Sugar Bears struggled to maintain momentum as Colorado extended its lead.
Central Arkansas made several attempts to close the score, with
Sophie Skinner assisting on two late kills by Sargent. However, Colorado's strong attacking, including a decisive kill by Inés Losada, sealed the set with a score of 25-13 in favor of the Buffaloes.
Central Arkansas had a promising start during the second set with Haas delivering a strong kill from Skinner to tie the score at 2-2. The Sugar Bears built up momentum with a series of blocks and kills, notably
Greyson Button's kill and a block by Sargent and Haas, which helped the Sugar Bears pull ahead to 22-20. Central Arkansas pushed it to set point following a kill by
Sarah Carnathan and a block by Haas and Sargent. Colorado came back to tie the set at 24 with an ace from Avery Bolles, before the Sugar Bears lined up for set point again leading 25-24. Coming out of a timeout, Colorado mounted a comeback, scoring three straight points to take the set 27-25 and go up 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, the Sugar Bears displayed resilience in their efforts to close the gap against Colorado. Chaney drove multiple kills with Skinner assisting, while Button and Carnathan also contributed to Central Arkansas's scoring, tying the score margin at various points. Despite these efforts, Central Arkansas faced challenges with attack errors, allowing Colorado to build a strong lead. The Sugar Bears rallied with three late points, but a decisive Colorado kill secured a 25-18 victory, ending the match.
Nicole Sargent
- 6 kills with a .385 hitting percentage
- 5 block assists
- 8.5 total points
McKinzee Haas
- 4 kills with a .375 hitting percentage
- 5 block assists
- 6.5 total points
Ella Chaney
- 7 kills
- 6 digs
- 7.5 total points
Cameron McDaniel
- 1 kill with a 1.000 hitting percentage
- 11 digs
Next, the Sugar Bears will take on CSUN tomorrow at noon in their Buffs Classic finale. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available online.
