Colorado University Athletics
Wins Over Penn State, Illinois Even More Special Given History
September 06, 2016 | Volleyball
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Series History With Two Big Ten Schools Extensive
BOULDER – It's hard to overstate the importance of the Colorado volleyball team's pair of wins over the weekend at the Coors Events Center in the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.
The importance can be broken down into three areas: the consequences of the accomplishment of beating No. 13 Penn State and No. 17 Illinois, the impact on the team and the historical impact on the program.
The consequences
The most significant result of beating two ranked opponents was seen in the rankings. The Buffs debuted in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 18. That's the highest debut the Buffs have had in program history after not having been ranked in the preseason poll.
Sophomore Naghede Abu was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, and by all accounts, she is avoiding any sophomore slump. In two weeks, she matched a 28-year-old CU record with 15 blocks against Portland State and followed that CU record with the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honor, just the third defensive weekly honor the Buffs have had in their brief history in the Conference of Champions.
Abu was also the Freshman of the Week once last season, giving her two weekly honors, and she's just the third CU player to have multiple weekly honors, joining Gabby Simpson and All-American Taylor Simpson.
Not part of the consequences but in part a reason for the accomplishment is Gabby Simpson's return. Injured in the preseason, the junior setter and right side hitter returned after missing the first weekend of action. Playing both setter and right side in the Buffs two-setter offense, Gabby combined for 55 assists, 18 kills, 16 digs and six blocks, coming up with big play after big play.
It's not just Gabby Simpson and Abu, either. Mahoney has put together a rotation that seems to be working at a high level early in the season, with Alexa Smith and Stephanie Shadley both having impressive performances on the left side, Abu and Anna Pfefferle in the middle, Gabby Simpson and Kiara McKibben at setter, and Joslyn Hayes and Gabby Simpson at right side with the ever-reliable Cierra Simpson at libero.
The impact
Most successful teams take care of business at home. A general rule of thumb is if you can win most of your home matches and win those you're supposed to on the road, you will have a successful season. Establishing the home-court advantage early in the season against two ranked teams further sets the tone that they can play with anybody in Boulder — and that will go a long way in determining how the rest of the season unfolds.
Additionally, the two wins were the first two home wins in the Mahoney era. Setting the tone early in a coaching era could go a long way in determining how far Mahoney can take this program not only this season, but in seasons to come.
The two wins also prove this team will be hard to shake.
A five-set loss to Portland State in the second match of the season could prove to be less damaging than it seems now if the Vikings continue to win this season and make it to the NCAA tournament. Since that loss, the Buffs have been pushed — and they've pushed back, forcing three straight opponents to five sets and winning all three. It wasn't just any three opponents, it was Long Beach State, Penn State and Illinois. Those three programs have combined for 85 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 NCAA Championships and 23 Final Four appearances. They are part of the who's-who of collegiate volleyball.
Historical impact
Sometimes things happen so quickly, the real accomplishment of the moment is lost in the immediate excitement. There are several things that happened over the weekend that, throughout this season, the players will likely not think about often, but as time passes, they will come into focus more and more.
At no time in the 30-year history of the program has this team won consecutive matches against non-conference ranked teams. Those two wins are just the 19th and 20th wins over ranked non-league opponents in CU history.
Only 10 times previously have the Buffs beat two ranked opponents in a row, but that accomplishment has never happened on back-to-back days.
Also, the Buffs' debut at No. 18 is both the highest debut of any team in the third coaches poll of the 2016 season and the highest debut for the Buffs in program history aside from a preseason poll. Previously, the highest the Buffs debuted was No. 21 in 2014 after beating No. 14 Arizona and No. 18 Arizona State on the road the previous week.
But what makes the wins over Penn State and Illinois even sweeter is the history with those two teams specifically.
Rewind to 1993. The Buffs were the first team outside the state of Nebraska to win a Big Eight championship. That title propelled the Buffs into the top 10. Simply put, on paper, that was the Buffs best team, finishing 26-6.
Two years earlier, in 1991, the Buffs pushed Penn State to the limit, falling in five sets in one of the best matches in the program's then six-year history. In 1992, the Buffs claimed the Big Eight Tournament title, setting up a historic season in 1993 in which the Buffs had Final Four aspirations.
The ninth-ranked Buffs and seventh-ranked Nittany Lions would square off again in 1993, in yet another five-set thriller with the Final Four on the line. Since that time, Penn State has won seven NCAA Championships, more than any other team in the country, and the Buffs, while having many successful seasons, have never again reached the Elite Eight of the tournament or won a conference championship.
In short, aside from Nebraska, in the early years of Colorado Volleyball, there was no other nemesis as big as Penn State.
Fast forward five years to 1998. The Buffs were again primed for one of the top seasons in CU history. Opening the year at No. 12, the Buffs had Final Four aspirations again. And while those didn't come to fruition based on regular season play, CU found itself at No. 17 with a strong NCAA resume at the end of the season. Knowing how important home court advantage is in the NCAA Tournament, the Buffs were expecting a bid to host the first two rounds but were snubbed and sent to No. 19 Illinois instead.
The two met in the second round with a Sweet 16 berth on the line, and the Fighting Illini took advantage of that home court and beat the Buffs in the second round. While it was a sweep, there were moments in the third set (CU lost 16-14) when the Buffs could have forced a fourth set.
In short, for those who have followed this program since its early days, getting those two wins over Penn State and Illinois were just a little sweeter than if they been over two other ranked non-conference opponents.
While this team has already accomplished quite a bit in just five matches on the young season, the next test for this team will be to see how much more it can accomplish. How can the Buffs use the weekend as a catapult to an even more successful season?
The tests will continue immediately as the Buffs travel to face San Diego and UC Irvine this weekend before hosting its home tournament, which will conclude with the return of in-state rival Colorado State to the schedule.
San Diego is just 2-2 on the season but still ranked No. 15 as one of its two wins was over No. 11 Stanford and their two losses were to No. 3 Minnesota and No. 2 Wisconsin.
UC Irvine is just 2-4 on the young season, but one of those wins was a 3-0 sweep of USC, who was No. 7 in the preseason before falling out of the rankings, only to reappear at No. 25 this week.
The importance can be broken down into three areas: the consequences of the accomplishment of beating No. 13 Penn State and No. 17 Illinois, the impact on the team and the historical impact on the program.
The consequences
The most significant result of beating two ranked opponents was seen in the rankings. The Buffs debuted in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 18. That's the highest debut the Buffs have had in program history after not having been ranked in the preseason poll.
Sophomore Naghede Abu was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, and by all accounts, she is avoiding any sophomore slump. In two weeks, she matched a 28-year-old CU record with 15 blocks against Portland State and followed that CU record with the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honor, just the third defensive weekly honor the Buffs have had in their brief history in the Conference of Champions.
Abu was also the Freshman of the Week once last season, giving her two weekly honors, and she's just the third CU player to have multiple weekly honors, joining Gabby Simpson and All-American Taylor Simpson.
Not part of the consequences but in part a reason for the accomplishment is Gabby Simpson's return. Injured in the preseason, the junior setter and right side hitter returned after missing the first weekend of action. Playing both setter and right side in the Buffs two-setter offense, Gabby combined for 55 assists, 18 kills, 16 digs and six blocks, coming up with big play after big play.
It's not just Gabby Simpson and Abu, either. Mahoney has put together a rotation that seems to be working at a high level early in the season, with Alexa Smith and Stephanie Shadley both having impressive performances on the left side, Abu and Anna Pfefferle in the middle, Gabby Simpson and Kiara McKibben at setter, and Joslyn Hayes and Gabby Simpson at right side with the ever-reliable Cierra Simpson at libero.
The impact
Most successful teams take care of business at home. A general rule of thumb is if you can win most of your home matches and win those you're supposed to on the road, you will have a successful season. Establishing the home-court advantage early in the season against two ranked teams further sets the tone that they can play with anybody in Boulder — and that will go a long way in determining how the rest of the season unfolds.
Additionally, the two wins were the first two home wins in the Mahoney era. Setting the tone early in a coaching era could go a long way in determining how far Mahoney can take this program not only this season, but in seasons to come.
The two wins also prove this team will be hard to shake.
A five-set loss to Portland State in the second match of the season could prove to be less damaging than it seems now if the Vikings continue to win this season and make it to the NCAA tournament. Since that loss, the Buffs have been pushed — and they've pushed back, forcing three straight opponents to five sets and winning all three. It wasn't just any three opponents, it was Long Beach State, Penn State and Illinois. Those three programs have combined for 85 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 NCAA Championships and 23 Final Four appearances. They are part of the who's-who of collegiate volleyball.
Historical impact
Sometimes things happen so quickly, the real accomplishment of the moment is lost in the immediate excitement. There are several things that happened over the weekend that, throughout this season, the players will likely not think about often, but as time passes, they will come into focus more and more.
At no time in the 30-year history of the program has this team won consecutive matches against non-conference ranked teams. Those two wins are just the 19th and 20th wins over ranked non-league opponents in CU history.
Only 10 times previously have the Buffs beat two ranked opponents in a row, but that accomplishment has never happened on back-to-back days.
Also, the Buffs' debut at No. 18 is both the highest debut of any team in the third coaches poll of the 2016 season and the highest debut for the Buffs in program history aside from a preseason poll. Previously, the highest the Buffs debuted was No. 21 in 2014 after beating No. 14 Arizona and No. 18 Arizona State on the road the previous week.
But what makes the wins over Penn State and Illinois even sweeter is the history with those two teams specifically.
Rewind to 1993. The Buffs were the first team outside the state of Nebraska to win a Big Eight championship. That title propelled the Buffs into the top 10. Simply put, on paper, that was the Buffs best team, finishing 26-6.
Two years earlier, in 1991, the Buffs pushed Penn State to the limit, falling in five sets in one of the best matches in the program's then six-year history. In 1992, the Buffs claimed the Big Eight Tournament title, setting up a historic season in 1993 in which the Buffs had Final Four aspirations.
The ninth-ranked Buffs and seventh-ranked Nittany Lions would square off again in 1993, in yet another five-set thriller with the Final Four on the line. Since that time, Penn State has won seven NCAA Championships, more than any other team in the country, and the Buffs, while having many successful seasons, have never again reached the Elite Eight of the tournament or won a conference championship.
In short, aside from Nebraska, in the early years of Colorado Volleyball, there was no other nemesis as big as Penn State.
Fast forward five years to 1998. The Buffs were again primed for one of the top seasons in CU history. Opening the year at No. 12, the Buffs had Final Four aspirations again. And while those didn't come to fruition based on regular season play, CU found itself at No. 17 with a strong NCAA resume at the end of the season. Knowing how important home court advantage is in the NCAA Tournament, the Buffs were expecting a bid to host the first two rounds but were snubbed and sent to No. 19 Illinois instead.
The two met in the second round with a Sweet 16 berth on the line, and the Fighting Illini took advantage of that home court and beat the Buffs in the second round. While it was a sweep, there were moments in the third set (CU lost 16-14) when the Buffs could have forced a fourth set.
In short, for those who have followed this program since its early days, getting those two wins over Penn State and Illinois were just a little sweeter than if they been over two other ranked non-conference opponents.
While this team has already accomplished quite a bit in just five matches on the young season, the next test for this team will be to see how much more it can accomplish. How can the Buffs use the weekend as a catapult to an even more successful season?
The tests will continue immediately as the Buffs travel to face San Diego and UC Irvine this weekend before hosting its home tournament, which will conclude with the return of in-state rival Colorado State to the schedule.
San Diego is just 2-2 on the season but still ranked No. 15 as one of its two wins was over No. 11 Stanford and their two losses were to No. 3 Minnesota and No. 2 Wisconsin.
UC Irvine is just 2-4 on the young season, but one of those wins was a 3-0 sweep of USC, who was No. 7 in the preseason before falling out of the rankings, only to reappear at No. 25 this week.
Players Mentioned
MB
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MB/RS
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S
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MB
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OH
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DS/L
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S/OPP
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OH
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