DURHAM N.C.: The Lady Bucs opened the 2011 season with a loss (12-25, 20-25, 16-25) Friday against Wisconsin in the Duke Invitational Tournament at the fabled Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Badgers held CSU to a .066 performance on the attack, thanks largely to 35 UW digs and seven team blocks. Wisconsin hit .291, converting 40 kills. CSU registered 27 digs and six blocks as a team.

The Lady Bucs were led by Kayla Klinger and Sydney Tracy who both recorded six kills. Wynter Davis added three kills to go along with three block assists. Ashley Johnston led the way with eight digs and her .273 attack percentage was also tops on the team. Ashley Higginbothem chipped in five digs.

The first set saw Wisconsin go up 6-0 before a kill by Amy Nokes halted the Badger run. Both teams would trade blows before UW went on a 6-0 run to close out the Bucs 25-12. For the set, Wisconsin hit .522 in comparison to CSU's -0.38.

The second set was a game of runs as UW hopped out to an early 11-3 lead. A kill by Ashley Johnston seemed to turn the match around as it spurred a comeback by the Bucs to bring it within three (13-10). The Badgers went on the score the next five to bring the score to 18-10. CSU battled back to bring the score to 20-18, this would be the closest they came however, falling 25-20. CSU turned up the defensive intensity in the second set which is evident by the Badgers only hitting .125 percent. The buccaneers offense was more efficient improving to a .077 hitting percentage in the second set.

The third set was a heated contest throughout. CSU jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage before a UW run gave the Badgers a 10-3 lead. Some solid play by Sydney Tracy got the Bucs within four (10-6), both teams traded jabs for a few points and UW was up 15-9. A kill by Kayla Klinger sparked the Lady Buccaneers and three UW errors brought CSU with two (15-13). UW proved too much down the stretch and finished off the Lady Bucs with a 10-3 run. CSU's hitting percentage improved for the second set in a row, as a team they hit .167 in the final set.

CSU ended the match with 21 kills, 21 assists, 27 digs, and six total blocks.

The Lady Buccaneers will face host Duke 10 a.m. before finishing the tournament against Furman 5 p.m.