Buffs' Dominant Win Over Baylor A Major Moment In Recent CU History

BOULDER — When it comes to quality of opponent, circumstances, what was at stake and performance in that setting, Saturday's Colorado win over Baylor in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament might be overall one of the most dominant, impressive efforts by any CU team in recent memory.

That's any team in any sport.

Yes, such subjective statements are virtually impossible to prove (or disprove). Still, this much is indisputable:

The win came on the home floor of the nation's 18th-ranked team, the 12th seed in the NCAA Tournament and this year's Big 12 runner-up. It was CU's first-ever win in a true road match in the tournament.
At stake was a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16, a place Colorado hasn't visited in two decades; as well as the opportunity for the Buffs to win two matches in the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history.
Maybe most importantly, the Buffs didn't just win, they thoroughly dominated the Bears from beginning to end in the 25-12, 25-22, 25-20 sweep. Not only was it just the third time this year that the Bears had been swept, Colorado's first-set win was the worst set loss suffered by Baylor all season

In short, Saturday's road win against one of the best teams in the nation was by no means a fluke. Rather, it was a dominant performance by a 24-9 team hitting its peak at exactly the right time of the year — the Buffs have won five of their last six — and it came in a contest in which the stakes were of the "win or go home" variety.

No doubt, there have been other Buffs wins in other sports in recent years that belong in the conversation.

There was the 62-36 football home win over No. 2 Nebraska in 2001, as well as the ensuing 39-37 win over No. 3 Texas in the Big 12 title game (technically a neutral site, but by virtually every other measure a home game for the Longhorns).

Certainly the men's basketball 53-51 win over Arizona in the 2012 Pac-12 title game deserves mention; as does the CU women's 68-65 win over No. 8 Oregon State in the 2015 Pac-12 tournament semifinals.

And, there are any number of Colorado's cross country performances — pick your year when the Buffs swept the men's and women's conference titles — that quite clearly deserve to be included in the discussion; as well as a number of CU ski team NCAA Championships results.

But even those efforts don't add up in every category to what Jesse Mahoney's Buffs produced in Waco: a win on the road against a higher-ranked foe with virtually everything at stake.

That speaks volumes, and if there is one overriding message from the weekend, it is that Colorado volleyball is back — and there is no reason to believe the stay will be a short one.

Of the five Buffs to earn All-Pac 12 honors this year (first team or honorable mention), only one, Joslyn Hayes, is a senior. Three others — Naghede Abu (the Most Outstanding Player last weekend), Alexa Smith and Frankie Shebby — are juniors and one, Brynna Deluzio, is just a freshman.

But maybe most importantly, Mahoney has revamped the culture of the program, and he has done so by making sure everyone involved has a voice.

"It's not a top-down thing, it's a group effort," Mahoney said last week. "Our players, our seniors, our upperclassmen, are really involved in identifying the culture we want to create, and then going out and creating it. … I think everybody has been on the same page. Everyone has bought in. I'd call it Colorado volleyball. It's created by staff and players and everyone who is part of this program."

No doubt, playing in the Pac-12 has been a boon for the program. From top to bottom, the conference is almost certainly the best in the nation. While every other league has a handful of good teams, the Pac-12's strength is exhibited by its depth — nine Pac-12 teams earned NCAA berths this season.

It means the Buffs are tested virtually every time they hit the floor in conference play, and "big" games are thus not such a big deal. As Mahoney said last week, he had no worries that the pressure of the moment would overwhelm his team.

"We talk about that all season," Mahoney said. "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."

The Buffs were certainly at their best last week, and now they will have a chance to do it again Friday in the Sweet 16 when they meet fifth-ranked Nebraska (also the tournament's fifth seed) in a noon match in Lexington, Ky.

Colorado will no doubt be the underdog Friday, and understandably so. The Huskers are a national power and they have earned their top-five ranking.

But the Buffs proved over the weekend that they won't be intimidated by the moment or the opponent.

It will be fun to see how they play at the next level.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu