Colorado University Athletics
Simpson Earns Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Honor
January 14, 2015 | Volleyball
DENVER - Another year, another award for University of Colorado senior Taylor Simpson as she was named the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame 2014 "College Female Athlete of the Year" on Wednesday afternoon.
"This recognition is well deserved for all the hard work and diligent effort Taylor put into her stellar performance this season, but there is something extra special about representing your home state the way she does," head coach Liz Kritza said. "She is truly exceptional and has proven herself as one of the all-time best players in the state of Colorado."
Simpson will be honored along with the other CSHOF award recipients at the 51st annual banquet on Thursday, April 2, at the Denver Marriot City Center. Tickets are $200 each and sponsor tables start at $2,500. For additional for ticket and table information, please contact the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (www.coloradosports.org / 720/258-3535). The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame & Museum is located at Gate 1 on the west side of Sports Authority Field at Mile High (1701 Bryant Street) in Denver.
The award comes on the heels of Simpson being named CU's first ever AVCA First Team All-American last December. The standout volleyball player was also named to the AVCA All-Pacific South Region team, the All-Pac-12 First Team and the Buffs' offensive MVP for her 2014 season.
The 6'3" outside hitter from Colorado Springs, Colo., had an amazing 2014 season which included breaking several records at CU. She broke the single season kills record of 528, which had stood for 17 years, with 591 kills, a single season mark which will stand for many years. She recorded a career-best 32 kills in the five-set thriller against Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 6. The 32 kills tied for the eighth-best total in Buffs history. She also hit .426 in the match, her third best hitting efficiency of the year.
Simpson tallied 1,395 attacks this season, the fourth most in a single season in CU history. Despite playing just two seasons for the Buffs, Simpson is ranked quite high in the career record books. She is 16th all-time with 981 kills and is 16th in attacks (2,526).
An offensive powerhouse, Simpson hammered 20 or more kills in 10 matches this season, which broke CU's record of nine matches with 20 or more kills in a season. In total, she recorded double-digit kills in 32 matches and had 22 double-doubles. Simpson tied a career-high with 22 digs in the five-set win against No. 2 Washington. She also recorded 29 kills in the contest to become just the fifth Buff to ever tally two or more career 20-20 double-doubles. Her other 20-20 double-double came against Utah on Nov. 27, 2013 with 20 kills and 22 digs.
Simpson ranked 11th in the NCAA with 4.65 kills per set this year, which was fourth in the Pac-12. She was also 15th in the NCAA in points per set (5.18), fifth in the Pac-12. Simpson was an all-around player as she was second on the team with 2.71 digs per set and averaged 0.57 blocks per set.
"We are proud of Taylor's career here at CU and support her wholeheartedly as she continues playing in the professional ranks and with the USA National Team, she has a brilliant future ahead of her and we are excited to see it unfold," Kritza added.
In 2014, she was named to several all-tournament teams. She was a member of the Northern Illinois, Omni Classic and Creighton Classic teams and was the MVP of the Omni Invitational. A Preseason Pac-12 selection, Simpson was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week twice and was the only player this year to be named the ESPNW Volleyball Player of the Week two times.
Simpson helped the No. 21 Buffaloes to one of their best seasons on record. CU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and finished the season with a 20-14 record. It was the first time in over a decade that Colorado had a 20-win season. The Buffs also tied for fourth in the Pac-12 (11-9) with UCLA and Oregon, their best finish since joining the league in 2011.
