Colorado Upsets No. 17 Illinois To Complete Weekend Sweep

BOULDER — Colorado capped off an amazing weekend of volleyball on Sunday night, upsetting No. 17 Illinois 3-2 (25-17, 18-25, 25-15, 18-25, 19-17) in the final match of the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.

The win comes one night after knocking off No. 13 Penn State (3-2), making this the first time CU has won back-to-back matches regular season non-conference matches against ranked opponents.

WHAT HAPPENED: Just a year removed from a pair of losses at the same tournament to Illinois and Penn State, the Buffs came out strong and were looking for payback this weekend; which is exactly what they got.

The Buffs had five hitters with 10 or more kills and three hit over .300. Stephanie Shadley recorded 15 kills to lead the team and Naghede Abu had 13 kills. Anna Pfefferle and Alexa Smith each had 11 kills and Joslyn Hayes added 10 kills. Pfefferle led the team with a .625 hitting percentage while Abu hit .476. Hayes also hit well at .333.

The setters did a great job directing the offense. Gabby Simpson handed out 30 assists (and added eight kills of her own), while Kiara McKibben had 29 assists in the match.

Colorado also performed well on defense. Cierra Simpson picked up 14 digs and Smith added 13 digs. At the net, Pfefferle had five blocks, while Gabby Simpson and Abu each posted four blocks.

SET 1: The Buffs came out strong in the first set, taking a 9-5 advantage before Illinois took its first timeout. The break did not slow the Buffs down as they extended the lead to seven at 17-10, causing the Illini to use their final timeout of the set. The two sides battled and UI cut the Buffs' lead to six (21-15), at which point CU took its first timeout. Abu hammered her fourth kill of the frame out of the break to put the Buffs up 22-15 and despite a pair of UI points, CU was able to finish the set with ease (25-17).

SET 2: The second set was a lot closer. The Buffs had a slight lead at 13-11 before UI put together a 3-0 rally to take its first lead of the set (14-13), which forced CU to take a timeout. The Illini extended their lead to four a short time later (18-14), and again the Buffs needed to take a timeout. CU took the next two points off a Shadley kill and an Illini attack error to get within two (18-16) and did not let up, but were not able to complete the comeback and fell 25-18.

SET 3: Colorado used a 5-0 run to go up 9-4 in the third set. After an Illinois timeout, Gabby Simpson and Pfefferle combined for a pair of blocks and an attack error by UI extended CU's run to eight straight and a 12-4 advantage. The Illini recorded a 4-1 run, which brought the score to 13-8, but the Buffs answered with a kills from Abu and Hayes. CU kept the pressure on, and increased the score to 20-11, at which point UI took its final break of the set. The Illini had no answer for the Buffs and CU finished the set 25-15.

SET 4: Illinois jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set, taking a 5-2 lead, but the Buffs weren't going to let the Illini go so easily. CU chipped away at the lead and after a 3-0 run, took an 11-10 advantage. UI fought back, retaking a 15-12 lead at the media timeout, The Buffs tried to get back in the set, but UI went ahead by five at 20-15 and it was a deficit CU would not be able to recover from as the Buffs fell 25-18.

SET 5: The Buffs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the final frame, forcing UI to take a quick timeout. The Illini got back in the set and evened it at 6-6. A kill from Pfefferle put the Buffs back up by one and they had the lead (8-7) at the side change. The Buffs were finally able to pull away with a 3-0 run near the end, taking a 14-12 lead before UI used its last timeout. Out of the break, the Illini recorded two straight points to even the set at 14-14, which made CU call a timeout. The set would be tied three more times before CU was able to finish it with two straight points off a kill from Smith and an Illinois attack error (19-17).

TEAM STATISTICS: For the fifth straight match, the Buffs have out-hit their opponent…CU hit .278 with 68 kills and 24 errors on 158 attacks, while UI hit .245 with 60 kills and 22 errors on 155 attacks…19 of CU's 68 kills came in the first set.

NOTEABLE: The Buffs are now 4-1 on the season…Illinois is 2-3… This was the first trip to Boulder for Illinois…The Illini lead the all-time series 4-3…All six matches prior to tonight's meeting were at Illinois or at a neutral site… Colorado has never beaten back-to-back ranked opponents in pre-conference play…Last year at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge, CU was swept by Penn State and Illinois…Four of CU's five matches this season have gone five sets; CU has won three of those matches…The Pac-12 won all four matches at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge this year.

THE FIRST MATCH: No. 9 Stanford (3-1) swept No. 13 Penn State (2-3) in the afternoon match. Set scores were 26-24, 25-18, 25-22. The Cardinal won both of its matches at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge, while PSU dropped both of its contests.

NEXT UP: Colorado will head back on the road for the San Diego Invitational. They will face NO. 18 USD on Friday, Sept. 8, at 8 p.m. MT. and UC-Irvine on Saturday at 3 p.m. MT.

QUOTABLE:
Jesse Mahoney, head coach
On The Poise Of His Team
"I think we did a really nice job both nights of withstanding a lot of pressure because both teams played a really high level and there was a lot of ups and downs in both matches. We were able to bounce back each time, especially in the deciding set and play really good volleyball."

On The Team's Upcoming Schedule
"It doesn't get any easier because we play another ranked team in their own gym and then we play Irvine who beat USC at USC. This was a really good opportunity for us to play really high level volleyball and it was great to do that at home. We have to take this level and go play it on the road because even though we were successful our first weekend on the road, we did not play like this. So, that will be our challenge this week and our challenge traveling is going out and doing this to a ranked team in their own building."

On Play In The Middle
"I think we're much more efficient in the middle. Before she got injured, Katelyn Cuff was sitting over .500. You had Anna Pfefferle tonight hitting .600. Naghede [Abu] hit about .500 so we're learning how to score in the middle. We're doing it a little bit differently than they were used to and that's just going to take a little bit of time. But now that we're getting some positive results, we're only going to get better."

On The New Challenges
"I think they got the calls right, especially when we were the ones challenging. I'm not sure how all of the challenges went. But, it's a little bit of 50/50 and there's some games where it shouldn't have been there because people are challenging to slow down the pace or change momentum. That's tough on players because there's a lot of sitting around and waiting. A lot of the times we know what the result is going to be so we're just killing time. With that being said, I think they did a really nice job tonight and we were able to get that call which was a momentum changer for us for sure."

Gabby Simpson, Setter/Hitter
On Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge Redemption
"One, it was nice to be back home and take care of them here. Two, it was just great because I feel like both those teams came in, and they were kind of just like, Oh Colorado. They didn't really know what to expect. So, I felt like we came out and showed them who we are."

On The Mindset This Season
"I think we're all on the same page this year. I think last year we were all, kind of, all over the place, and so, being on the same page it's helping us on and off the court."

On Looking Towards Next Weekend
"Yeah, I think we just have to think that we really haven't earned anything yet, like we're out to prove to people. So we gotta go into next weekend with the same mentality we had this weekend. Nothing's changed."

On Coming Back This Weekend
"I'm glad to be back. That was tough being out, but I'm glad to be back and I've got a long way to go."

Dual Role of Hitting & Setting
"I like it… We did that my freshmen year so it kind of brings back some memories, but it's nice to kind of split it in half. That way you're not all setting, or like all hitting. I like the balance between the two."

On Play Reviews
"It's a little slow, like it slows down the game like we've said. It is nice to have when you win it. When you lose it, it like really sucks… It'll be interesting to see how it goes not having it at other places now."

Naghede Abu, Middle Blocker
On Beating Two Teams This Year That The Team Had Difficulty With Last Year
"I feel amazing. Last year we got blown out, so to come back from such a loss in such a manner and tough it out…it feels amazing."

On A Different Mindset The Team Has This Year
"We all put in the work this summer. We all worked very hard and it's starting to show. We're a good team, watch out."

On What The Team Can Take From This Weekend Into Next Weekend
"We have to be more consistent all the time and take care of matches sooner rather than later."

On What Naghede Contributes Her Success To This Year
"Jesse (coach) came in with new ideas that changed my entire mindset. Plus, the spring was really good. We worked on a lot of new things."

On How The Team Feels About Replay
"It's a love-hate relationship. Sometimes it's very slow."

COLORADO TICKET INFORMATION
Single match tickets for most contests start at just $5 for general admission and $8 for reserved seating. Tickets for the second day of the Omni Invitational (Sept. 17), will start at $8 for general admission and $12 for reserved seats. Kids 12 and under are still free.

Season tickets are also available and start at just $25 for general admission, while reserved seats are $40. Fans can purchase single match and season tickets online at CUBuffs.com or by calling 303-49-BUFFS.

And don't forget about the Women's Sports Pass. For just $125, the Women's sports pass gives you general admission seating for all volleyball, soccer and women's basketball home games.

Colorado Upsets No. 17 Illinois To Complete Weekend Sweep

Next Event

Team Stats

Stephanie Shadley

Naghede Abu

Anna Pfefferle

Alexa Smith

Players Mentioned

Naghede Abu

Katelyn Cuff

Joslyn Hayes

Kiara McKibben

Anna Pfefferle

Stephanie Shadley

Cierra Simpson

Gabby Simpson

Alexa Smith

Players Mentioned

Naghede Abu

Katelyn Cuff

Joslyn Hayes

Kiara McKibben

Anna Pfefferle

Stephanie Shadley

Cierra Simpson

Gabby Simpson

Alexa Smith