BOULDER — The tough road through the Pac-12 volleyball schedule continues for the University of Colorado this weekend with a pair of top-25 matchups in Washington.
The Buffs head back to Seattle, Washington, this Friday to take on No.13-ranked Washington at 7 p.m. Colorado has already played two matches in Alaska Airlines Arena during the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge earlier this season. Following that matchup, the Buffs head across the state to Pullman to take on the 22nd-ranked Washington State Cougars Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday night's match will be on televised on the Pac-12 Network, while the Sunday match will be available on Pac-12 Plus.
Colorado finds itself back in the AVCA rankings this week as the 23rd-ranked team in the nation after defeating then-23rd Utah and taking No. 14 USC to five sets last weekend. With the ranked status the Buffs will be in the first weekend of top-25 matchups since last November when CU was ranked 25th.
CU is led by senior outside Alexa Smith who had a fantastic conference opening, leading the team in kills and digs in both matches. She continues to lead the team in kills with 179 and has also taken over as the team leader in digs with 135. Smith set a career-high in digs last Wednesday against Utah with 23.
Also showing up well for the Buffs is redshirt freshman Anyse Smith, who has the highest hitting percentage for any outside hitting player on the team with .300. Smith has 117 kills this season, third on the team behind Justine Spann with 146. Smith has slowly begun to add to her totals on the team and is quickly becoming a go-to option for important must-win rallies and points.
Defensively, the importance of the return of Naghede Abu to the lineup cannot be understated. Since returning to the lineup, Abu has led the team with a .398 hitting percentage and is third in that time with 46 kills. She also has 25 blocks in just five matches, eight more than the next Buff. The combination of offensive and defensive presence has her second in points on the team in the past five matches, trailing only Alexa Smith.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Washington enters the weekend ties with USC at 13th in the nation. The Huskies are 10-2 this season with key wins last weekend against Washington State and Oregon State, both in five sets. The only other ranked opponents the team has faced are Illinois and Pittsburgh, both loses. The Illinois loss was in four sets the day after Colorado lost to the Illini in three, while Pittsburgh is now the No.8-ranked team in the nation that swept the Huskies in Pittsburgh in early September.
The Huskies are led by junior outside Kara Bajema, who has 168 kills and is hitting .223 this season. The junior is coming off a 21-kill performance against Oregon State in which she hit .308. She is joined by sophomore outside Samantha Drechsel with 136 kills. The 6-4 outside had a strong weekend with 21 kills against Washington State and 18 against Oregon State. Setter Ella May Powell is the offensive general with 474 assists. She is also second on the team in digs with 108, posting three-straight double-doubles.
On the defensive side, libero Shayne McPherson is the primary backrow option. The junior has double-digit digs in every match except one this season. She benefits from a strong block-by-committee the Huskies have with five players with 22 or more blocks. Lauren Sanders and Avie Niece each lead the team with 43 total blocks.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: The 22nd-ranked team in the nation have a 9-3 record but fell twice last weekend against No.13 Washington and No.12 Oregon, both on the road in five-set matches. The game in Oregon was a close one, with all four sets finishing at 25-22 and Washington State taking a 2-1 lead on Oregon. The Cougars started the season with nine-straight wins, including a pair of back-to-back wins against then 17th-ranked Northern Iowa. The hot start hit a slide against East Tennessee State in five sets, giving the Cougars three-straight five set losses.
Senior Taylor Mims leads the team with 182 kills, nearly four per set. She is also second on the team with 115 digs and has 26 blocks. Senior McKenna Woodford is second on the team with 135 kills.
Defensively the Cougars are a large blocking team with 2.7 blocks per set. Jocelyn Urias leads the team with 59 blocks, followed closely by Ella Lajos with 57 and Claire Martin with 55. Anything that does slip past is cleaned up by libero Alexis Dirige, who is averaging more than four digs per set.
The Cougars are a veteran team with seven four-year players and a pair of juniors. Six players have played in all 47 sets this season, with four being seniors, one redshirt junior and a junior. Another junior has played in all but one set this season.
The Buffs head back to Seattle, Washington, this Friday to take on No.13-ranked Washington at 7 p.m. Colorado has already played two matches in Alaska Airlines Arena during the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge earlier this season. Following that matchup, the Buffs head across the state to Pullman to take on the 22nd-ranked Washington State Cougars Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday night's match will be on televised on the Pac-12 Network, while the Sunday match will be available on Pac-12 Plus.
Colorado finds itself back in the AVCA rankings this week as the 23rd-ranked team in the nation after defeating then-23rd Utah and taking No. 14 USC to five sets last weekend. With the ranked status the Buffs will be in the first weekend of top-25 matchups since last November when CU was ranked 25th.
CU is led by senior outside Alexa Smith who had a fantastic conference opening, leading the team in kills and digs in both matches. She continues to lead the team in kills with 179 and has also taken over as the team leader in digs with 135. Smith set a career-high in digs last Wednesday against Utah with 23.
Also showing up well for the Buffs is redshirt freshman Anyse Smith, who has the highest hitting percentage for any outside hitting player on the team with .300. Smith has 117 kills this season, third on the team behind Justine Spann with 146. Smith has slowly begun to add to her totals on the team and is quickly becoming a go-to option for important must-win rallies and points.
Defensively, the importance of the return of Naghede Abu to the lineup cannot be understated. Since returning to the lineup, Abu has led the team with a .398 hitting percentage and is third in that time with 46 kills. She also has 25 blocks in just five matches, eight more than the next Buff. The combination of offensive and defensive presence has her second in points on the team in the past five matches, trailing only Alexa Smith.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Washington enters the weekend ties with USC at 13th in the nation. The Huskies are 10-2 this season with key wins last weekend against Washington State and Oregon State, both in five sets. The only other ranked opponents the team has faced are Illinois and Pittsburgh, both loses. The Illinois loss was in four sets the day after Colorado lost to the Illini in three, while Pittsburgh is now the No.8-ranked team in the nation that swept the Huskies in Pittsburgh in early September.
The Huskies are led by junior outside Kara Bajema, who has 168 kills and is hitting .223 this season. The junior is coming off a 21-kill performance against Oregon State in which she hit .308. She is joined by sophomore outside Samantha Drechsel with 136 kills. The 6-4 outside had a strong weekend with 21 kills against Washington State and 18 against Oregon State. Setter Ella May Powell is the offensive general with 474 assists. She is also second on the team in digs with 108, posting three-straight double-doubles.
On the defensive side, libero Shayne McPherson is the primary backrow option. The junior has double-digit digs in every match except one this season. She benefits from a strong block-by-committee the Huskies have with five players with 22 or more blocks. Lauren Sanders and Avie Niece each lead the team with 43 total blocks.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: The 22nd-ranked team in the nation have a 9-3 record but fell twice last weekend against No.13 Washington and No.12 Oregon, both on the road in five-set matches. The game in Oregon was a close one, with all four sets finishing at 25-22 and Washington State taking a 2-1 lead on Oregon. The Cougars started the season with nine-straight wins, including a pair of back-to-back wins against then 17th-ranked Northern Iowa. The hot start hit a slide against East Tennessee State in five sets, giving the Cougars three-straight five set losses.
Senior Taylor Mims leads the team with 182 kills, nearly four per set. She is also second on the team with 115 digs and has 26 blocks. Senior McKenna Woodford is second on the team with 135 kills.
Defensively the Cougars are a large blocking team with 2.7 blocks per set. Jocelyn Urias leads the team with 59 blocks, followed closely by Ella Lajos with 57 and Claire Martin with 55. Anything that does slip past is cleaned up by libero Alexis Dirige, who is averaging more than four digs per set.
The Cougars are a veteran team with seven four-year players and a pair of juniors. Six players have played in all 47 sets this season, with four being seniors, one redshirt junior and a junior. Another junior has played in all but one set this season.
