Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Versatility Will Serve (Or Set) Them Well
September 18, 2015 | Volleyball
BOULDER – Sometimes in the fast paced world of college volleyball, it's hard to notice the subtle differences. Anything from a rotation change to how many setters an offense utilizes can often times go unnoticed to the novice fan.
As the Buffs dispatched of Montana State (3-1) and Weber State (3-0) Friday at the Coors Events Center, one thing became evident. These Buffs are developing a versatility that will serve them well once Pac-12 play begins. Or maybe it's better to say it will set them well.
The last time most Buffs fans saw this team when the season kicked off they knocked off No. 9 Florida State, the Buffs utilized a 6-2 offense, a two-setter offense with both senior Nicole Edelman and sophomore Gabby Simpson taking the reigns of the offense at different times and featuring six hitters in the rotation.
What fans saw Friday was a return to a more tradition offense, the 5-1 (five hitters, one setter).
“One of our strengths is our flexibility,” CU coach Liz Kritza said. “I have two setter/hitters that are both versatile. Right now, this is the offense that's working best. When it comes to the post season, we need to be ready to have that versatility.”
Simpson showed shades of her older sister, Taylor, who rewrote many of the Buffs kills records the past two seasons as a threat from anywhere on the court. Gabby was that player for the Buffs today, earning her two highest career kills totals, first with 21 kills while hitting .372 against Montana State and following that up with 16 kills and a .370 hitting percentage against Weber State.
“Gabby is playing really well, she's been our kills leader in multiple matches now and we're able to get her balls not just on the right pin, but on the left and in the back row,” Krizta said.
“It's nice because when you run a 5-1, the hitter is focused on hitting, when you run a 6-2 (two-setter offense with three hitters in the front row at all times), you have to focus on both,” Gabby Simpson said. “For me, it's nice to be able to focus on hitting.”
And for Edelman, the senior also had a stellar day running the offense. She had 79 assists on the Buffs 95 kills vs. Montana State and Weber State and also came up with 15 digs, six kills and six blocks. Setters are often judged by the team's hitting percentage and an indication of getting the ball to the right hitter at the right time, and the Buffs were also stellar in that area, hitting .264 against Montana State and then following that up with a season-best .353 percentage against Weber State.
“It's a credit to her consistency and making sure we're hitting the right people at the right time,” Krizta said. “We're fortunate to have these players who can run in and out of offenses. Not many players can do that.”
“There's pros and cons of both offenses,” Edelman said. “It's always nice, if we switch to the 6-2 to have three hitters in the front row, but Gabby's doing a great job and this is working, so we will go with that.”
Massive understatement: Edelman is doing a nice job, too.
