Smith Tabbed AVCA Second Team All-American, DeLuzio Named To Honorable Mention Team

LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the first time in CU history, the Buffaloes have placed a pair of athletes on the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) Division I All-America teams. Junior outside hitter Alexa Smith was named to the second team, while freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio earned honorable mention status.

"We are very excited and proud of Lex's selection," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "Lex had an amazing year this past season and has grown into one of the premier 6-rotation players in the country.

"We are also very excited for Brynna," Mahoney went on to say. "This program has a history of elite setters and Brynna had the type of freshman season as good as any on that list. We look forward to her continued development."

Smith is the first Buff to earn second team honors from the AVCA and is just the third Buff in CU history to earn AVCA first, second or third team honors. Taylor Simpson earned first team honors in 2014 and Ashley Nu'u was a third team selection in 2006. Three other Buffs have earned AVCA honorable mention status: Alexis Austin (2015), Allie Griffin (2004 and 05) and Monique Gerlach (2003). DeLuzio is the second CU freshman to earn any type of All-America honor. Kelly Campbell, another setter, was named to the Volleyball Magazine Freshman All-America team in 1996.

Smith, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native had an outstanding season. A week ago she was named to the AVCA All-Pacific South Region Team and at the beginning of December, she was tabbed an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree.

A great leader on and off the court, Smith ranked seventh in the Pac-12 with a team-best 3.97 kills per set and was also seventh in points per set with 4.35. She was second for CU in digs, averaging 2.83 per set and added 0.38 blocks per set while hitting .241. Smith totaled 484 kills this campaign, the sixth most in CU's single season history.

Awards have been following her all season long. At the start of the campaign, Smith was named to the NIKE Invitational All-Tournament team and was the Omni Invitational MVP. She was also named the VolleyMob National Player of the Week as well as the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after helping the Buffs to a 3-0 weekend in the final weekend of non-conference play, which included a five-set come-from-behind upset at then-No. 22 Colorado State. That weekend she averaged 4.56 kills and 3.33 digs per set. Smith has recorded 20 or more kills in eight matches this season, which includes a career-best 27 kills against then-No. 13 UCLA.

During the first and second rounds of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, she was named to the Waco Sub-Regional All-Tournament Team after helping CU sweep James Madison and No. 18 Baylor to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.

DeLuzio just finished her first season with the Buffs and it did not disappoint. The Windermere, Fla., native was named the AVCA Pacific South Region Freshman of the Year last week, becoming the first Buff in program history to record the honor. She was also selected to the AVCA All-Pacific South Region honorable mention. At the beginning of December, she was named to the All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention Team, as well as the Pac-12 All-Freshman team which was another first for a CU freshman.

A four-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, DeLuzio ranked third in the Pac-12 with 11.02 assists per set, which was 30^th in the NCAA. She directed the Buffs to a .248 hitting percentage, which was the second best mark for the Buffs since 2001, and CU also recorded 13.63 kills per set. During the season, she recorded 50 or more assists in nine matches and handed out a career-high 64 against Arizona State on Nov. 18. DeLuzio led the Buffs with 29 service aces this season and was fourth on the team with 2.35 digs per set.

DeLuzio, like Smith, was named to the Waco Sub-Regional All-Tournament Team after helping CU sweep James Madison and No. 18 Baylor to advance to the Sweet 16. She also recorded a pair of all-tournament honors, NIKE and Omni Invitational, to start the season.

Colorado finished the season with a 24-10 overall record, the third most wins for CU in a single season and the most wins since 1993. The Buffs completed the Pac-12 Conference slate with a 12-8 mark, their best record in league play, and tied for fifth.

Smith Tabbed AVCA Second Team All-American, DeLuzio Named To Honorable Mention Team

Players Mentioned

Brynna DeLuzio

Alexa Smith

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