Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Take Big Steps In Mahoney's First Spring
April 29, 2016 | Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Jesse Mahoney's first spring season with the Colorado volleyball is now in the books, and CU's new coach has just one regret.
He wishes the spring schedule could have been longer. In Mahoney's eyes, the Buffs accomplished plenty, made improvements in many areas and set the stage for next fall — but it all went by too quickly.
“Overall, it was a success,” Mahoney said earlier this week. “We kind of laid the groundwork for what we want to do. We had a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time and I think we made a lot of positive headway in that direction.
“But we still have a ways to go before I'm comfortable playing our first match next fall. We'll start the fall in a really good place, but we have to be ready to hit the ground running when we get there.”
When Mahoney took the program's reins in December 2015, he knew he had inherited a team with talent, despite losing its two top players from last season (Nicole Edelman and Alexis Austin). He and his staff decided they wouldn't make wholesale changes in the Buffs' system, but they did make some adjustments — and for the most part, Mahoney said, the Buffs responded well.
Maybe one of the most significant changes made came with the move of Gabby Simpson to full-time setter. It's not a change that's been etched in stone, and Simpson still saw some time attacking in the spring, but Mahoney said that they'll likely begin fall camp with Simpson in that position.
Other minor changes include moving Joslyn Hayes to the right side to fill Simpson's spot there, and Mahoney said there's still a chance the Buffs could add another setter to the roster this spring.
But most of all, Mahoney said, the spring season helped him and his staff confirm what they already knew: the Buffs have a talented squad.
“I think Gabby Simpson is an even better setter than we had hoped,” Mahoney said. “We already knew she was a great player, but she had a really good spring. We saw players like Anna Pfefferle and Steph Shadley, two players who may not have been superstars on the team last year, take another step forward to having some good success next year. Naghede Abu has a ton of potential. Katelyn Cuff is a player who did some good things. We knew what we were getting with (transfer) Alexa Smith, but it was a nice surprise that she decided to transfer here.
“We already knew this when we got here, but this spring confirmed it. We have some elite level talent in this program and it's up to our staff to put them in a position to succeed and play at a high level.”
Mahoney also made sure his Buffs were tested in the spring. Among the teams on CU's spring schedule were a pair of Final Four teams from last season, Kansas and Nebraska, and two more NCAA Tournament teams, Wichita State and Colorado State.
“We didn't play the Sisters of the Poor — we wanted to get better,” Mahoney said. “Wins, losses — that's not what spring is about. Spring is about getting better individually, getting better as a team and giving people opportunities to show what they can do.”
The Buffs represented themselves well, picking up wins over Colorado State, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, and earning a split with Wichita State.
Most of the Buffs will get some more playing time in early in the summer, either with their club teams or on the beach. They'll return in time for CU's summer camps in July, then be ready to open fall camp in early August.
“I'm confident that we're better now than we were in January, and that's really all we can control,” Mahoney said. “I'm confident that by the end of August, we're going to be better than we were at the beginning of August. I think this team still has a lot of room for growth, and I think we'll be a better team toward the end of the season than when we started.”
But perhaps most importantly, Mahoney now has a much better idea of what he can expect from his players — and vice-versa.
“I think there's a lot of buy-in and a lot of excitement about what we're doing in the gym,” Mahoney said “I think the kids are excited about how that's going to carry over into a match environment. They're understanding what we want to do. I'm not in a place to make predictions — but I'm confident that we're better than when we began this journey, and we're going to continue to improve.”
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
