Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Mark Waldron
Buffs Ready For First NCAA Sweet 16 In 20 Years
December 06, 2017 | Volleyball
BOULDER— The 24-9 Colorado Buffaloes will take on No. 5 Nebraska on Friday, December 8, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament in Lexington, Ky. First serve is set for 12 p.m. MT/2 p.m. ET. It will be streamed on ESPN3.
The winner of the contest will take on the winner of the other match-up between the No. 4 seeded Kentucky and the No. 13 seeded BYU.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Links to the live stats can be found at the tournament central page: http://buffs.me/2zP7PiS.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado improved to 24-9 after sweeping James Madison and No. 18 Baylor in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, respectively, last week in Waco, Texas. This is the fourth trip in school history of the Sweet 16, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 1997.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with 3.99 kills per set and is sixth in the league in attacks (10.81 per set), while junior Frankie Shebby is ninth in the conference with 3.52 kills per set and is ninth with 9.96 attacks per set. Junior Naghede Abu has the fourth best hitting percentage in the league (.350) and senior Anna Pfefferle is 10th (.317). Colorado's offense is directed by freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio. She ranks third in the Pac-12, 25th in the NCAA, with 11.10 assists per set average and has guided the Buffs to a .252 hitting efficiency.
Defensively the Buffs are led by Abu who has recorded 1.22 blocks per set (sixth in the Pac-12). Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels ranks eighth in the conference with a 3.51 digs per set mark.
CU finished the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with a 12-8 mark, their best ever record since joining the league in 2011.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS: Nebraska is currently 28-4 overall and finished the Big 12 19-1. The Cornhuskers are the fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well as fifth in the AVCA Coaches Poll. NU defeated Stony Brook (3-0) and Washington State (3-0) to advance to the Sweet 16.
Mikaela Foecke leads NU with 3.46 kills per set while hitting at a .294 clip. She also adds 2.27 digs and 0.49 blocks per set. Annika Albrecht is second on the team with 3.03 kills per set and adds 2.73 digs per set. Kelly Hunter has directed the Huskers to a .285 hitting percentage (14th in the NCAA) with 10.79 assists per set. NU has been averaging 14.22 kills per set, the 22nd best mark in the nation. Defensively the Huskers have held their opponents to a .149 hitting efficiency, which is sixth in the NCAA. Their block is averaging 2.37 per set and is led by Briana Holman's 1.13 blocks per set.
THE SERIES: The all-time series between CU and NU goes all the way back to the beginning of CU's program in 1986. The Buffs were not part of the Big Eight the first year, but joined the league in 1987, at which point the two teams would face each other a minimum of twice a year, sometimes three during the Big Eight days.
Nebraska leads the all-time series 49-7, but only has a 4-2 lead in meetings at a neutral site. Some of the Buffs biggest wins have come against the Cornhuskers. CU won its first Big Eight Tournament Championship in 1992, defeating NU 3-1 in the final. The Buffs won the outright Big Eight title in 1993 and won their second straight conference tournament title after they upset Nebraska again, this time 3-2, in the championship.
On Nov. 11, 2006, the Buffs upset top-ranked Nebraska in Boulder, 3-2, handing the Cornhuskers their only loss of the season as NU went on to win the NCAA title. It was the first win for the Buffs over a No. 1 ranked team.
CU also recorded its first win over a No. 2 ranked team, again Nebraska, on Oct. 27, 2008, in Boulder. The Buffs took the match 3-1.
The winner of the contest will take on the winner of the other match-up between the No. 4 seeded Kentucky and the No. 13 seeded BYU.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Links to the live stats can be found at the tournament central page: http://buffs.me/2zP7PiS.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado improved to 24-9 after sweeping James Madison and No. 18 Baylor in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, respectively, last week in Waco, Texas. This is the fourth trip in school history of the Sweet 16, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 1997.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with 3.99 kills per set and is sixth in the league in attacks (10.81 per set), while junior Frankie Shebby is ninth in the conference with 3.52 kills per set and is ninth with 9.96 attacks per set. Junior Naghede Abu has the fourth best hitting percentage in the league (.350) and senior Anna Pfefferle is 10th (.317). Colorado's offense is directed by freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio. She ranks third in the Pac-12, 25th in the NCAA, with 11.10 assists per set average and has guided the Buffs to a .252 hitting efficiency.
Defensively the Buffs are led by Abu who has recorded 1.22 blocks per set (sixth in the Pac-12). Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels ranks eighth in the conference with a 3.51 digs per set mark.
CU finished the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with a 12-8 mark, their best ever record since joining the league in 2011.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS: Nebraska is currently 28-4 overall and finished the Big 12 19-1. The Cornhuskers are the fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well as fifth in the AVCA Coaches Poll. NU defeated Stony Brook (3-0) and Washington State (3-0) to advance to the Sweet 16.
Mikaela Foecke leads NU with 3.46 kills per set while hitting at a .294 clip. She also adds 2.27 digs and 0.49 blocks per set. Annika Albrecht is second on the team with 3.03 kills per set and adds 2.73 digs per set. Kelly Hunter has directed the Huskers to a .285 hitting percentage (14th in the NCAA) with 10.79 assists per set. NU has been averaging 14.22 kills per set, the 22nd best mark in the nation. Defensively the Huskers have held their opponents to a .149 hitting efficiency, which is sixth in the NCAA. Their block is averaging 2.37 per set and is led by Briana Holman's 1.13 blocks per set.
THE SERIES: The all-time series between CU and NU goes all the way back to the beginning of CU's program in 1986. The Buffs were not part of the Big Eight the first year, but joined the league in 1987, at which point the two teams would face each other a minimum of twice a year, sometimes three during the Big Eight days.
Nebraska leads the all-time series 49-7, but only has a 4-2 lead in meetings at a neutral site. Some of the Buffs biggest wins have come against the Cornhuskers. CU won its first Big Eight Tournament Championship in 1992, defeating NU 3-1 in the final. The Buffs won the outright Big Eight title in 1993 and won their second straight conference tournament title after they upset Nebraska again, this time 3-2, in the championship.
On Nov. 11, 2006, the Buffs upset top-ranked Nebraska in Boulder, 3-2, handing the Cornhuskers their only loss of the season as NU went on to win the NCAA title. It was the first win for the Buffs over a No. 1 ranked team.
CU also recorded its first win over a No. 2 ranked team, again Nebraska, on Oct. 27, 2008, in Boulder. The Buffs took the match 3-1.
Players Mentioned
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