The 14th-ranked Kansas volleyball team suffered an upset loss to unranked Colorado in a sweep (25-18, 25-14, 25-21) on Thursday night at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado.
The Jayhawks had no answer for CU pin hitter Ines Losada, who finished the match with 17 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, as well as two service aces. Five of those kills came in the third set, and Losada was at the service line for part of a final stretch in which the Buffaloes scored five straight points after KU led 21-20.
In fact, the Jayhawks had been ahead 17-14 on a kill by middle blocker Reese Ptacek and were threatening to prolong the match before the Buffaloes went on an 11-3 run in total, preventing KU from dreaming of a reverse sweep like the one it had recently attained at Baylor.
It was not an exceptional offensive day for KU, as Taylor Stanley led the Jayhawks with just eight kills. Junior outside hitter Grace Nelson, who had recorded double-digit kills in nine consecutive matches — including some of the best performances of her career — finished with five and a .000 hitting percentage. As a team, KU committed 20 attack errors and hit .102.
With four matches remaining, the loss dealt a blow to the Jayhawks’ chances of hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, a privilege afforded to the top 16 teams nationally. They dropped to 18-6 on the year and 11-3 in the Big 12.
They may still be able to host, but the result certainly increases the importance of Sunday’s match against No. 17 TCU at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, with first serve set for 1 p.m. The Jayhawks previously swept the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 23, but TCU has won three matches in a row since and will have a chance at a fourth on Friday night at Kansas State.
