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Matches thread- Volleyball hosts Portland St. (Fri., 7:00), Indiana St. & CSU (Sat., 10:00 & 8:00)
- Thread starter AztecBuff
- Start date
Hell yeah!
Buffs Conquer Rams as Smith Eclipses 1,000 Kills
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/9/16/volleyball-buffs-conquer-rams-as-smith-eclipses-1-000-kills.aspx
BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado volleyball team closed out the 2018 Colorado Classic Saturday evening with a four-set (28-26, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22) victory over in-state rivals Colorado State University in a packed CU Event Center. In the win senior Alexa Smith became the 16th member of the 1,000-kill club for CU, becoming just the second Colorado native to accomplish the feat.
Team play once again was the key to success for the Buffs, as four women hit double-digit kills. Even more extraordinary was that three CU players marked double-doubles, led by Tournament Most Valuable Player Naghede Abu with 10 kills and 10 blocks while hitting .500. She was joined by Justine Spann with 10 kills and a team-high 12 digs, and freshman Jenna Ewert with 20 assists and 11 digs. Alexa Smith led the team with a dozen kills, while Anyse Smith added in 10 kills.
The other key to the match was the Colorado front row. Six different Buffs combined for a season-high 16 total blocks, led by Abu who notched a pair of solo blocks and eight block assists. She was joined by Danielle Price and Spann with five block assists, while Anyse Smith added four total blocks. Any balls that made it through were cleaned up by Spann and Ewert, while Alexa Smith and Rachel Whipple added in nine digs apiece.
Also for the Buffs, Brynna DeLuzio had a team-high 21 assists, while Whipple had a pair of aces.
In front of a crowd of more than 2,000 the Buffs shined in a tight match. There were 30 ties and 13 lead changes in the match, as two sets went to extra points. Each team found themselves with large leads in the third and fourth sets, but the first two were as back-and-forth as possible, with each team taking and losing leads throughout the early sets. The opening two sets before the break featured 29 of the 30 ties as well as 12 of the 13 lead changes. The Buffs' late set charges led the team to success, as they were down in both sets before coming back to take the 2-0 lead.
Naghede Abu was named the Colorado Classic MVP after leading the Buffs to a perfect weekend. She had 26 kills, hitting greater than .400 in all three matches. She also had 14 total blocks in her first weekend back for the team after missing the majority of non-conference play. Alexa Smith and Anyse Smith were named to the All-Tournament team after combining for 63 kills and 10 blocks. Alexa led the team with 38 total kills, including 19 in a three-set match against Indiana State. She also had 29 digs and five blocks, recording one double-double in the win over Indiana State. Anyse had 25 kills and five blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1: The Buffs kicked things off against the Rams with the largest home crowd this season. Anyse Smith gave Colorado its first lead at 2-1, as Alexa Smith hit career kill number 999 to take a 3-2 lead. Anyse and Naghede Abu combined for a huge block to take a 5-3 advantage, but a pair of net violations by CU let CSU tie the game up at five apiece. Alexa Smith hit the magic number 1,000 to tie the match at 7-7, becoming the 16th Buffalo to do so and just the second Colorado native in CU history. The Rams charged to a 13-9 lead, forcing CU to call timeout. Out of the timeout the Buffs rallied off four-straight points to tie up the match at 13 all. Despite the tie, the Buffs were dominating with a .412 hitting percentage compared to 250, as well as on the block count with a 3-0 advantage in that category. A net violation and kill against the Buffs led to a Rams two-point lead, following with an attack error and a CU timeout at 19-16. The Rams pushed the gap to 22-18, as outside hitter Breana Runnels led the match with five kills. A CSU attack error was challenged at 23-21, giving both teams time to talk out the final points of the set. The play was upheld, and out of it a long rally led to a CSU attack error and forcing a Rams timeout at 23-22. CSU took the next point, forcing the first set-point of the match. A huge Anyse Smith kill kept the Buffs alive, followed up by an Abu block and another CSU timeout with the set tied 24 apiece. Following the timeout a second CU block set the Buffs up with set-point, but in true Colorado Classic fashion the teams battled it out to an eventual 28-26 victory for CU.
SET 2: The Buffs came out fast, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. The Rams would respond, tying the set at nine apiece. The teams would trade points and leads to a 16 all tie, as the Buffs continued to command the front row with seven blocks. The back-and-forth action would continue, with no team earning more than a couple of points in a row. CU was the first to hit 20 points at 20-19, but the Rams responded to notch the set then take the lead at 21-20. A third CSU point in a row led to a Buffs timeout at 22-20. The Rams took a 23-20 lead, but a pair of CU kills brought the match to 23-22 and forced CSU into a timeout. CSU reached set-point at 24-23, but Abu wouldn't let it end with a huge kill to tie the set. Alexa Smith followed up with a big kill and forcing CSU into another timeout and CU into set-point. After an impressive dig, Justine Spann followed it up with the kill and gave CU a two-set lead.
SET 3: The Rams came out with the early lead at 4-1 in the third set. The Rams continued to push, forcing an early CU timeout at 7-2. The teams traded points, but the Rams continued to push the pace with a 13-6 lead, the largest lead of the match thus far. The Buffs struggled to pass effectively, down in the set 17-9. Colorado ran off three straight points to bring it to 17-12, bring CSU to call a timeout. CU cut into the lead in the smallest of margins with consecutive kills from Abu and Alexa Smith, but still trailed 18-14. A timely block from Danielle Price and Lauren Dorrell put the Buffs at down three at 19-16, but a pair of kills from the Rams put CSU in the driver seat at 21-16. The Rams reached set-point at 24-19, closing out the set in the next point.
SET 4: CU came out firing again, leading early 6-3. The blocks were big for the Buffs with three early, leading to a season-high 15. Trailing 8-4, CSU called an early timeout. The break didn't help, as CU went on a four-point run to tack onto the two-point run it was already on before the break. CSU finally broke the streak at 12-5, but down the largest amount they had seen all match. The Buffs took over the driver seat, rallying to a 15-6 lead. Jenna Ewert picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 18 assists and 10 digs, while CU enjoyed numerous 10-point leads like the one at 18-8. The Rams called timeout and came out with a three-point run, but CU reached 20-12 and looked to be closing out the match. Justine Spann picked up her second double-double of the season at 10 kills and 12 digs, but CSU was charging at 20-15 so Coach Mahoney called timeout. Abu stopped the bleeding at 21-17 with her 10th kill, picking up her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 blocks. With another kill, CU called timeout at 21-19. The Rams went on a 11-2 run, closing the gap quickly. Senior Alexa Smith pushed the lead back to three on a kill out of the break, but CSU responded with a sideout and a kill to bring the set to 22-21. Dorrell put down a huge kill to send the set to 23-21, and Danielle Price and Alexa Smith blocked the next hit to send it to match-point at 24-21, and two plays later Anyse Smith put down the hammer for the match.
QUOTABLES:
HEAD COACH JESSE MAHONEY
On the match
"I thought it was a great volleyball match. I thought there was a lot of energy in the crowd. I thought there was a ton of energy on both teams. The first two sets were neck and neck. We did well to catch them at the end and come back and win. The fourth set turned into a pretty competitive set there at the end as well. Two really good teams. A lot of very good players on the floor. It was fun to coach and definitely fun to win."
On what he told the team after losing the third set
"As the third set started to get away from us, we started talking about getting back into a rhythm so that we can right the ship going into the fourth set. Two really good teams so teams are going to go on runs. They went on a run early in the third to get some separation and I think we kind of leveled the ship. We went on a big run to start the fourth set. I am really proud of our team for rebounding and refocusing. Unfortunately, we had too much of a lead because we lost some focus there when we were up ten points in the fourth. We'll talk about that another time."
On the play of the younger players
"Last year, we had a very veteran group on the floor. This year we have a lot of new faces and they are all really talented players. They can be streaky. A kid like Danny (Danielle) Price is going to be a great player here, but she is still working into getting on the floor and being comfortable. A kid like Jenna Ewert is going to be a fantastic player. She is still working on some things. You can't simulate that match atmosphere in a practice, it's just not possible. It is good to play in matches like that early in your career, especially when you have success. The next time you are in on, you are going to be that much more confident. We are going to play twenty matches in this league that are going to be that competitive. Our older players are going to play good no matter what, but it is good to have our younger players see that. I know they are going to get better as the season goes on."
On the team's improvement
"We have gotten better every weekend. We are excited about where this team is going for the rest of the season because we aren't close to our ceiling. We are going to get better."
On Naghede Abu
"Naghede thinks she should block every ball. When she misses one, she gets upset. Naghede is four days into playing. She is still catching up to game speed. From our first match last night to this match, we saw a huge difference in her. We are excited to have her back."
SENIOR ALEXA SMITH
On hitting 1,000 career kills
"It feels awesome, Im super honored to be in that crowd of people to reach that. Obviously I couldn't do that without my teammates so I am super thankful to play with all of these girls."
On playing in conference one last time
"I think that tonight was a great win for us, it showed us that we can beat great teams like Colorado State. But like Naghede said, we are just taking it one game at a time. I think that we will continue to keep getting better each game of conference."
SENIOR NAGHEDE ABU
On being Tournament MVP and getting back into the rhythm after being out
"It felt great, I was just excited to get out there and play with my teammates one more time. I am just trying to take it one game at a time as of right now so that felt really good to do that."
On playing in conference one last time
"I am just really excited to get into conference play right now. We are really honored to play in a conference like the Pac-12 with so many great teams. We still have quite a way to go with our team growth wise, but I am really excited to see what we have to put out there."
COLORADO CLASSIC RESULTS:
1. Colorado 3-0
2. Colorado State 2-1
3. Indiana State 1-2
4. Portland State 0-3
All-Tournament Team:
MVP: CU- Naghede Abu
CU- Alexa Smith
CU- Anyse Smith
CSU- Jessica Jackson
CSU- Katie Oleksak
ISU- TBD
PSU- Jenna Mullen
UP NEXT:
Colorado has a quick turnaround and enter Pac-12 play at home Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. against Utah. The team will then have a longer than normal stretch between conference opponents as they take on the University of Southern California Sunday at home at 1 p.m.
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/9/16/volleyball-buffs-conquer-rams-as-smith-eclipses-1-000-kills.aspx
BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado volleyball team closed out the 2018 Colorado Classic Saturday evening with a four-set (28-26, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22) victory over in-state rivals Colorado State University in a packed CU Event Center. In the win senior Alexa Smith became the 16th member of the 1,000-kill club for CU, becoming just the second Colorado native to accomplish the feat.
Team play once again was the key to success for the Buffs, as four women hit double-digit kills. Even more extraordinary was that three CU players marked double-doubles, led by Tournament Most Valuable Player Naghede Abu with 10 kills and 10 blocks while hitting .500. She was joined by Justine Spann with 10 kills and a team-high 12 digs, and freshman Jenna Ewert with 20 assists and 11 digs. Alexa Smith led the team with a dozen kills, while Anyse Smith added in 10 kills.
The other key to the match was the Colorado front row. Six different Buffs combined for a season-high 16 total blocks, led by Abu who notched a pair of solo blocks and eight block assists. She was joined by Danielle Price and Spann with five block assists, while Anyse Smith added four total blocks. Any balls that made it through were cleaned up by Spann and Ewert, while Alexa Smith and Rachel Whipple added in nine digs apiece.
Also for the Buffs, Brynna DeLuzio had a team-high 21 assists, while Whipple had a pair of aces.
In front of a crowd of more than 2,000 the Buffs shined in a tight match. There were 30 ties and 13 lead changes in the match, as two sets went to extra points. Each team found themselves with large leads in the third and fourth sets, but the first two were as back-and-forth as possible, with each team taking and losing leads throughout the early sets. The opening two sets before the break featured 29 of the 30 ties as well as 12 of the 13 lead changes. The Buffs' late set charges led the team to success, as they were down in both sets before coming back to take the 2-0 lead.
Naghede Abu was named the Colorado Classic MVP after leading the Buffs to a perfect weekend. She had 26 kills, hitting greater than .400 in all three matches. She also had 14 total blocks in her first weekend back for the team after missing the majority of non-conference play. Alexa Smith and Anyse Smith were named to the All-Tournament team after combining for 63 kills and 10 blocks. Alexa led the team with 38 total kills, including 19 in a three-set match against Indiana State. She also had 29 digs and five blocks, recording one double-double in the win over Indiana State. Anyse had 25 kills and five blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1: The Buffs kicked things off against the Rams with the largest home crowd this season. Anyse Smith gave Colorado its first lead at 2-1, as Alexa Smith hit career kill number 999 to take a 3-2 lead. Anyse and Naghede Abu combined for a huge block to take a 5-3 advantage, but a pair of net violations by CU let CSU tie the game up at five apiece. Alexa Smith hit the magic number 1,000 to tie the match at 7-7, becoming the 16th Buffalo to do so and just the second Colorado native in CU history. The Rams charged to a 13-9 lead, forcing CU to call timeout. Out of the timeout the Buffs rallied off four-straight points to tie up the match at 13 all. Despite the tie, the Buffs were dominating with a .412 hitting percentage compared to 250, as well as on the block count with a 3-0 advantage in that category. A net violation and kill against the Buffs led to a Rams two-point lead, following with an attack error and a CU timeout at 19-16. The Rams pushed the gap to 22-18, as outside hitter Breana Runnels led the match with five kills. A CSU attack error was challenged at 23-21, giving both teams time to talk out the final points of the set. The play was upheld, and out of it a long rally led to a CSU attack error and forcing a Rams timeout at 23-22. CSU took the next point, forcing the first set-point of the match. A huge Anyse Smith kill kept the Buffs alive, followed up by an Abu block and another CSU timeout with the set tied 24 apiece. Following the timeout a second CU block set the Buffs up with set-point, but in true Colorado Classic fashion the teams battled it out to an eventual 28-26 victory for CU.
SET 2: The Buffs came out fast, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. The Rams would respond, tying the set at nine apiece. The teams would trade points and leads to a 16 all tie, as the Buffs continued to command the front row with seven blocks. The back-and-forth action would continue, with no team earning more than a couple of points in a row. CU was the first to hit 20 points at 20-19, but the Rams responded to notch the set then take the lead at 21-20. A third CSU point in a row led to a Buffs timeout at 22-20. The Rams took a 23-20 lead, but a pair of CU kills brought the match to 23-22 and forced CSU into a timeout. CSU reached set-point at 24-23, but Abu wouldn't let it end with a huge kill to tie the set. Alexa Smith followed up with a big kill and forcing CSU into another timeout and CU into set-point. After an impressive dig, Justine Spann followed it up with the kill and gave CU a two-set lead.
SET 3: The Rams came out with the early lead at 4-1 in the third set. The Rams continued to push, forcing an early CU timeout at 7-2. The teams traded points, but the Rams continued to push the pace with a 13-6 lead, the largest lead of the match thus far. The Buffs struggled to pass effectively, down in the set 17-9. Colorado ran off three straight points to bring it to 17-12, bring CSU to call a timeout. CU cut into the lead in the smallest of margins with consecutive kills from Abu and Alexa Smith, but still trailed 18-14. A timely block from Danielle Price and Lauren Dorrell put the Buffs at down three at 19-16, but a pair of kills from the Rams put CSU in the driver seat at 21-16. The Rams reached set-point at 24-19, closing out the set in the next point.
SET 4: CU came out firing again, leading early 6-3. The blocks were big for the Buffs with three early, leading to a season-high 15. Trailing 8-4, CSU called an early timeout. The break didn't help, as CU went on a four-point run to tack onto the two-point run it was already on before the break. CSU finally broke the streak at 12-5, but down the largest amount they had seen all match. The Buffs took over the driver seat, rallying to a 15-6 lead. Jenna Ewert picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 18 assists and 10 digs, while CU enjoyed numerous 10-point leads like the one at 18-8. The Rams called timeout and came out with a three-point run, but CU reached 20-12 and looked to be closing out the match. Justine Spann picked up her second double-double of the season at 10 kills and 12 digs, but CSU was charging at 20-15 so Coach Mahoney called timeout. Abu stopped the bleeding at 21-17 with her 10th kill, picking up her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 blocks. With another kill, CU called timeout at 21-19. The Rams went on a 11-2 run, closing the gap quickly. Senior Alexa Smith pushed the lead back to three on a kill out of the break, but CSU responded with a sideout and a kill to bring the set to 22-21. Dorrell put down a huge kill to send the set to 23-21, and Danielle Price and Alexa Smith blocked the next hit to send it to match-point at 24-21, and two plays later Anyse Smith put down the hammer for the match.
QUOTABLES:
HEAD COACH JESSE MAHONEY
On the match
"I thought it was a great volleyball match. I thought there was a lot of energy in the crowd. I thought there was a ton of energy on both teams. The first two sets were neck and neck. We did well to catch them at the end and come back and win. The fourth set turned into a pretty competitive set there at the end as well. Two really good teams. A lot of very good players on the floor. It was fun to coach and definitely fun to win."
On what he told the team after losing the third set
"As the third set started to get away from us, we started talking about getting back into a rhythm so that we can right the ship going into the fourth set. Two really good teams so teams are going to go on runs. They went on a run early in the third to get some separation and I think we kind of leveled the ship. We went on a big run to start the fourth set. I am really proud of our team for rebounding and refocusing. Unfortunately, we had too much of a lead because we lost some focus there when we were up ten points in the fourth. We'll talk about that another time."
On the play of the younger players
"Last year, we had a very veteran group on the floor. This year we have a lot of new faces and they are all really talented players. They can be streaky. A kid like Danny (Danielle) Price is going to be a great player here, but she is still working into getting on the floor and being comfortable. A kid like Jenna Ewert is going to be a fantastic player. She is still working on some things. You can't simulate that match atmosphere in a practice, it's just not possible. It is good to play in matches like that early in your career, especially when you have success. The next time you are in on, you are going to be that much more confident. We are going to play twenty matches in this league that are going to be that competitive. Our older players are going to play good no matter what, but it is good to have our younger players see that. I know they are going to get better as the season goes on."
On the team's improvement
"We have gotten better every weekend. We are excited about where this team is going for the rest of the season because we aren't close to our ceiling. We are going to get better."
On Naghede Abu
"Naghede thinks she should block every ball. When she misses one, she gets upset. Naghede is four days into playing. She is still catching up to game speed. From our first match last night to this match, we saw a huge difference in her. We are excited to have her back."
SENIOR ALEXA SMITH
On hitting 1,000 career kills
"It feels awesome, Im super honored to be in that crowd of people to reach that. Obviously I couldn't do that without my teammates so I am super thankful to play with all of these girls."
On playing in conference one last time
"I think that tonight was a great win for us, it showed us that we can beat great teams like Colorado State. But like Naghede said, we are just taking it one game at a time. I think that we will continue to keep getting better each game of conference."
SENIOR NAGHEDE ABU
On being Tournament MVP and getting back into the rhythm after being out
"It felt great, I was just excited to get out there and play with my teammates one more time. I am just trying to take it one game at a time as of right now so that felt really good to do that."
On playing in conference one last time
"I am just really excited to get into conference play right now. We are really honored to play in a conference like the Pac-12 with so many great teams. We still have quite a way to go with our team growth wise, but I am really excited to see what we have to put out there."
COLORADO CLASSIC RESULTS:
1. Colorado 3-0
2. Colorado State 2-1
3. Indiana State 1-2
4. Portland State 0-3
All-Tournament Team:
MVP: CU- Naghede Abu
CU- Alexa Smith
CU- Anyse Smith
CSU- Jessica Jackson
CSU- Katie Oleksak
ISU- TBD
PSU- Jenna Mullen
UP NEXT:
Colorado has a quick turnaround and enter Pac-12 play at home Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. against Utah. The team will then have a longer than normal stretch between conference opponents as they take on the University of Southern California Sunday at home at 1 p.m.