Colorado University Athletics
Mahoney's Buffs Set For NCAA Opener Vs. JMU
November 30, 2017 | Volleyball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado volleyball coach Jesse Mahoney has a simple game plan for the Buffaloes' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
Don't change. While the stage and stakes may be larger than a regular season match, the preparation that produced the NCAA berth should not be any different this week.
"We have been preaching all through the second half of the season about routine," said Mahoney, whose Buffs open NCAA play Friday with a 3:30 p.m. match vs. James Madison at Baylor University's Ferrell Center. "Every week looks the same. Practices are very similar, prep days are very similar, travel — it's routine. We're not all of a sudden going to change that for anybody or anything, whether it's the first round or Final Four. These are things we do because we feel like they are the best way to do them and we're not going to make any changes."
That approach has no doubt served the Buffs well in Mahoney's second year at the helm. After a two-year absence from the postseason, the Buffs this year posted a 22-9 record, the most wins since 1998, and a 12-8 Pac-12 mark, CU's best conference record since joining the league in 2011 and the most conference wins by the Buffs since 2006.
Equally importantly, the Buffs recorded five wins over top-25 teams this year — No. 11 Washington, No. 12 Oregon (twice), No. 19 USC and No. 22 Colorado State. That, Mahoney believes, is evidence the Buffs know how to react in "big" matches.
"In a way, this is just another one of those big matches," Mahone said. "Yes, there's going to be some excitement and energy from everybody involved because of what's at stake, but we expect to play well. We talk about that all season. We have big matches, whether it's SC or Washington or whoever it is. We don't have to do anything special, we just have to be who we are and be the best of who we are."
In that regard, Mahoney believes the Buffs are hitting their peak at just the right time. After a recording a 5-5 record in their first swing through conference play, they finished with a 7-3 mark down the stretch.
"I think the second half of our season was much better than the first half as far as our level of play," he said. " Our kids are healthy and they are dialed into what we're trying to do. No doubt, they are excited about where we are and the success we've had, but we don't spend a lot of time talking about that. We've had a nice run the last several weeks and there's no reason to change that. We're playing good volleyball and we're going to play some good teams."
The Buffs' solid play this year was recognized earlier this week when the league announced it's all-conference teams. Junior Alexa Smith was named first-team All-Pac-12, while junior Naghede Abu, freshman Brynna DeLuzio, senior Joslyn Hayes and junior Frankie Shebby were named to the honorable mention squad.
"Those teams are tough because if more of our players had been on that first team, no one would have batted an eye," Mahoney said. "If you look at the honorable mention list, there's a lot of great players there. That says a lot about our team because there's not one star on this team. If Frankie or Naghede would have made first team, I don't think anyone would have questioned it. But the fact that we had a whole group of players recognized is pretty special because the Pac-12 has a lot of amazing players."
In Mahoney's first season in Boulder, the Buffs finished 14-16 overall and 6-14 in Pac-12 play. The six-win conference improvement this season ties for the best in program history. Mahoney said the improvement is due to a team-wide process.
"We talk about culture in this program quite a bit," he said. "It's not a top-down thing, it's a group effort. Our players, our seniors, our upperclassmen, are really involved in identifying the culture we want to create, and then going out and creating it. Everything is a work in progress. We made some good steps last year and this year we took some more good steps. Whenever you are successful, it's easier to buy in. I think everybody has been on the same page. Everyone has bought in. I would call it the culture of Colorado volleyball. It's created by staff and players and everyone who is part of this program."
The Buffs' last NCAA appearance came in 2014, when they beat Northern Colorado in the tourney opener, then lost to Colorado State in Fort Collins in an epic five-set match.
This year, they face a JMU squad on a roll. The Dukes finished third in the Colonial Athletic Association regular season, but swept through the CAA tournament to earn the league's automatic berth. The run included a three-set sweep of regular season champion Charleston in the tournament final.
"They're used to winning," Mahoney said. "They have talent, they are a conference champion and we definitely give them a lot of respect. Obviously they are well-coached, they are on a roll and they're very excited, I'm sure. We're going to get their best game. If you're not careful these type of matches can become little mini-traps for you. We're doing everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen."
If the Buffs get past JMU on Friday, they will face the winner of Baylor and Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. The host Bears finished second in the Big 12 this year and are currently ranked 18th in the latest coaches poll.
"I've been in nine Division I NCAA Tournaments (as a head coach and assistant coach)," Mahoney said. "It's a unique experience. You get to play great teams every round. When you're at a host institution against a seeded team, that creates an air of electricity and hopefully a high level of play. Those matches tend to be some of the best matches of the season. I'm expecting that whoever we play, if can get past the first round, will be a great match. The winner gets to go to the round of 16 and that's a tough thing to do."
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Links to the live stats, as well as live streams of all three matches can be found at the tournament central page: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-volley/2017-ncaa-tournament.html
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
