Sunday, October 7
Boulder, CO
12:00 PM
Colorado
10-7, 2-4Pac-12
0
vs
3
Stanford
14-1, 6-0Pac-12
1
2
3
F
Stanford
27
25
25
3
Colorado
25
23
22
0
Photo by: Tim Benko, Benko Photographics
Buffs Push No. 2 Stanford to Edge in Loss
October 07, 2018 | Volleyball
BOULDER — It took three sets separated by three or less points Sunday afternoon, but the University of Colorado fell to No.2-ranked Stanford at home despite hitting a season-best .358 as a team.
The Buffs pushed the Cardinals closer than any team has in conference this season in every set (25-27, 23-25, 22-25). Though the Buffs were not able to pick up a set, a feat only done twice against Stanford this season in conference, Colorado's seven-point margin is the closest in the Pac-12 against Stanford.
Junior outside Justine Spann led the team with 18 kills with a .395 hitting percentage. She and Alexa Smith each nearly had 20-point matches with Smith finishing with 17 kills while hitting .342. Smith also picked up another double-double as she also led the team with a dozen digs.
Also for Colorado on the offensive end, Emily DeMure rotated in at right side with Lauren Dorrell and put down five kills on seven errorless swings. Her .714 hitting percentage is one of the highest for a Buff this season with five or more kills. Joining her with five kills for themselves were Dorrell and Naghede Abu.
The team's high hitting percentage and kills per set mark was accomplished from the successful passing and setting from the Buffs. Jenna Ewert posted 23 assists, while Brynna DeLuzio had 19. The duos 14 assists per set is the second-best mark this season.
Defense was hard to come by in the match with each team hitting extraordinary in the first two sets. Danielle Price led the team with three block assists, while Spann added eight digs to Smith's team-best dozen. Both setters also had seven digs, while Gabby Carta-Samuels tallied six.
Colorado's team hitting percentage of .358 is the highest for the Buffs this season and the highest the Cardinals have faced this season. The 53 kills CU put down were the third-most Stanford has faced this season, and the 17.66 kills per set is four more kills per set better than any other Cardinal opponent.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1: The Buffs came out trading points with the Cardinals. Each team was perfect in sideout percentage expect for the first serve. The Buffs finally broke the pattern to take a 6-5 lead, but another ace by Stanford took back the lead at 7-6. The Buffs took the first two-point lead of the set at 11-9 off of an Emily DeMure kill, which she followed up with another to make it a three-point set. CU was hitting outstanding at .667 in the set and a 14-12 lead. The Cardinals ran off a three-point swing to retake the lead, but CU put down a block to tie it back up. The Cardinals found their first two-point lead at 18-16, but Alexa Smith put down a kill and Stanford had an attack error to close the gap back to even. Colorado put down a pair of back-to-back kills from Smith and Lauren Dorrell to retake the lead at 20-19 and force a Stanford timeout. The Cardinals retook the lead for a moment at 22-21, but CU tied it back up off the next point. Coach Mahoney called timeout at 23 all, using the opportunity to discuss the game plan with the ladies going forward. Out of the timeout Justine Spann put down a kill to take the first set-point of the match. After a Stanford point the Buffs earned their second set-point from a Stanford net violation. The Cardinals survived the second set-point and pushed to their first set-point at 26-25. Stanford won the set on an ace, taking it 27-25. Both teams hit greater than .400 in the set, with Kathryn Plummer posting 10 kills in the opening set for Stanford.
SET 2: Much like the opening set things started out back and forth to a 4-4 tie. CU took its first lead from an Emily DeMure kill, her fourth on four swings. That sparked a three-point run for the Buffs to take a 6-4 lead before Stanford could sideout again. Justine Spann put down two of the points and continued with a third kill in a row. Stanford returned with a run of four to take a 9-7 lead before a service error gave the serve back to CU. Stanford jumped to 14-11 lead before CU called its first timeout. Out of the timeout CU went on a three-point run to tie the set at 14 all. CU retook the lead from a Brynna DeLuzio ace at 17-16. The set swung back Stanford's way at 20-19. CU tied the set back up at 20 all, but after Stanford posted a pair of points the Buffs called timeout. Stanford reached set-point at 24-22, finishing off the set at 25-23. The set was similar with both teams posting hitting percentage greater than .450, with Stanford hitting .526. The match was already at 33 ties and 12 lead changes.
SET 3: Things got out the same with numerous ties until Stanford found three-point run for a 6-3 lead and a CU timeout. A trio of Buff kills tied the set back up at six all. Stanford responded with a trio of points themselves for a 9-6 lead. After a quick sideout the Cardinals went on a four-point run for a 13-7 lead, the largest of the match. The Buffs worked slowly to cut into the gap, forcing a Stanford timeout at 16-14. The Cardinals pushed the gap back to 19-15, forcing a CU timeout. The Buffs clawed back into it to scare Stanford into another timeout at 23-21. CU would survive a single match-point before the Cardinals finished off the match.
QUOTABLES:
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney
On the match
"I thought it was a really competitive match, we played at a really high level especially offensively. Both teams hitting for most of the match above .400, I think that they came down a little bit in the last set. I thought that we did a lot of good things to put ourselves in position to be competitive and successful against what is probably the best team in the country. They have certainly been the best team in our league last year and this year so far, so really good performances. I think that Justine had a ton of kills and hit for a really good percentage, I thought that we did a nice job with blocking. I thought Danielle Price had a lot of really nice moves there. Overall we played a really clean match, it just wasn't enough because the other side was a little bit cleaner. Each set had a couple things that could have gone either way, I don't like moral victories, but it was nice to play at a high level. I think that our kids enjoyed that, we just have to get a little better."
On possible troubles running out of subs
"Well it depends how you define trouble. Yeah we ran out of subs in the first two sets but that is going to happen when neither team plays a lot of defense. Both sides score offensively and we ran out of subs before we hit twenty in the first set and so we ran a 5-1 at the end of those sets. I don't think that really had an effect on how those sets ended, I thought that we continued to play at a high level. We maybe should prepare for that a little more because we are always on the edge of it, we will probably do that this week."
On how this game prepared them for next weekend
"We feel like we can beat anybody in the country and in our conference, especially when we play at home. Those are two really good teams, I think that if we certainly serve and pass at that level we are going to give ourselves opportunities we should be really successful. We are now 2-4 in the league so we have a little work to get back at .500. We even want to be better than that obviously so these become really important matches. Every match is important but the next one is most important. We will be ready and prepare and be good to go this weekend."
Setter Brynna DeLuzio
On the outstanding hitting
"We actually passed really well in all the sets, especially the first set. We did a good job in our serve and pass game and we were able to run pin-to-pin middle. When we are able to do that we can spread out the offense and everyone was hitting well today."
On how this game prepared them for next weekend
"I think we saw today that we can play at a really high level and stay consistent at that high level. I think what it really comes down to is our serve and pass game. We have the talent in all our hitters to away the ball, so if we are able to do that we can score lots of points."
Outside Justine Spann
On her and Alexa's performance
"I think it helps with the passing definitely showing that we can go either way with every pass. Our setters were dishing out sets every way to give us holes in the block. It was definitely a team effort on that part."
UP NEXT: The Buffs remain home next weekend for matchups against No.20 Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks come to Boulder Friday evening at 7 p.m., followed up the Beavers at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Buffs pushed the Cardinals closer than any team has in conference this season in every set (25-27, 23-25, 22-25). Though the Buffs were not able to pick up a set, a feat only done twice against Stanford this season in conference, Colorado's seven-point margin is the closest in the Pac-12 against Stanford.
Junior outside Justine Spann led the team with 18 kills with a .395 hitting percentage. She and Alexa Smith each nearly had 20-point matches with Smith finishing with 17 kills while hitting .342. Smith also picked up another double-double as she also led the team with a dozen digs.
Also for Colorado on the offensive end, Emily DeMure rotated in at right side with Lauren Dorrell and put down five kills on seven errorless swings. Her .714 hitting percentage is one of the highest for a Buff this season with five or more kills. Joining her with five kills for themselves were Dorrell and Naghede Abu.
The team's high hitting percentage and kills per set mark was accomplished from the successful passing and setting from the Buffs. Jenna Ewert posted 23 assists, while Brynna DeLuzio had 19. The duos 14 assists per set is the second-best mark this season.
Defense was hard to come by in the match with each team hitting extraordinary in the first two sets. Danielle Price led the team with three block assists, while Spann added eight digs to Smith's team-best dozen. Both setters also had seven digs, while Gabby Carta-Samuels tallied six.
Colorado's team hitting percentage of .358 is the highest for the Buffs this season and the highest the Cardinals have faced this season. The 53 kills CU put down were the third-most Stanford has faced this season, and the 17.66 kills per set is four more kills per set better than any other Cardinal opponent.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1: The Buffs came out trading points with the Cardinals. Each team was perfect in sideout percentage expect for the first serve. The Buffs finally broke the pattern to take a 6-5 lead, but another ace by Stanford took back the lead at 7-6. The Buffs took the first two-point lead of the set at 11-9 off of an Emily DeMure kill, which she followed up with another to make it a three-point set. CU was hitting outstanding at .667 in the set and a 14-12 lead. The Cardinals ran off a three-point swing to retake the lead, but CU put down a block to tie it back up. The Cardinals found their first two-point lead at 18-16, but Alexa Smith put down a kill and Stanford had an attack error to close the gap back to even. Colorado put down a pair of back-to-back kills from Smith and Lauren Dorrell to retake the lead at 20-19 and force a Stanford timeout. The Cardinals retook the lead for a moment at 22-21, but CU tied it back up off the next point. Coach Mahoney called timeout at 23 all, using the opportunity to discuss the game plan with the ladies going forward. Out of the timeout Justine Spann put down a kill to take the first set-point of the match. After a Stanford point the Buffs earned their second set-point from a Stanford net violation. The Cardinals survived the second set-point and pushed to their first set-point at 26-25. Stanford won the set on an ace, taking it 27-25. Both teams hit greater than .400 in the set, with Kathryn Plummer posting 10 kills in the opening set for Stanford.
SET 2: Much like the opening set things started out back and forth to a 4-4 tie. CU took its first lead from an Emily DeMure kill, her fourth on four swings. That sparked a three-point run for the Buffs to take a 6-4 lead before Stanford could sideout again. Justine Spann put down two of the points and continued with a third kill in a row. Stanford returned with a run of four to take a 9-7 lead before a service error gave the serve back to CU. Stanford jumped to 14-11 lead before CU called its first timeout. Out of the timeout CU went on a three-point run to tie the set at 14 all. CU retook the lead from a Brynna DeLuzio ace at 17-16. The set swung back Stanford's way at 20-19. CU tied the set back up at 20 all, but after Stanford posted a pair of points the Buffs called timeout. Stanford reached set-point at 24-22, finishing off the set at 25-23. The set was similar with both teams posting hitting percentage greater than .450, with Stanford hitting .526. The match was already at 33 ties and 12 lead changes.
SET 3: Things got out the same with numerous ties until Stanford found three-point run for a 6-3 lead and a CU timeout. A trio of Buff kills tied the set back up at six all. Stanford responded with a trio of points themselves for a 9-6 lead. After a quick sideout the Cardinals went on a four-point run for a 13-7 lead, the largest of the match. The Buffs worked slowly to cut into the gap, forcing a Stanford timeout at 16-14. The Cardinals pushed the gap back to 19-15, forcing a CU timeout. The Buffs clawed back into it to scare Stanford into another timeout at 23-21. CU would survive a single match-point before the Cardinals finished off the match.
QUOTABLES:
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney
On the match
"I thought it was a really competitive match, we played at a really high level especially offensively. Both teams hitting for most of the match above .400, I think that they came down a little bit in the last set. I thought that we did a lot of good things to put ourselves in position to be competitive and successful against what is probably the best team in the country. They have certainly been the best team in our league last year and this year so far, so really good performances. I think that Justine had a ton of kills and hit for a really good percentage, I thought that we did a nice job with blocking. I thought Danielle Price had a lot of really nice moves there. Overall we played a really clean match, it just wasn't enough because the other side was a little bit cleaner. Each set had a couple things that could have gone either way, I don't like moral victories, but it was nice to play at a high level. I think that our kids enjoyed that, we just have to get a little better."
On possible troubles running out of subs
"Well it depends how you define trouble. Yeah we ran out of subs in the first two sets but that is going to happen when neither team plays a lot of defense. Both sides score offensively and we ran out of subs before we hit twenty in the first set and so we ran a 5-1 at the end of those sets. I don't think that really had an effect on how those sets ended, I thought that we continued to play at a high level. We maybe should prepare for that a little more because we are always on the edge of it, we will probably do that this week."
On how this game prepared them for next weekend
"We feel like we can beat anybody in the country and in our conference, especially when we play at home. Those are two really good teams, I think that if we certainly serve and pass at that level we are going to give ourselves opportunities we should be really successful. We are now 2-4 in the league so we have a little work to get back at .500. We even want to be better than that obviously so these become really important matches. Every match is important but the next one is most important. We will be ready and prepare and be good to go this weekend."
Setter Brynna DeLuzio
On the outstanding hitting
"We actually passed really well in all the sets, especially the first set. We did a good job in our serve and pass game and we were able to run pin-to-pin middle. When we are able to do that we can spread out the offense and everyone was hitting well today."
On how this game prepared them for next weekend
"I think we saw today that we can play at a really high level and stay consistent at that high level. I think what it really comes down to is our serve and pass game. We have the talent in all our hitters to away the ball, so if we are able to do that we can score lots of points."
Outside Justine Spann
On her and Alexa's performance
"I think it helps with the passing definitely showing that we can go either way with every pass. Our setters were dishing out sets every way to give us holes in the block. It was definitely a team effort on that part."
UP NEXT: The Buffs remain home next weekend for matchups against No.20 Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks come to Boulder Friday evening at 7 p.m., followed up the Beavers at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Team Stats
STAN
COLO
Kills
58
53
Errors
10
10
Attempts
125
120
Hitting %
.384
.358
Points
69.5
60.0
Assists
55
48
Aces
5
2
Blocks
6.5
5.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
S/L
/ Volleyball
S/OPP
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballColorado vs. CSU Highlights | September 19, 2025
Saturday, September 20
Golden Spike Series Preview | GTK Ana Burilović | This Week in Colorado Volleyball | Sept. 16, 2025
Tuesday, September 16
Volleyball: Colorado vs. Denver Highlights | September 14, 2025
Sunday, September 14
Colorado vs. Toledo Highlights | September 13, 2025
Sunday, September 14