Colorado University Athletics
Friday, November 3
Boulder, CO
6:00 PM
Colorado
19-6 (9-5)
3
vs
0
Washington
18-6 (8-5)
1
2
3
F
Washington
22
18
22
0
Colorado
25
25
25
3
Gabby Carta-Samuels and Frankie Shebby celebrate the Buffs win against No. 11 Washington.
Buffs Shock No. 11 Washington
November 03, 2017 | Volleyball
BOULDER - After suffering a 3-0 loss at the hands of No. 11 Washington earlier this season in Seattle, the Colorado Buffaloes were ready to return the favor. And that is exactly what they did on Friday night at the Coors Events Center, upsetting the Huskies 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-22).
The win, which is CU's fourth straight, moves the Buffs to 19-6 overall, as well as 9-5 in the Pac-12, while Washington is 18-6 (8-5 Pac-12).
WHAT HAPPENED: Junior Alexa Smith hammered 14 kills and hit .444 with just two errors on 27 attacks while adding 12 digs, both match-highs. Joslyn Hayes recorded 12 kills and also had two errors on 20 swings to hit .500. Frankie Shebby also performed well with nine kills, nine digs and two blocks.
CU hit extremely well against the Huskies at .337, which is its highest hitting percentage in Pac-12 play this year. Brynna DeLuzio handed out 21 assists, while Emily DeMure added another 13.
Courtney Schwan led the Huskies with 12 kills and hit .440 and added nine digs.
SET 1: The Buffs took the first two points in the match, but the Huskies tallied the next five. CU would come back to even the set at 8-8 and then take the lead on the following point off a UW attack error. The Buffs were able to increase their advantage to three points at 18-15, but the Huskies came back to even the set up at 19-19. At that point, the Buffs used a 4-1 run to get back to a three-point lead (23-20) and won the frame 25-22.
SET 2: The second set was another close one. It was all tied up at 13-13 when CU used a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 advantage. The Huskies sided-out on the following point, but the Buffs did not quit and added two more points with a kill from Anna Pfefferle and an ace from DeLuzio (20-14). UW scored three straight quick points (20-17), but CU would not let the lead go and went on to finish the game 25-18.
SET 3: CU was down early in the third set (8-4) when they stormed back to even it up with four straight points. UW went back ahead on the next point, but the Buffs retook the lead a short time later at 12-11. UW went up again at 16-15 and at that point, CU recorded a 5-0 run to take a 20-16 lead and increased it to 23-18. The Huskies made an attempt to get back in the frame with a trio of points, cutting the lead to a pair (23-21), but the Buffs were able to take the set with three of the next four points (25-22).
NOTES: The Buffs have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two teams in Boulder…CU is 5-5 against ranked teams this year...This is the fourth sweep in Pac-12 play, the second straight…CU has won seven of its last eight, including four straight…UW has only been swept one other time this season; a loss at Southern California.
TEAM STATISTICS: Colorado hit .337, its best hitting percentage in Pac-12 play. The Buffs had 44 kills and just nine errors on 104 attacks. They held UW to a .191 hitting efficiency with 39 kills and 17 errors on 115 swings. CU also lead in assists (40-34) and digs (50-45). The Huskies had the advantage in aces (5-3) and blocks (5.0-4.0).
NEXT UP: Colorado heads to Los Angeles for a pair of contest, starting on Nov. 9 against UCLA. Then on Nov. 11, CU will take on Southern California.
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
General
"It was a great performance by all of our players. I thought everyone did a fantastic job. We had a bit of a scare early when Brynna [DeLuzio] went down with her ankle. Emily [DeMure] came in and I thought she played fantastically. She set the ball well. She defended, she blocked well. It was just a really clutch performance by her. We only had nine attack errors in three sets against a blocking team like that. I thought both of our outsides were fantastic. When we got the ball to our middles, they were efficient as well. Naghede [Abu] did well on the swings that she took. It's hard for me to single anything out. The match was really well played by us."
On Team Chemistry
"Last year we were injured during the second half of Pac-12 play and we just weren't firing on all cylinders. First year through with the group, we understand how we want to game plan and attack certain teams. I think this time through, we've been healthy. We're a year older, a year wiser. The last three weeks, our kids have been all over it game planning before games and adjusting during games. Defensively, we've been ahead of the other team tactically for the last couple of matches."
On Brynna DeLuzio's Injury
"She just rolled her ankle. I think it's a middle sprain. If it was a tournament match I think she would have played all the way through but today's match wasn't worth risking anything. We need her healthy for us to be as successful as we want to be."
On If The Longer Stretch Before The Next Match Is Beneficial
"Absolutely. We had a shorter week this week coming off of the road so I think it will be good for our players to have a couple of days off. We'll have a light day Monday and a prep day Tuesday. The players are doing a really nice job because we're actually not playing a ton of volleyball during the week which sounds weird. But we're watching film and going through some no jump practices and the players are doing a great job of implementing that into live play. I'm not sure we'll change a whole lot. We want to be peaking physically towards the end."
Alexa Smith
On Changes From Last Year
"We always say that we want to continue to get better and last year we said that but didn't really follow through with that, now you see that being done. I think that we owe that to all of the coaches because they do set us up for success. Lee, Jesse, and Evan spend so many hours scouting these teams, setting us up, and telling us what to do. We just have to go out and do it at this point."
On Big Play Late In Fifth Set
"That play really showed the heart of this team. Our team chemistry is something else this year and I think that is why we are doing so well because off the floor we get along so well. It makes it so much more fun to play together and so that play showed how much we want to celebrate the good things together."
Joslyn Hayes
On Changes From Last Year
"Oh a hundred percent, games like tonight show that on the court. I think it is this energy we have between each other and having the confidence that if we make a mistake we can bounce back. We know what we did wrong from the coaches, because they set us up for success. We are taught exactly, "Hey this is what you are supposed to do. If you didn't do it that was your bad, this is the next thing that you have to do." So I think that the turn-around really just goes to knowing what we are supposed to be doing and implementing it."
On Making Adjustments Due to DeLuzio Leaving In The First Set
"It wasn't a huge adjustment on our part because Emily [DeMure] came in and did perfectly. We didn't have to do much, Emily came in and she was ready. She set the tempo, she played defense, she did it all. It wasn't a huge scare for us, obviously it was crappy that Brynna went down, but Emily was able to adjust very well. We were all behind her, supporting her, and she came in and did a beautiful job."
The win, which is CU's fourth straight, moves the Buffs to 19-6 overall, as well as 9-5 in the Pac-12, while Washington is 18-6 (8-5 Pac-12).
WHAT HAPPENED: Junior Alexa Smith hammered 14 kills and hit .444 with just two errors on 27 attacks while adding 12 digs, both match-highs. Joslyn Hayes recorded 12 kills and also had two errors on 20 swings to hit .500. Frankie Shebby also performed well with nine kills, nine digs and two blocks.
CU hit extremely well against the Huskies at .337, which is its highest hitting percentage in Pac-12 play this year. Brynna DeLuzio handed out 21 assists, while Emily DeMure added another 13.
Courtney Schwan led the Huskies with 12 kills and hit .440 and added nine digs.
SET 1: The Buffs took the first two points in the match, but the Huskies tallied the next five. CU would come back to even the set at 8-8 and then take the lead on the following point off a UW attack error. The Buffs were able to increase their advantage to three points at 18-15, but the Huskies came back to even the set up at 19-19. At that point, the Buffs used a 4-1 run to get back to a three-point lead (23-20) and won the frame 25-22.
SET 2: The second set was another close one. It was all tied up at 13-13 when CU used a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 advantage. The Huskies sided-out on the following point, but the Buffs did not quit and added two more points with a kill from Anna Pfefferle and an ace from DeLuzio (20-14). UW scored three straight quick points (20-17), but CU would not let the lead go and went on to finish the game 25-18.
SET 3: CU was down early in the third set (8-4) when they stormed back to even it up with four straight points. UW went back ahead on the next point, but the Buffs retook the lead a short time later at 12-11. UW went up again at 16-15 and at that point, CU recorded a 5-0 run to take a 20-16 lead and increased it to 23-18. The Huskies made an attempt to get back in the frame with a trio of points, cutting the lead to a pair (23-21), but the Buffs were able to take the set with three of the next four points (25-22).
NOTES: The Buffs have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two teams in Boulder…CU is 5-5 against ranked teams this year...This is the fourth sweep in Pac-12 play, the second straight…CU has won seven of its last eight, including four straight…UW has only been swept one other time this season; a loss at Southern California.
TEAM STATISTICS: Colorado hit .337, its best hitting percentage in Pac-12 play. The Buffs had 44 kills and just nine errors on 104 attacks. They held UW to a .191 hitting efficiency with 39 kills and 17 errors on 115 swings. CU also lead in assists (40-34) and digs (50-45). The Huskies had the advantage in aces (5-3) and blocks (5.0-4.0).
NEXT UP: Colorado heads to Los Angeles for a pair of contest, starting on Nov. 9 against UCLA. Then on Nov. 11, CU will take on Southern California.
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
General
"It was a great performance by all of our players. I thought everyone did a fantastic job. We had a bit of a scare early when Brynna [DeLuzio] went down with her ankle. Emily [DeMure] came in and I thought she played fantastically. She set the ball well. She defended, she blocked well. It was just a really clutch performance by her. We only had nine attack errors in three sets against a blocking team like that. I thought both of our outsides were fantastic. When we got the ball to our middles, they were efficient as well. Naghede [Abu] did well on the swings that she took. It's hard for me to single anything out. The match was really well played by us."
On Team Chemistry
"Last year we were injured during the second half of Pac-12 play and we just weren't firing on all cylinders. First year through with the group, we understand how we want to game plan and attack certain teams. I think this time through, we've been healthy. We're a year older, a year wiser. The last three weeks, our kids have been all over it game planning before games and adjusting during games. Defensively, we've been ahead of the other team tactically for the last couple of matches."
On Brynna DeLuzio's Injury
"She just rolled her ankle. I think it's a middle sprain. If it was a tournament match I think she would have played all the way through but today's match wasn't worth risking anything. We need her healthy for us to be as successful as we want to be."
On If The Longer Stretch Before The Next Match Is Beneficial
"Absolutely. We had a shorter week this week coming off of the road so I think it will be good for our players to have a couple of days off. We'll have a light day Monday and a prep day Tuesday. The players are doing a really nice job because we're actually not playing a ton of volleyball during the week which sounds weird. But we're watching film and going through some no jump practices and the players are doing a great job of implementing that into live play. I'm not sure we'll change a whole lot. We want to be peaking physically towards the end."
Alexa Smith
On Changes From Last Year
"We always say that we want to continue to get better and last year we said that but didn't really follow through with that, now you see that being done. I think that we owe that to all of the coaches because they do set us up for success. Lee, Jesse, and Evan spend so many hours scouting these teams, setting us up, and telling us what to do. We just have to go out and do it at this point."
On Big Play Late In Fifth Set
"That play really showed the heart of this team. Our team chemistry is something else this year and I think that is why we are doing so well because off the floor we get along so well. It makes it so much more fun to play together and so that play showed how much we want to celebrate the good things together."
Joslyn Hayes
On Changes From Last Year
"Oh a hundred percent, games like tonight show that on the court. I think it is this energy we have between each other and having the confidence that if we make a mistake we can bounce back. We know what we did wrong from the coaches, because they set us up for success. We are taught exactly, "Hey this is what you are supposed to do. If you didn't do it that was your bad, this is the next thing that you have to do." So I think that the turn-around really just goes to knowing what we are supposed to be doing and implementing it."
On Making Adjustments Due to DeLuzio Leaving In The First Set
"It wasn't a huge adjustment on our part because Emily [DeMure] came in and did perfectly. We didn't have to do much, Emily came in and she was ready. She set the tempo, she played defense, she did it all. It wasn't a huge scare for us, obviously it was crappy that Brynna went down, but Emily was able to adjust very well. We were all behind her, supporting her, and she came in and did a beautiful job."
Team Stats
WASH
COLO
Kills
38
44
Errors
17
10
Attempts
112
100
Hitting %
.188
.340
Points
49.0
51.0
Assists
33
40
Aces
5
3
Blocks
6.0
4.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
S/L
/ Volleyball
S/OPP
/ VolleyballOPP
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
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