Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Frosh Deluzio Has Made Immediate Impact
November 04, 2017 | Volleyball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — As a rule, college freshmen consider themselves adjusted to college life when they know where their classes are held, how to find their way home to their dormitories and where their meals are served.
Bonus points are awarded for having visited the library at least once.
But Brynna Deluzio is not your typical college freshman. Deluzio, the setter for the Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team, has added more than freshman basics to her "to-do" list this fall.
That list includes earning a starting job at one of the most important positions on the floor, gaining the trust of her teammates, becoming the first Buff ever to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors three times, helping her team to a top-20 national RPI, and also being named CU's Student-Athlete of the Month for September.
"You just learn to take everything one day at a time," the soft-spoken Deluzio said recently. "You learn not to get over-stressed by everything and how to manage everything that's going on. You have to be disciplined in everything you do, and then you can have a stress-free weekend and just go out and play."
Deluzio has accomplished that task quite well. Heading into the week, she was second in the Pac-12 in assists (11.24 per set) while helping the Buffs to top-five spots in the conference in hitting percentage, kills and assists. She has been a key figure in CU's victories over nationally ranked squads, including a win at Colorado State, a home win over USC, a season sweep of Oregon and most recently, Friday night's sweep of No. 11 Washington in Boulder.
Perhaps most impressively, she has done that from a position that does not cater to inexperience. The art of playing setter requires a cool head, a highly competitive nature and the ability to absorb and implement strategy on the fly — none of which are usually traits associated with true freshmen, particularly in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation.
"It's the one position you don't see it happen very often," CU coach Jesse Mahoney said. "It's much like a true freshman point guard or a true freshman quarterback. Setter is a little bit of the coach on the floor to a certain extent. To have a freshman come in and be comfortable enough to do it, talented enough to do it, and then be able to assimilate all the information and do it at a high level is pretty rare."
If the name "Deluzio" seems a bit familiar to long-time Colorado fans, there is a reason. Her father, Don Deluzio, was a standout linebacker for Bill McCartney's Buffaloes in the mid-1980s, playing on the teams that helped CU turn the corner back to national relevancy. Her dad's experiences in Boulder no doubt played a role in helping her make the decision to leave Florida and trek across the country to continue her volleyball career, but it was by no means the only factor.
"Obviously my family background played a big role choosing Colorado," Deluzio said. "(But) I also really wanted to get out of Florida and be different from my siblings, who went to Florida State and played sports there. Colorado is in the Pac-12, and I wanted to be in a Power 5 conference. But probably the main reason I chose Colorado was the coaching staff. I just fell in love with them. They were all so welcoming and you can tell they really know their stuff."
When Deluzio signed with Colorado, she assumed that she would play libero upon arrival. But when she got to Boulder, the setter position had opened up because of some late roster changes — and instead of easing into the lineup, she found herself thrust into the role of vying for a starting spot.
"Honestly, I came in with the mindset of whatever they need, I'll be ready to play," Deluzio said. "Obviously, I wasn't expecting to be starting right way, and it's a privilege to be able to do that. The coaches have done a great job helping me feel comfortable and my teammates have been great. When you have all-star hitters going up there, it makes it a lot of fun."
Indeed, Deluzio has been blessed with a capable, potent front line. The Buffs have two players — Alexa Smith and Frankie Shebby — in the top 10 in the conference in kills; with two others — Naghede Abu and Anna Pfefferle — in the top 10 in hitting percentage.
"I could never be who I am or the setter I am without Lex, Franke, Jos, Naghede and Pfeff, just everyone, playing such a great role," Deluzio said. "They make it so much easier."
Virtually from the outset, Mahoney has been impressed with Deluzio's poise in crucial junctures. Big moments, he said, "just don't bother her."
But equally impressive, Mahoney said, has been her work ethic and competitive fire.
"She's a dedicated learner," Mahoney said. "She's a super-talented kid, but the type of kid who came in and wanted to get better, and she's just super competitive. She always wants to win everything we do. She makes mistakes, but the nice thing is she doesn't let those mistakes limit what she does in the future. She learns from them and goes out and makes another mistake and learns from that. She doesn't play it safe, which is really important."
Still, Deluzio admits there has been a rather steep learning curve at times. Even after a competitive career in club volleyball, she has found that the Pac-12 still has surprises.
"The pace of the game is much faster and every scheme in the Pac-12 is a great scheme," she said. "You always have to be on your game because anything can happen. There are great players on every team and you have to be ready every night. Every game is against a team that is really good."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
