Friday, October 5
Boulder, CO
8:00 PM
Colorado
10-6, 2-3PAC-12
3
vs
2
California
8-8, 0-5Pac-12
1
2
3
4
5
F
California
17
28
25
16
8
2
Colorado
25
26
18
25
15
3
Team Stats
CAL
COLO
Kills
49
66
Errors
27
31
Attempts
148
175
Hitting %
.149
.200
Points
66.0
81.0
Assists
48
61
Aces
5
4
Blocks
12.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
3
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
S/L
/ Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballPhoto by: Tony Harman
CU Rallies Back to Defeat Cal
October 06, 2018 | Volleyball
BOULDER — The University of Colorado women's volleyball team picked up its 10th win of the season in a comeback five-set victory against Cal Friday evening in the CU Events Center.
The Buffs had a back-and-forth night, dominating the opening set with a .314 hitting percentage then coming back from down eight to have a chance to with the second. Things turned as the Golden Bears held CU to a .025 hitting percentage in a defeated third set and took a 2-1 advantage. A resilient Buffs squad well into survival mode and were able to sideout on 81 percent of their chances in the fourth to easily take the set, then quickly shut the door with an outstanding .333 hitting percentage and 10 kills in the fifth to take the win.
A pair of double-doubles proved to be the key for CU with the first coming from senior captain Alexa Smith. The outside posted a phenomenal 17 kills and 17 digs, leading the team in both categories and nearly leading the match in both. She also put down three aces and a block.
The other six-rotation outside Justine Spann had a great night, especially down the stretch when it counted. Spann closed out the final two sets with four kills in each, including a .571 hitting percentage in the final set. She also had six digs down the stretch, with four coming in set five. She finished the night with 14 kills and 13 digs.
Also for the Buffs offensively, Brynna DeLuzio and Jenna Ewert continued to shine in the setter position. DeLuzio finished with 28 assists and seven digs, while Ewert finished with 23 assists and eight digs. Middles Naghede Abu and Danielle Price were a pair of efficient weapons for the setters with Abu finishing with 10 kills and Price with eight.
On the defensive side of things, Abu anchored a wall that put down 11 total blocks. The senior middle finished with a team-high seven block assists, joined by Price and Lauren Dorrell with four apiece. Smith and Spann cleaned up 30 digs, nearly half of the team's total for the evening. Joining the duo was Gabby Carta-Samuels with nine digs, while Rachel Whipple had seven digs and dished out six assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1: The teams came out trading points, but CU found a quick 4-2 lead with a Rachel Whipple ace and Naghede Abu kill. Emily DeMure made her first key appearance, quickly putting down a block and a kill to give the Buffs a 9-3 lead, a five-point run and a Cal timeout. The Buffs had scored the last seven of eight points and were on a tear. Out of the timeout the Golden Bears brought the set back into vision at 10-8. Colorado gathered back the lead at 14-10, led by a trio of Buffs with a pair of kills. CU hit the 20-point mark with a six-point lead, leading to another Cal timeout. Danielle Price had a perfect four kills on four swings before letting up her first error, but with the team leading 22-15 it was just icing on the cake. The Buffs reached set point at 24-15, closing out the first set from a set error on Cal at 25-17. CU hit well at during the set with a .345 hitting percentage. Alexa Smith led the team with five kills.
SET 2: The Golden Bears scored the first three points and took a commanding 6-1 lead. Cal continued to lead to a 9-2 score before Coach Mahoney called timeout. Cal was hitting 1.000 with five kills on five swings, but out of the timeout Alexa Smith ended the run momentarily. Finally the Buffs caught a break with a Jenna Ewert kill and a pair of back-to-back Alexa Smith aces to bring the set to 12-6. The Buffs continued to a 12-8 match before the Cal coach challenged a touch to try and halt a five-point run CU was on. The play was replayed, allowing Cal to sideout at 13-7. The Golden Bears jumped on the opportunity given to erase a CU point and run off a three-point streak for a 15-7 lead. Cal continued to hit a crazy .889 in the set with eight kills on nine errorless swings. Out of a Mahoney challenge Naghede Abu put down a pair of back-to-back kills to bring the score to 17-11. Colorado kept closing the gap before Cal's coach called timeout at 18-14. Alexa Smith put down her third ace of the set as CU pulled with a pair at 20-18. The rally continued as CU took the first lead of the set at 21-20. The Buffs were on a 11-4 run with a 23-22 lead. Despite the heroics Cal was the first to set point after a misplay on a free ball led to an out of system attack. Naghede Abu wasn't letting the set end though with a possible set-saving tip kill then a block to retake the lead. Cal had a third set-point at 27-26, finishing the set off with a close-to-in Alexa Smith attack error.
SET 3: The Buffs got out the gate fast with a 6-1 lead. Cal went on a five-point run to tie up the match quickly. The Golden Bears took its first lead at 8-7. Cal ran to 10-7 before CU called timeout. The Cal's 9-1 run continued to a 12-2 run before CU could sideout again at 13-9. CU started to move back in to position, closing the gap to a pair at 14-12. The Golden Bears pushed back to a 18-12 lead. The team's traded points, but it appeared that missing Anyse Smith was hurting the Buffs with a .030 hitting percentage for the team in the set. Mahoney called timeout at 22-14. The Buffs made a defensive switch bringing in Lillie Klemmer to help control the front. The switch didn't stop the Bears from earning set-point at 24-15. After three failed set-points, Cal called timeout. The timeout worked as Cal finished it on the next point, 25-18.
SET 4: With the Buffs in a win-to-survive situation, the teams came out evenly played with tie-after-tie at five all. CU finally separated the ties with a 9-7 lead, but a pair of Cal points put the set in another tie. The Buffs responded with four-straight points to force a Cal timeout at 13-9. The Buffs held its lead at 16-12, led by Alexa Smith with a double-double. Smith, who leads the team in kills and digs during the season, led the team with 14 kills and 10 digs. Cal called timeout trailing 18-12, which turned out well as the Bears ran three points off before CU could respond. Colorado hit set-point at 24-15, closing out the set at 25-16.
SET 5: CU got the first lead at 3-1. Colorado continued out to a 5-2 lead. Alexa Smith continued to champion the team with three kills to the eight-point switch and media timeout. CU rallied to 10-4 before Cal called timeout. The Buffs subbed back in Emily DeMure as they seemed to be controlling at 13-6. Justine Spann knocked down a huge kill for match-point at 14-8. The Buffs finished the match off the next point.
QUOTABLES:
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney
On the win
"I know Cal is winless in the Pac-12, but that's three really good matches in a row that they've played. They had some really good pieces and have young middles that are great players now and are going to be really good players in the future. I thought it was a little bit of an uneven match for us. We were either wildly consistent or wildly inconsistent. You can see that from the three sets that were super low errored, and the two that we lost where we handed them point after point. Always happy to get the win in conference against a really good Pac-12 team. It was a good win, but we will highlight some things that we know we need to work on. We are going to get probably the best team in the country coming in here on Sunday. We need to be ready."
On the Emily Demure and Lillie Klemmer lineup change in the third and fifth set
"We were without Anyse (Smith) tonight so we started off with Emily DeMure. I thought both Emily and Lillie both did a really nice job. Emily is a little bit more of a true right side and Lillie is a true middle. Both are really nice blockers. It was to change things up with Cal's block. I'm not sure what Lillie came in and hit, but I'm guessing it was pretty good because she had a couple of swings and they were good swings that we scored some points on. Em (Emily DeMure) did a really nice job. We were trying to find ways to be a little bit more efficient."
On Sunday's match against Stanford
"It is hard when you play a team as good as Stanford because it is tough to game plan for a great setter, five really good attackers, and probably the best libero in the Pac-12. We will get to watching film and we'll try to make some decisions with how we serve, with some block decisions, and how we position. The same thing we do with everyone, to give ourselves an opportunity to score a little bit better. They are going to put a lot of pressure on us. We can't give easy points away. They are going to earn some points, but that's okay. We need to make them earn points in order to make it competitive."
Senior Libero Gabby Carta-Samuels
On the adjustments they made after the third set
"It wasn't anything physical. It was a bit of a mental switch. We got into that mode where we knew we had to win. I don't know if it was any specific thing. We picked it up and people just knew we had to take care of the ball or we wouldn't come out with a win."
On what she will say to the team before Stanford
"Remind them of last year. On our floor, it kind of got away from us. We definitely would like to take it back this year."
Senior Outside Alexa Smith
On her strong performance offensively and defensively
"Defensively, the blockers in front of me makes it easy to make defensive plays. A lot of times, Naghede (Abu) and Lauren (Dorrell) are up there funneling the ball so it makes it easy back there. Offensively, I am in a rotation with Brynna (DeLuzio) and she gets me a lot of good balls, and then Jenna (Ewert) as well. Ultimately, it is the rest of my teammates that make it (her success) possible."
On how to get the team ready for Stanford
"Stanford is always a really good team and a really fun team to play. Ultimately, it comes down to being disciplined on our side. If we take care of things on our side, we can play well. We are excited for the challenge."
UP NEXT: The Buffs host the No.2 team in the nation in Stanford Sunday at noon in the CU Events Center. The Cardinals are undefeated in conference play this season, posting sweeps in three out of five matches. Stanford defeated 24th-ranked Utah tonight in four sets in Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday evening.
The Buffs had a back-and-forth night, dominating the opening set with a .314 hitting percentage then coming back from down eight to have a chance to with the second. Things turned as the Golden Bears held CU to a .025 hitting percentage in a defeated third set and took a 2-1 advantage. A resilient Buffs squad well into survival mode and were able to sideout on 81 percent of their chances in the fourth to easily take the set, then quickly shut the door with an outstanding .333 hitting percentage and 10 kills in the fifth to take the win.
A pair of double-doubles proved to be the key for CU with the first coming from senior captain Alexa Smith. The outside posted a phenomenal 17 kills and 17 digs, leading the team in both categories and nearly leading the match in both. She also put down three aces and a block.
The other six-rotation outside Justine Spann had a great night, especially down the stretch when it counted. Spann closed out the final two sets with four kills in each, including a .571 hitting percentage in the final set. She also had six digs down the stretch, with four coming in set five. She finished the night with 14 kills and 13 digs.
Also for the Buffs offensively, Brynna DeLuzio and Jenna Ewert continued to shine in the setter position. DeLuzio finished with 28 assists and seven digs, while Ewert finished with 23 assists and eight digs. Middles Naghede Abu and Danielle Price were a pair of efficient weapons for the setters with Abu finishing with 10 kills and Price with eight.
On the defensive side of things, Abu anchored a wall that put down 11 total blocks. The senior middle finished with a team-high seven block assists, joined by Price and Lauren Dorrell with four apiece. Smith and Spann cleaned up 30 digs, nearly half of the team's total for the evening. Joining the duo was Gabby Carta-Samuels with nine digs, while Rachel Whipple had seven digs and dished out six assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1: The teams came out trading points, but CU found a quick 4-2 lead with a Rachel Whipple ace and Naghede Abu kill. Emily DeMure made her first key appearance, quickly putting down a block and a kill to give the Buffs a 9-3 lead, a five-point run and a Cal timeout. The Buffs had scored the last seven of eight points and were on a tear. Out of the timeout the Golden Bears brought the set back into vision at 10-8. Colorado gathered back the lead at 14-10, led by a trio of Buffs with a pair of kills. CU hit the 20-point mark with a six-point lead, leading to another Cal timeout. Danielle Price had a perfect four kills on four swings before letting up her first error, but with the team leading 22-15 it was just icing on the cake. The Buffs reached set point at 24-15, closing out the first set from a set error on Cal at 25-17. CU hit well at during the set with a .345 hitting percentage. Alexa Smith led the team with five kills.
SET 2: The Golden Bears scored the first three points and took a commanding 6-1 lead. Cal continued to lead to a 9-2 score before Coach Mahoney called timeout. Cal was hitting 1.000 with five kills on five swings, but out of the timeout Alexa Smith ended the run momentarily. Finally the Buffs caught a break with a Jenna Ewert kill and a pair of back-to-back Alexa Smith aces to bring the set to 12-6. The Buffs continued to a 12-8 match before the Cal coach challenged a touch to try and halt a five-point run CU was on. The play was replayed, allowing Cal to sideout at 13-7. The Golden Bears jumped on the opportunity given to erase a CU point and run off a three-point streak for a 15-7 lead. Cal continued to hit a crazy .889 in the set with eight kills on nine errorless swings. Out of a Mahoney challenge Naghede Abu put down a pair of back-to-back kills to bring the score to 17-11. Colorado kept closing the gap before Cal's coach called timeout at 18-14. Alexa Smith put down her third ace of the set as CU pulled with a pair at 20-18. The rally continued as CU took the first lead of the set at 21-20. The Buffs were on a 11-4 run with a 23-22 lead. Despite the heroics Cal was the first to set point after a misplay on a free ball led to an out of system attack. Naghede Abu wasn't letting the set end though with a possible set-saving tip kill then a block to retake the lead. Cal had a third set-point at 27-26, finishing the set off with a close-to-in Alexa Smith attack error.
SET 3: The Buffs got out the gate fast with a 6-1 lead. Cal went on a five-point run to tie up the match quickly. The Golden Bears took its first lead at 8-7. Cal ran to 10-7 before CU called timeout. The Cal's 9-1 run continued to a 12-2 run before CU could sideout again at 13-9. CU started to move back in to position, closing the gap to a pair at 14-12. The Golden Bears pushed back to a 18-12 lead. The team's traded points, but it appeared that missing Anyse Smith was hurting the Buffs with a .030 hitting percentage for the team in the set. Mahoney called timeout at 22-14. The Buffs made a defensive switch bringing in Lillie Klemmer to help control the front. The switch didn't stop the Bears from earning set-point at 24-15. After three failed set-points, Cal called timeout. The timeout worked as Cal finished it on the next point, 25-18.
SET 4: With the Buffs in a win-to-survive situation, the teams came out evenly played with tie-after-tie at five all. CU finally separated the ties with a 9-7 lead, but a pair of Cal points put the set in another tie. The Buffs responded with four-straight points to force a Cal timeout at 13-9. The Buffs held its lead at 16-12, led by Alexa Smith with a double-double. Smith, who leads the team in kills and digs during the season, led the team with 14 kills and 10 digs. Cal called timeout trailing 18-12, which turned out well as the Bears ran three points off before CU could respond. Colorado hit set-point at 24-15, closing out the set at 25-16.
SET 5: CU got the first lead at 3-1. Colorado continued out to a 5-2 lead. Alexa Smith continued to champion the team with three kills to the eight-point switch and media timeout. CU rallied to 10-4 before Cal called timeout. The Buffs subbed back in Emily DeMure as they seemed to be controlling at 13-6. Justine Spann knocked down a huge kill for match-point at 14-8. The Buffs finished the match off the next point.
QUOTABLES:
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney
On the win
"I know Cal is winless in the Pac-12, but that's three really good matches in a row that they've played. They had some really good pieces and have young middles that are great players now and are going to be really good players in the future. I thought it was a little bit of an uneven match for us. We were either wildly consistent or wildly inconsistent. You can see that from the three sets that were super low errored, and the two that we lost where we handed them point after point. Always happy to get the win in conference against a really good Pac-12 team. It was a good win, but we will highlight some things that we know we need to work on. We are going to get probably the best team in the country coming in here on Sunday. We need to be ready."
On the Emily Demure and Lillie Klemmer lineup change in the third and fifth set
"We were without Anyse (Smith) tonight so we started off with Emily DeMure. I thought both Emily and Lillie both did a really nice job. Emily is a little bit more of a true right side and Lillie is a true middle. Both are really nice blockers. It was to change things up with Cal's block. I'm not sure what Lillie came in and hit, but I'm guessing it was pretty good because she had a couple of swings and they were good swings that we scored some points on. Em (Emily DeMure) did a really nice job. We were trying to find ways to be a little bit more efficient."
On Sunday's match against Stanford
"It is hard when you play a team as good as Stanford because it is tough to game plan for a great setter, five really good attackers, and probably the best libero in the Pac-12. We will get to watching film and we'll try to make some decisions with how we serve, with some block decisions, and how we position. The same thing we do with everyone, to give ourselves an opportunity to score a little bit better. They are going to put a lot of pressure on us. We can't give easy points away. They are going to earn some points, but that's okay. We need to make them earn points in order to make it competitive."
Senior Libero Gabby Carta-Samuels
On the adjustments they made after the third set
"It wasn't anything physical. It was a bit of a mental switch. We got into that mode where we knew we had to win. I don't know if it was any specific thing. We picked it up and people just knew we had to take care of the ball or we wouldn't come out with a win."
On what she will say to the team before Stanford
"Remind them of last year. On our floor, it kind of got away from us. We definitely would like to take it back this year."
Senior Outside Alexa Smith
On her strong performance offensively and defensively
"Defensively, the blockers in front of me makes it easy to make defensive plays. A lot of times, Naghede (Abu) and Lauren (Dorrell) are up there funneling the ball so it makes it easy back there. Offensively, I am in a rotation with Brynna (DeLuzio) and she gets me a lot of good balls, and then Jenna (Ewert) as well. Ultimately, it is the rest of my teammates that make it (her success) possible."
On how to get the team ready for Stanford
"Stanford is always a really good team and a really fun team to play. Ultimately, it comes down to being disciplined on our side. If we take care of things on our side, we can play well. We are excited for the challenge."
UP NEXT: The Buffs host the No.2 team in the nation in Stanford Sunday at noon in the CU Events Center. The Cardinals are undefeated in conference play this season, posting sweeps in three out of five matches. Stanford defeated 24th-ranked Utah tonight in four sets in Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday evening.
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