Colorado University Athletics
Saturday, December 2
Waco, TX
7:00 PM
Colorado
at
Baylor
Photo by: Samuel Sharpe Photography
Buffs To Square off Against #18 Baylor In 2nd Round of NCAA Tournament
December 02, 2017 | Volleyball
WACO, Texas— Colorado will face the 18th-ranked Baylor Bears in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, December 2, at 7 p.m. MT/8 p.m. CT, at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Links to the live stats and stream can be found at the tournament central page: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-volley/2017-ncaa-tournament.html.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado improved to 23-9 after defeating James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, December 1. This is the first time since 1994 that the Buffs have recorded 23 wins in a single season.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with 3.97 kills per set, while junior Frankie Shebby is eighth in the conference with 3.51 kills per set. Junior Naghede Abu has the sixth best hitting percentage in the league (.354) and senior Anna Pfefferle is 10th (.316). Colorado's offense is directed by freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio. She ranks third in the Pac-12 with 11.07 assists per set average and has guided the Buffs to a .250 hitting efficiency.
Defensively the Buffs are led by Abu who has recorded 1.19 blocks per set (seventh in the Pac-12). Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels ranks eighth in the conference with a 3.50 digs per set mark.
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Baylor is currently ranked 18th in the AVCA Coaches Poll with a 24-6 overall record. The Bears defeated Miami (Ohio) 3-0 in the first round of the tournament. Katie Staiger leads BU with 3.83 kills per set, while Yossiana Pressley is second with 3.59 kills per set. As a team, the Bears rank ninth in the country with 14.6 kills per set. Hannah Lockin is averaging 11.2 assists per set. BU has two players averaging over 1.00 blocks per set: Shelly Fanning (1.11) and Camryn Freiberg (1.01).
THE SERIES: CU owns a 22-10 mark in the all-time series against Baylor. The Buffs are also 11-5 in Waco, which includes the last meeting, a 3-0 victory, on Sept. 14, 2013.
The series between the two teams started back in 1991. CU took the first meeting 3-0 at a non-conference tournament in Portland, Ore. The two did not meet again until the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1996 and at that point, the Buffs and Bears faced off twice a year until CU left the league for the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. In those 15 years, CU recorded a 20-10 record, which included 13 straight wins (Nov. 11, 2000-Oct. 20, 2007).
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Links to the live stats and stream can be found at the tournament central page: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-volley/2017-ncaa-tournament.html.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado improved to 23-9 after defeating James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, December 1. This is the first time since 1994 that the Buffs have recorded 23 wins in a single season.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with 3.97 kills per set, while junior Frankie Shebby is eighth in the conference with 3.51 kills per set. Junior Naghede Abu has the sixth best hitting percentage in the league (.354) and senior Anna Pfefferle is 10th (.316). Colorado's offense is directed by freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio. She ranks third in the Pac-12 with 11.07 assists per set average and has guided the Buffs to a .250 hitting efficiency.
Defensively the Buffs are led by Abu who has recorded 1.19 blocks per set (seventh in the Pac-12). Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels ranks eighth in the conference with a 3.50 digs per set mark.
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Baylor is currently ranked 18th in the AVCA Coaches Poll with a 24-6 overall record. The Bears defeated Miami (Ohio) 3-0 in the first round of the tournament. Katie Staiger leads BU with 3.83 kills per set, while Yossiana Pressley is second with 3.59 kills per set. As a team, the Bears rank ninth in the country with 14.6 kills per set. Hannah Lockin is averaging 11.2 assists per set. BU has two players averaging over 1.00 blocks per set: Shelly Fanning (1.11) and Camryn Freiberg (1.01).
THE SERIES: CU owns a 22-10 mark in the all-time series against Baylor. The Buffs are also 11-5 in Waco, which includes the last meeting, a 3-0 victory, on Sept. 14, 2013.
The series between the two teams started back in 1991. CU took the first meeting 3-0 at a non-conference tournament in Portland, Ore. The two did not meet again until the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1996 and at that point, the Buffs and Bears faced off twice a year until CU left the league for the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. In those 15 years, CU recorded a 20-10 record, which included 13 straight wins (Nov. 11, 2000-Oct. 20, 2007).
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