Colorado University Athletics
Spikers Head To Desert To Face Arizona And Arizona State
October 22, 2015 | Volleyball
BOULDER — The University of Colorado volleyball team is heading to the desert for a pair of matches against the Arizona schools this weekend. CU will face No. 14 Arizona on Friday, Oct. 23, at 9 p.m. MT in Tucson, Ariz., and on Saturday, Oct. 24, the Buffs take on No. 13 Arizona State at 8 p.m. in Tempe, Ariz.
The match on Friday against the Wildcats will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network. Chris Marlowe will be the play-by-play announcer, while Elizabeth Moreau will be the color analyst.
Colorado is 12-8 (4-4 Pac-12) after earning a pair of wins last weekend. The Buffs won a 3-1 decision against California on Friday night and came back on Sunday to earn their first ever win against the No. 6 Stanford Cardinal in four sets. The Buffs are currently tied for fifth in the Pac-12 standings with Arizona State and Oregon.
Senior Alexis Austin leads the Buffs with 4.01 kills per set (fifth in the Pac-12) and is also attacking at a .253 clip. Sophomore Gabby Simpson, the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, ranks second on the team with 3.58 kills per set, while sophomore Anna Pfefferle is hitting a team-best .320. She has recorded 142 kills and 34 errors on 337 attacks this season. Senior Nicole Edelman is directing the team to a .233 hitting percentage. Edelman is averaging 9.71 assists per set (sixth in the Pac-12).
Defensively, junior Cierra Simpson is averaging 4.05 digs per set, which is fifth in the conference. She also ranks second in league only matches, averaging 4.97 digs per set. At the net, the Buffs are led by Pfefferle, who is posting 1.09 blocks per set, while freshman Naghede Abu, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, is averaging 1.07 blocks per set.
Arizona is ranked 14th in the AVCA Poll. The Wildcats are 13-7 overall and are 3-5 in league play.
Kalei Mau ranks ninth in the NCAA, third in the Pac-12, with 4.71 kills per set to lead the Wildcats. UA is also getting production from Tyler Spriggs (2.53) and Nikki Attea (2.41). Halli Amaro has the best hitting percentage on the team at .342. She has recorded 125 kills and 35 errors on 263 attacks. Penina Snuka leads the Pac-12 with 10.97 assists per set and is directing the Wildcats to a .238 clip.
UA leads the conference with 16.64 digs per set. Snuka is averaging 3.22 digs per set, while Mackenzie Kleespies is second on the team with 2.86 digs per set. Three others are averaging over 2.00 digs per set: Laura Larson (2.76), Mau (2.54) and McKenna Painton (2.52). At the net, Amaro is posting 1.03 blocks per set. McKenzie Jacobson is recording 0.91 blocks per set.
Arizona has a 6-3 lead in the all-time series against the Buffs.
ASU enters the weekend ranked 13th in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. The Sun Devils are 15-4 overall, 4-4 in the Pac-12. ASU started the season 15-0 before losing its last four matches. The Sun Devils have lost their AVCA All-American Macey Gardner, who tore an ACL in the match against Washington on Oct. 9, for the entire season.
Cassidy Pickrell is the new team leader with 2.69 kills per set, while Whitney Follette is second with 2.24 kills per set. The team is averaging 13.03 kills per set and is attacking at a .222 clip. The Sun Devils are running a 6-2 offense this season. Bianca Arellano is averaging 5.91 assists per set and Kylie Pickrell is recording 5.15 assists per set.
Defensively, the Sun Devils are led by Halle Harker, who is picking up 3.67 digs per set. Lexi MacLean is second on the team with 3.11 digs per set. Two Sun Devils are posting 1.00 or more blocks per set. Follette ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 1.37 blocks per set, while BreElle Bailey is posting 1.08 blocks per set.
Arizona State leads the all-time series against CU at 6-3.
Season tickets for the Buffs' home matches can still be purchased and start at just $25 for general admission. Reserved seats are $40 for the season. New this year is the Volleyball VIP Package which gives fans a reserved seat, access to VIP parking, pre-match chalk talks with the coaches, special entrance access and admission the volleyball banquet. These are available for $500. Fans interested in the VIP Package, please call 303-492-8130.
Single match tickets are also available. General admission seats are $5 and reserved seats are $8. Kids 12 and under are free.
Fans can also purchase the Women's Sports Pass, which is new this season and supports women's basketball, soccer and volleyball. For just $125, over 50 percent off the single game box office price for those three sports, the Women's Sports Pass allows for seating in general admission areas at each venue for three of the most successful programs at CU. Once you purchase the pass, you will be mailed season tickets for all three sports.
