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Volleyball Off Season News (Black and Gold Scrimmage 8/19 @ 3:00; 1st match, hosting UNLV, Aug. 25th.)
- Thread starter buffgal
- Start date
The Buffs comfortably won the 1st set over UNC. ( I didn't catch the exact score. Maybe ~25-14 or so?) In the 2nd,they're down 6-10.
(Was curious to see who might have been hurt during the CSU scrimmage. For this match (if I'm even properly recognizing them), looks to me like both Maya Tabron and Jahara Campbell are in street clothes. Ms. Tabron is not showing any cast, splint , etc. (Although she's in sweats so she could have something light underneath), while Ms. Campbell, also in sweats, does have ice over one of her knees or upper calves. Of course, with the season ~4 months from starting, hope whatever may be keeping them from playing tofay will have more than enough time to heal.)
(Was curious to see who might have been hurt during the CSU scrimmage. For this match (if I'm even properly recognizing them), looks to me like both Maya Tabron and Jahara Campbell are in street clothes. Ms. Tabron is not showing any cast, splint , etc. (Although she's in sweats so she could have something light underneath), while Ms. Campbell, also in sweats, does have ice over one of her knees or upper calves. Of course, with the season ~4 months from starting, hope whatever may be keeping them from playing tofay will have more than enough time to heal.)
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Wanted to mention that while Pac 12 teams are usually the last to announce their schedules (last year it was June 16th, and I believe in the past it was even in July sometimes), it's a tradition in the volleytallk*** community to slowly find out all team's preseason schedules, even those that release late, by posting the schedules for those schools that DO release their schedules earlier. (***Their thread for reporting schedule links this season is at https://volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/93596/2023-schedule?page=1 .)
From this thread, and now a Buffzone article, about one half of what the coming non-conference slate is scheduled for the Buffs is known:
Link to the Buffzone article that 1st alerted me to the CSU matches -
From this thread, and now a Buffzone article, about one half of what the coming non-conference slate is scheduled for the Buffs is known:
- Over a month ago, Northern Colorado became one of if not THE 1st schools to release its schedule (https://uncbears.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule/2023). From that:
- The Bears will be hosting the Buffs on Thursday, August 29th at 6:00 PM. (Also from that schedule, looks like that's the 2nd week of competition this season.)
- Their schedule then has them going to Boulder to face Charlotte on Friday that Friday and Xavier on Saturday as part of the Buffs Invitational. Assume that means the Buffs will probably also be playing those teams.
- And, yesterday, CSU released the non-conference part of its schedule (https://csurams.com/news/2023/4/28/colorado-state-volleyball-announces-non-conference-schedule). As part of that, looks like, even with their new head coach, the recent tradition of playing a home and away with the Buffs is continuing. This year, both matches are scheduled for 7:00 PM starts, with the Buffs are 1st scheduled to host Thursday, September 14th, with the rematch scheduled for the next evening in Fort Collins. (As with last season, looks like these will be the last non-conference matches for both teams, and hopefully will prepare them for the intensity of conference play.)
Link to the Buffzone article that 1st alerted me to the CSU matches -
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Perfect timing! Since CU football plays the Rams on Saturday the 16th in Boulder, we should have even more hype for these games than we already would have expected. Excited about this upcoming season for this team.
Article after the end of the spring training period -
(To summarize a couple of the more newsworthy items from it:
Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/5/10/volleyball-buffs-wrap-up-spring-season.aspx
"
BOULDER - As spring slowly turns into summer and students cram for their final tests, Colorado's volleyball team finished up its off-season.
For the team, the spring season began in late January with a couple of position-oriented practices a week, per NCAA rules. Starting in March, the squad was allowed to practice as a whole team and were able to expand the number of hours they played each week. In March, the team was also able to have their first scrimmage, which they hosted in Boulder against the Air Force.
"We had a very productive spring season. We graduated seven players who all played significant roles for our team - so there has been quite a lot of growth these last couple months as our returners are figuring out how to make the most of this opportunity from both an individual standpoint and from a team culture standpoint," head coach Jesse Mahoney commented at the end of the spring season.
Although the team graduated seven players in the fall, they've already bought three new players into the fold. Outside hitter Sydney Jordan and libero Avery Bolles both graduated high school early to join the Buffs this past semester while middle blocker Skyy Howard transferred from the University of North Carolina after graduating with her degree in December.
Mahoney commented that the team focused on running a faster offense during the off-season.
"We worked to speed up the offense to the left this spring and I think we will have a chance to be more efficient in-system this fall. All of our pins focused on becoming better six rotation players, and I'm excited to see that play out next season," Mahoney said.
Throughout the course of the spring season, the team also traveled to Colorado State and Wyoming to test out its new offense and to allow the team to play against some different competition.
"We settled into a version of a 6-2 offensively this last season, but our focus this spring has been a return to a 5-1 offense. Taylor Simpson has focused on becoming more physical as a blocker and more offensive with the second ball," Mahoney said. "She had a great feel for the tempo we want to run on offense and has gained a sense of what each of our attackers needs to be successful. After a redshirt year, Rian Finlay has made some great strides this spring as well and the setting position will once again be a strong one."
For their final spring scrimmage, the team returned to Boulder where they played against their alumni and Northern Colorado as part of CU's Black & Gold Day.
Lastly, to mix up the feel of practice while still giving the players a chance to gain more volleyball touches, the team played sand volleyball for three days at Oasis Volleyball in Broomfield.
Despite the busy spring, the volleyball team will be back together soon due to a European tour that the squad is headed to in June.
"In June we take the team - including all our incoming freshmen - to Europe for 10 days," Mahoney said. "This will be an awesome opportunity for our program, not only from a volleyball perspective, but from a team building perspective."
The impactful spring, and the chance to play together in Europe this summer, will allow the team to hit the ground running for their true season this fall.
...
"
(To summarize a couple of the more newsworthy items from it:
- Awesome from both an individual and team perspective that this is the season (believe one trip is allowed per NCAA rules every 4 years?) the team gets to have an international trip and
- Interesting (at least to me) that Coach Mahoney seems to already be committing to a 5-1 offense for next season (Although of course this time of the year I always assume any and every coaches' plan is "in pencil and not pen").
Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/5/10/volleyball-buffs-wrap-up-spring-season.aspx
"
BOULDER - As spring slowly turns into summer and students cram for their final tests, Colorado's volleyball team finished up its off-season.
For the team, the spring season began in late January with a couple of position-oriented practices a week, per NCAA rules. Starting in March, the squad was allowed to practice as a whole team and were able to expand the number of hours they played each week. In March, the team was also able to have their first scrimmage, which they hosted in Boulder against the Air Force.
"We had a very productive spring season. We graduated seven players who all played significant roles for our team - so there has been quite a lot of growth these last couple months as our returners are figuring out how to make the most of this opportunity from both an individual standpoint and from a team culture standpoint," head coach Jesse Mahoney commented at the end of the spring season.
Although the team graduated seven players in the fall, they've already bought three new players into the fold. Outside hitter Sydney Jordan and libero Avery Bolles both graduated high school early to join the Buffs this past semester while middle blocker Skyy Howard transferred from the University of North Carolina after graduating with her degree in December.
Mahoney commented that the team focused on running a faster offense during the off-season.
"We worked to speed up the offense to the left this spring and I think we will have a chance to be more efficient in-system this fall. All of our pins focused on becoming better six rotation players, and I'm excited to see that play out next season," Mahoney said.
Throughout the course of the spring season, the team also traveled to Colorado State and Wyoming to test out its new offense and to allow the team to play against some different competition.
"We settled into a version of a 6-2 offensively this last season, but our focus this spring has been a return to a 5-1 offense. Taylor Simpson has focused on becoming more physical as a blocker and more offensive with the second ball," Mahoney said. "She had a great feel for the tempo we want to run on offense and has gained a sense of what each of our attackers needs to be successful. After a redshirt year, Rian Finlay has made some great strides this spring as well and the setting position will once again be a strong one."
For their final spring scrimmage, the team returned to Boulder where they played against their alumni and Northern Colorado as part of CU's Black & Gold Day.
Lastly, to mix up the feel of practice while still giving the players a chance to gain more volleyball touches, the team played sand volleyball for three days at Oasis Volleyball in Broomfield.
Despite the busy spring, the volleyball team will be back together soon due to a European tour that the squad is headed to in June.
"In June we take the team - including all our incoming freshmen - to Europe for 10 days," Mahoney said. "This will be an awesome opportunity for our program, not only from a volleyball perspective, but from a team building perspective."
The impactful spring, and the chance to play together in Europe this summer, will allow the team to hit the ground running for their true season this fall.
...
"
Preview article for the team's upcoming trip to Europe -
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/5/19/volleyball-buffs-announce-summer-trip-to-europe.aspx
"
BOULDER - The Colorado volleyball team will embark on a 12-day trip to Europe this summer, visiting Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy while abroad. The campaign will last from June 13th-June 24th.
NCAA programs are allowed to take foreign trips once every four years, and this will be Colorado's first trip to Europe. The tour marks the second foreign trip that the volleyball program has taken; the first was to China in the summer of 2019.
"We are very excited to be going on our European tour in June. This will be an amazing cultural experience for our student-athletes and we are thankful for the commitment from our athletic department and the generosity of our donors that have made this trip possible," head coach Jesse Mahoney said.
The team will be able to start practicing on June 9th before leaving for the trip a few days later. The program's six incoming first years will also be able to join the team for the abroad trip.
"From a volleyball perspective, we will certainly benefit from the extra team practices in Boulder before we leave, and from the high-level competition we will see overseas," Mahoney commented. "Maybe more importantly, from a team-building perspective, this trip will be invaluable in bringing our new players on board and forging those new relationships that will pay dividends into our 2023 season."
The team will be visiting:
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/5/19/volleyball-buffs-announce-summer-trip-to-europe.aspx
"
BOULDER - The Colorado volleyball team will embark on a 12-day trip to Europe this summer, visiting Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy while abroad. The campaign will last from June 13th-June 24th.
NCAA programs are allowed to take foreign trips once every four years, and this will be Colorado's first trip to Europe. The tour marks the second foreign trip that the volleyball program has taken; the first was to China in the summer of 2019.
"We are very excited to be going on our European tour in June. This will be an amazing cultural experience for our student-athletes and we are thankful for the commitment from our athletic department and the generosity of our donors that have made this trip possible," head coach Jesse Mahoney said.
The team will be able to start practicing on June 9th before leaving for the trip a few days later. The program's six incoming first years will also be able to join the team for the abroad trip.
"From a volleyball perspective, we will certainly benefit from the extra team practices in Boulder before we leave, and from the high-level competition we will see overseas," Mahoney commented. "Maybe more importantly, from a team-building perspective, this trip will be invaluable in bringing our new players on board and forging those new relationships that will pay dividends into our 2023 season."
The team will be visiting:
- Budapest, Hungary
- Maribor, Slovenia
- Zagreb, Croatia
- Pula, Croatia
- Venice, Italy
Basic preview on the European trip -
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/6/13/general-buffs-volleyball-set-for-european-tour.aspx
"
BOULDER — Colorado's volleyball team had four days of practice in the last week before setting forth for 12 days of competition in Europe.
On June 9, coach Jesse Mahoney's Buffs returned to the CU Events Center to start off the summer and get ready to leave the country. The Buffs will depart Tuesday for the trip of a lifetime in Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. This will be their first time competing outside of the USA since 2019, when the team traveled to China.
Junior Emilea Stepaniuk is enthusiastic about their upcoming trip.
"I'm really excited to travel and see different places in the world," the defensive specialist/libero said. "I've never really been out of the States, so I'm excited to get that experience."
Stepaniuk also said she thinks the trip will provide a team-building opportunity. "I think because we have a lot of new talent coming in and a lot of younger girls, it will help us be able to bond before we get into preseason and get into the whole grind of things."
Redshirt senior and middle blocker Alexia Kuehl is most excited to try new food and experience different cultures while playing volleyball abroad.
"I think it will be good for us to play against different teams who probably have different playing styles, and try to figure out how we can adjust to that as a team," Kuehl said. "I think that can translate into the fall. If we see some different stuff, we'll be able to transition into it a lot easier."
With a few new faces on the 2023 squad, the trip should help the Buffs improve team chemistry and focus on the things that will ultimately help them find success in the fall.
"
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/6/13/general-buffs-volleyball-set-for-european-tour.aspx
"
Buffs Volleyball Set For European Tour
BOULDER — Colorado's volleyball team had four days of practice in the last week before setting forth for 12 days of competition in Europe.
On June 9, coach Jesse Mahoney's Buffs returned to the CU Events Center to start off the summer and get ready to leave the country. The Buffs will depart Tuesday for the trip of a lifetime in Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. This will be their first time competing outside of the USA since 2019, when the team traveled to China.
Junior Emilea Stepaniuk is enthusiastic about their upcoming trip.
"I'm really excited to travel and see different places in the world," the defensive specialist/libero said. "I've never really been out of the States, so I'm excited to get that experience."
Stepaniuk also said she thinks the trip will provide a team-building opportunity. "I think because we have a lot of new talent coming in and a lot of younger girls, it will help us be able to bond before we get into preseason and get into the whole grind of things."
Redshirt senior and middle blocker Alexia Kuehl is most excited to try new food and experience different cultures while playing volleyball abroad.
"I think it will be good for us to play against different teams who probably have different playing styles, and try to figure out how we can adjust to that as a team," Kuehl said. "I think that can translate into the fall. If we see some different stuff, we'll be able to transition into it a lot easier."
With a few new faces on the 2023 squad, the trip should help the Buffs improve team chemistry and focus on the things that will ultimately help them find success in the fall.
"
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(Bummer it doesn't look like the team will be part of a Big 10 - Pac 12 Challenge this year for, I believe, the 1st time in 8+ regular (non-Covid) seasons.
From extrapolating out other schedules, the person who created has the Buffs facing the Shockers, Kansas and one TBD team at the Wichita State tournament which is listed as TBD in the above schedule.)
Bmixer
Well-Known Member
maybe Iowa and Illinois got tire of losing to CU every year
Today's match is ~40 minutes away, and looks to be viewable (for $9.99 to view live and/ or in replay) via the link below.
Direct link - https://www.ballertv.com/events/bring-it-on-usa-european-tour
Direct link - https://www.ballertv.com/events/bring-it-on-usa-european-tour
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Wanted to mention that, when the team initially announced its schedule (see post #45 above), the major unknown was one TBA opponent that the team thought was going to be filled by Wichita State finding a 4th team for a tournament the Shockers are hosting on the weekend of Sept. 8-10. It now looks like that tourney is now set with only 3 teams, so the Buffs will "only" be facing 2 solid teams in Kansas and Wichita State that weekend.
To replace that "lost" match, the Buff schedule now shows a home match against the DU Pioneers on Sunday, September 17th. (That will now be the last match before conference play begins on the 21st.)
With DU having been a great RPI team to face, hopefully this is a good addition to the schedule.
(They Pioneers averaged 23+ wins under their old coach for 6 years (He replaced Coach Mahoney when he left to lead the Buffs) before he (Coach Hogan) unfortunately had to leave the team to deal with health issues (F*** Cancer) early last season, and he formally resigned this past April. The Pioneers announced last month that one of UCLA's former assistant coach is their new head coach. Thoughts and prayers for Coach Hogan to have a full recovery.)
To replace that "lost" match, the Buff schedule now shows a home match against the DU Pioneers on Sunday, September 17th. (That will now be the last match before conference play begins on the 21st.)
With DU having been a great RPI team to face, hopefully this is a good addition to the schedule.
(They Pioneers averaged 23+ wins under their old coach for 6 years (He replaced Coach Mahoney when he left to lead the Buffs) before he (Coach Hogan) unfortunately had to leave the team to deal with health issues (F*** Cancer) early last season, and he formally resigned this past April. The Pioneers announced last month that one of UCLA's former assistant coach is their new head coach. Thoughts and prayers for Coach Hogan to have a full recovery.)
Congrats to the team!
Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/7/13/...fourth-straight-avca-team-academic-honor.aspx
"
Volleyball July 13, 2023 by Courtney Huck, Assistant SID
BOULDER—The Colorado Volleyball team earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic award for the 2022-23 season for the fourth time in the program's 31-year history, successfully maintaining above a 3.30-grade point average for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters, the United States Marine Corps and American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Thursday.
The volleyball team earned a 3.317-grade point average as a team this spring semester. The Buffs have successfully had greater than a 3.0 GPA in eight-straight semesters.
The award was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year and honors teams who achieve above a 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. In all, a total of 1,333 teams were honored at the high school and collegiate level.
This is the fourth time the Buffs have achieved the honor and it's the seventh time that coach Jesse Mahoney has coached a team who has won the honor, including his final three teams at the University of Denver (2013-15) and now four-straight at Colorado (20-23).
Read the full AVCA release here:
"
Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/7/13/...fourth-straight-avca-team-academic-honor.aspx
"
Volleyball July 13, 2023 by Courtney Huck, Assistant SID
Buffs Earn Fourth-Straight AVCA Team Academic Honors
BOULDER—The Colorado Volleyball team earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic award for the 2022-23 season for the fourth time in the program's 31-year history, successfully maintaining above a 3.30-grade point average for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters, the United States Marine Corps and American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Thursday.
The volleyball team earned a 3.317-grade point average as a team this spring semester. The Buffs have successfully had greater than a 3.0 GPA in eight-straight semesters.
The award was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year and honors teams who achieve above a 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. In all, a total of 1,333 teams were honored at the high school and collegiate level.
This is the fourth time the Buffs have achieved the honor and it's the seventh time that coach Jesse Mahoney has coached a team who has won the honor, including his final three teams at the University of Denver (2013-15) and now four-straight at Colorado (20-23).
Read the full AVCA release here:
Congrats and best wishes to the 2 Buffs!
Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/7/29/volleyball-kuehl-and-burilovi-cacute-make-national-teams.aspx
"
BOULDER - Alexia Kuehl and Ana Burilović have been selected for their respective countries' national teams. Kuehl, an American with dual-citizenship for Germany, will be competing for the U23 German Women's National Team in the World University Games in Chengdu, China. Burilović, an incoming first year from Croatia, will be playing with Croatia's U19 National Team in the World Championship in August.
Burilović, an outside hitter from Split, Croatia, said that her team has been practicing all summer in preparation for the World Championship next month.
"I'm very excited to represent my country and play against other big teams such as Turkey, Germany, and many more," Burilović said. "I think these tournaments are great for gaining experience and I believe we have a promising generation of players who are ready to make great results!"
For Kuehl, who possesses dual-citizenship to Germany through her father's side of the family, said the experience has been an opportunity to play the sport she loves while being exposed to a culture she's never fully known.
"Being able to play for the U23 National Team has been such an amazing experience so far, Kuehl said. "With this amazing opportunity I've been able to see a tiny bit into what it was like for my dad growing up and playing in Germany, which is a cool experience to connect with him on!"
The German National Team will be competing in China July 28 - August 8. To watch the matches live, click here:
The Croatian Junior National Team will play in the Word Championships in Croatia starting August 1. To follow Burilović's team, click here:
"
Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/7/29/volleyball-kuehl-and-burilovi-cacute-make-national-teams.aspx
"
BOULDER - Alexia Kuehl and Ana Burilović have been selected for their respective countries' national teams. Kuehl, an American with dual-citizenship for Germany, will be competing for the U23 German Women's National Team in the World University Games in Chengdu, China. Burilović, an incoming first year from Croatia, will be playing with Croatia's U19 National Team in the World Championship in August.
Burilović, an outside hitter from Split, Croatia, said that her team has been practicing all summer in preparation for the World Championship next month.
"I'm very excited to represent my country and play against other big teams such as Turkey, Germany, and many more," Burilović said. "I think these tournaments are great for gaining experience and I believe we have a promising generation of players who are ready to make great results!"
For Kuehl, who possesses dual-citizenship to Germany through her father's side of the family, said the experience has been an opportunity to play the sport she loves while being exposed to a culture she's never fully known.
"Being able to play for the U23 National Team has been such an amazing experience so far, Kuehl said. "With this amazing opportunity I've been able to see a tiny bit into what it was like for my dad growing up and playing in Germany, which is a cool experience to connect with him on!"
The German National Team will be competing in China July 28 - August 8. To watch the matches live, click here:
The Croatian Junior National Team will play in the Word Championships in Croatia starting August 1. To follow Burilović's team, click here:
"