Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Opens NCAA Tournament Against Colorado State
NCAA TOURNAMENT: Colorado (15-12) will face in-state rival Colorado State (20-8) on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at Moby Arena on the campus of Colorado State University. The winner of the match will play the winner of the No. 3 Washington/Siena match which will be played at 5 p.m. prior to CUGÇÖs match. The second round match will be played at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Washington is the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament trailing only No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Penn State.
The Buffs were one of seven teams from the Big 12 Conference to advance to the tournament; the most out of any conference in 2005. CU finished in fifth-place in the league standings at 10-10. The Big 12 has had 63 NCAA Championship bids in its 10 years of existence, including a league record eight bids in 2001.
The Buffaloes will be making their 15th overall NCAA Tournament appearance and the 14th in the past 15 seasons. It is the third straight year CU has been invited to the tournament.
ON THE SEASON: Colorado is 15-12 overall and finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference with a 10-10 record. The Buffaloes have clinched a .500 or better record for the 18th consecutive season.
Senior right side hitter Allie Griffin is averaging 4.64 kills per game while hitting .289 on the year. She ranks second in the Big 12 in kills and is 14th in hitting percentage. Griffin has hit more than 20 kills in nine matches this season; including a career-high 29 against Kansas State on Oct. 12. She notched her 1,000th-career kill with her first kill in the fifth game against Kansas on Oct. 1. Sophomore Amber Sutherland is averaging 3.88 per game. Sutherland ranks sixth in the league in kills. ColoradoGÇÖs 15.82 kills per game is fourth in the Big 12.
Junior middle blocker Lara Bossow has four block solos and 79 block assists while averaging 0.78 blocks per game. Freshman middle blocker Lauren Schaefer has 87 total blocks (11 solo and 76 assists) on the season. She is averaging 0.88 blocks per game. The Buffs are averaging 2.25 blocks per game and are 11th in the Big 12.
Junior setter Ashley NuGÇÖu has passed out 1,402 assists this season to average 13.23 per game. She currently ranks third in the Big 12 and leads Colorado to a .260 attack percentage that ranks fourth in the league. Bossow is hitting a team-best .368.
The BuffaloesGÇÖ defense is lead by Sutherland. She has picked up 284 digs this season and averages 2.70 per game. She is 15th in the league. Senior Nicole Carr has picked up 271 digs this season and has played five games as the teamGÇÖs libero. Carr notched her 1,000th-career dig on Oct. 1 versus Kansas. Sophomore libero Therese Vinal has collected 218 digs. The Buffs are 10th in the Big 12 with 13.35 digs per game.
CU has defeated three ranked teams this season; with two of those wins coming on the road. CU took two consecutive matches against ranked opponents for the first time since 1996 when the Buffs stunned Kansas State and Texas A&M on Oct. 12 and 16.
The first of the two consecutive wins against ranked teams came against No. 20 Kansas State. It was the first win over a ranked opponent this season for Colorado as the Buffs beat the Wildcats 30-14, 30-25, 25-30, 28-30, 15-5. CU followed it up with a win at 24th-ranked Texas A&M. The Buffs rallied back from a 0-2 deficit and won 20-30, 25-30, 30-26, 30-28, 15-10.
ColoradoGÇÖs most recent victory against a ranked team came on Oct. 29 as the Buffs shocked eighth-ranked Missouri 20-30, 30-28, 23-30, 30-27, 15-12 in Columbia, Mo. CU played in front of 2,571, the fourth largest crowd in MU history.
Seven of ColoradoGÇÖs losses have come to CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 ranked opponents. Five of those losses have come to a team ranked in the top-10 at the time.
ABOUT THE RAMS: Colorado State is 20-8 overall and finished third in the Mountain West Conference with a 12-4 record. Tess Rogers leads the Rams with 3.62 kills per game. Casey Bauer and Dre Downs are also averaging over three kills per game with 3.43 and 3.18 respectively. Downs adds 1.53 blocks per game and Mekana Barnes records 1.24. Katherine Whitney leads CSU with 4.18 kils per game. The Rams are hitting .234 and have held their opponents to a .156 hitting percentage.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES: Washington is currently ranked third in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Huskies sports a 26-1 overall record and won the Pac-10 Conference with a 17-1 record. UWGÇÖs only loss of the season came against conference foe UCLA. Courtney Thompson leads the country with 14.96 assists per game. She is directing the Huskies to a .347 attack percentage. Sanja Tomasevic, a 2003 AVCA All-American, is averaging 4.52 kills per game while hitting at a .373 clip. Christal Morrison, a 2004 All-American, ranks second on the team with 4.04 kills per game. The Huskies are averaging 15.96 digs and 3.07 blocks per game.
ABOUT THE SAINTS: Siena owns a 20-11 overall record and was 7-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Saints are on a nine-match win streak. Nadiege Honore has tallied 3.98 kills and 2.64 digs to lead Siena. Teammate Christie Gustafson has added 3.49 kills per game. April London has recorded 10.47 assists per game and leads the Saints to a .224 attack percentage. Kathi Kobayashi has picked up 3.48 digs per game.
SERIES RECORDS: Colorado State owns an 18-11 advantage over the Buffaloes. CSU has won eight of the last 10 meetings, with two of those wins in the NCAA Tournament second round. The last time CU defeated the Rams was on Sept. 10, 2002 in four (17-30, 30-23, 30-27, 30-26). The Buffs have never beaten CSU in the NCAA Tournament.
Colorado has only faced Washington twice and is 1-1 in the series. The last time the Buffs faced the Huskies in 1994, CU won 15-13, 7-15, 15-10, 16-14.
Siena and CU have never met.
CU NCAA TOURNEY NOTES VERSUS THE RAMS: Colorado has never defeated Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament. CSU has knocked the Buffs out of the Tournament twice.
CU has never played CSU in the first round of the tournament.
Colorado has traveled to Fort Collins, Colo. for four NCAA Tournaments and its second straight trip.
The last time the Buffs defeated the Rams was on Sept. 10, 2002, when the current seniors were freshman. The only current senior to play in that CU victory was Nicole Carr.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Colorado has a history of playing the NCAA Tournament at Fort Collins, Colo. This is the fourth time the Buffs have traveled to Colorado State for the first and second rounds of the tournament. CU won its first match the first two years and advanced to the second round to play the Rams only to lose in five both times.
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