Colorado University Athletics
2008 Volleyball Senior Class Blog
I think I speak for the seniors when I say that we can’t help but reflect this week. ? Reflect upon this season, reflect upon our careers, and reflect upon battles fought and lessons learned. At the same time we are consciously trying to live in the moment since we DO have two matches left. These two matches will determine post-season mood and are therefore just as important as the first match back in September. Practice structure has changed a bit in hopes of sparking a win. The past month of losses that joined hands with “the grind” of season needs to be shaken off our backs like ice on frozen branches and replaced with a fire. This program has every ability to take that small fire and turn it into uncontrollable flames that each woman feels and fuels. This is the power of TEAM sports; Fire can build on fire.
Oh boy, senior night. There are so many things to say about the emotion-filled day. The whole spectrum of emotions is in play to create this uneasy, sad, yet joyful experience. From anger about losses that should have been wins, pure love for my team, laughter when thinking about the good times in vans, and sadness knowing this journey is over.
Hello Everyone- hope you all are doing well. I would like to thank all of you who continue to come and support us, it really does mean a lot. We had 2 tough loses to Kansas and Baylor, but as a team we are determined to bring an upset to #15 Kansas State on Wed. For those of you who were there when we upset #2 Nebraska you know this can be done so we can't wait to see you there. We've been practicing very hard and I am ready to redeem ourselves and protect our home court. Since there are only 6 confrence games left for us seniors I know we are going to "go big or go home" and have fun in the process. I would like to thank ALL the CU Staff, those who help put our court up, work our games, our coaches, and fans. We really appreciate everything you have done and your continuous support. To my parents: thanks for everything!!!Dad I will keep you in my prayers and I know you will recover quickly from your back surgery. Mom thanks for always being so sweet, funny, and caring. Nikki, Court, Nate, and the rest of my family miss/love ya.
GO BUFFS
Amber Sutherland
November 3 - Lauren Schaefer
Hey Buff Fans!! Well I think I'm still on a high from our match last Wednesday when WE BEAT #2 RATED NEBRASKA! I am so happy with the way our team played and it would not have been the same without all of our fans there to support us! Haha just had to throw that one in there one more time before I moved on to our match this Wednesday against Kansas. I am exhausted after a long Monday of class and practice, but it felt great to be back out on the court today after how we played last week. I think we are all very excited about this Wednesday's match on the road against Kansas and know it would be a great win for us! I want to thank all of our fans for being so amazing and supportive and can't wait to see everyone next Saturday at our next home match. I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween and GO BUFFS!
Lots of Love,
Lauren Schaefer
Hey Volleyball Fans!
This past week has been full of ups and downs. We spend the whole week traveling: @ Mizzou on Wednesday and we played @ Texas Tech on Saturday. We lost to Mizzou, which was a heart breaker because it was the last match of the first half of the Big 12 season and also because we thought they were very beatable. After getting back from Columbia we really focused on our next challenge against Texas Tech, traveling to Lubbock. The whole season we have really struggled with playing on the road and we really broke that chain by beating Tech in five games! We were down 2-0 and came back and closed out the 5th game and won it 19-17. Our team was so fired up and I think we showed so much heart during that game which proved a lot to ourselves. We were very excited about getting a road win and being 1-0 in the second half of the Big 12 season. This week we have been practicing for our tough match on Wednesday vs. Nebraska. I think we are all so excited for this match because we really believe we can beat them. We all remember two years ago when we upset #1 Nebraska and how great that felt..we are hoping to feel that way again. Come support us as we take on Nebraska Wednesday night! We will need all the support and cheering that we can get!
Thanks so much for everything you have done this season! Go buffs!
Alex Buth #8
Hello everyone! I just want to start off by thanking all of the fans that we had at the
Nebraska has been my favorite place to play for the past 4 years, but this year it was a little hard because we were playing against our old assistant coach - Eric Sullivan. It was a little tough on some of the girls when we first saw him, but we are all happy for him. Stevie, our new assistant coach, has proven that she has a lot of valuable information to offer us as well as the volleyball program here at CU. We played really hard against this team and at times showed that we can compete at the same level as a top ranked team. It was a tough loss, but as a team, we have decided that in order to succeed we need to communicate more with one another and have fun/enjoy the game that we love to play. I know I am extremely excited, like my teammates, to get back on the court wed/sat and prove that we are a good team, capable of great things.
On a more personal note, I want to wish my Grandma Donna a HAPPY BIRTHDAY- love you and thanks for everything. Nicole, Mic, Baby Isaac, Court, Logan, and Trixie I love you guy and miss you VERY MUCH. Mom & Dad love you and thanks for your continuous support, love, and dedication. Nate-you’re amazing and thanks for everything. To all the fans and everyone on the athletic staff - thank you so much for your support and believing in us-Can’t wait to see all of you at the games- GO BUFFS!!!
Hey guys! Well I’m currently writing this blog from around 23,000 feet in our charter plane coming back from a tough loss against Baylor. We played a nice match last Saturday at home against Texas A&M and took the win in 5 games, but tonight was frustrating and disappointing for us all. However, as Pii said in the locker room after the match -we need to take what we can from tonight’s match and come in tomorrow more focused and prepared to get better. I think we have been doing some good things, but need to do a better job playing as a consistent unit and learning how to win on the road. We have lots of work to do, but I know we’re all incredibly motivated and prepared to work hard in practice tomorrow to make a change. We have a big game this weekend on the road against Nebraska and I know we would all love to take a win off of “Big Red” on their home court so it should be a good match! Thank you to everyone for their support and hope to see lots of fans at our two home matches next week against Texas Tech (Wed) and University of Texas (Sat). Lots of love to my family and friends back in California, GO BUFFS!
This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions to say the least! Last Wednesday we had a "nail biter" as most of our fans called it, against Kansas and we beat them in 5 games.. it was a great win especially because it was the first match of the Big 12 season. We traveled to the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kansas) to play K-State on Saturday. It didn't turn out like we hoped and we just didn't play like our team we have been the whole season. It was pretty discouraging to not play our best game against K-State and go out losing in 3 games. During the volleyball season, we have to learn how to have a short memory because after a match like that we have to move on and think about our next match. We have Texas A&M at home this Saturday and we have had the thought of playing well and beating them in our heads since Sunday when we flew back to Boulder!
Practice on Monday was great, we came in with a fresh mind without dwelling on our loss against K-State. We are 100% focused on beating Texas A&M this week! We have Wednesday off to rest and to set our sights on Saturday's match against the Aggies. I think this week is a great time to have our Wednesday match off because now we can focus totally on Texas A&M for the whole week of practice. I think our attitudes and confidence are positive and practices have been very productive this week so far. I think that we come into the gym every day expecting to improve and get better!
Thanks to everyone who has supported us this season, it has been a tough road but I know we will give you many wins to be a part of this season!! I want to say hi to my family in Michigan, thanks for everything you have done for me and your unconditional love and support throughout my career at CU..love you guys :)
Until next time..GO BUFFS!!
Alex Buth #8
September 15 - Callie WebsterThis week was a challenging one for
We also knew that within the next 17 hours we would be walking through Coors Stadium doors to face
The last match against UNC was probably our weakest performance this year, but these kinds of matches are when real lessons are learned. Last year, Pi’i said something after a practice that has stayed with me and exemplifies the UNC match. “When you are having an off night you need to learn how to bring your “B” game.” Last night was an off night but as a team we need to learn how to stay at a decent level and win in this uncomfortable state.
Overall, we are bummed we lost but are gathering some of this energy and transferring it into a win in our first Big XII match against Kansas State at home. We are always learning; learning to battle the formalities of the game, learning to battle and challenge or own minds. (The second being far more important.) THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE! A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL PARETNAL UNITS OUT THERE. WE COULD NOT DO IT WITHOUT YOU!
Throughout the trip, we had a lot of time to bond as a team and shared some good times and great laughs. We flew in and out Memphis and enjoyed a long 2 and a half hour car ride each way between Memphis and Starkville. Over all, we all really enjoyed the trip to Mississippi State and appreciated seeing a beautiful, southern campus. It was an eye-opening trip because we saw evacuees from hurricane “Gustav” in our hotel and witnessed them arriving into Memphis on school buses. Despite the good things that happened on the volleyball court over the weekend, it was really humbling to see the effects of a “real life” natural disaster, and it made us appreciate the blessings and gifts that each of us have. Thanks for your support, and Go Buffs!
August 29 - Amber Sutherland
Hello All, I am sure everyone agrees with me when I say traveling can really take it out of you. Yesterday we traveled to Memphis, Tennessee then drove about 2 ? hours to Mississippi State. It was a really long day on the road, but we made it safe and are ready to go. From 7-8 pm we were getting accumulated to the gym by doing some serving/passing and other position specific drills. Today we take on Troy (Trojans) and we are really excited to get the season started on a good note. Saturday we have a double header against, Arkansas-Pine Bluffs and Mississippi State. I believe we are really focused on what needs to be taken care of and how to go about doing it. I am excited to be back on the court with the girls and I’m consistently telling them that we only have control of what we do on our side and if we are taking care of that it’s going to be ok. I’m not really nervous about getting back on the court because playing volleyball is what I love doing and my teammates, coaches, and family are very supportive. This game is all about having fun, but being disciplined and smart at the same time. Well not much else to talk about right now other then the fact that we are going to be practicing hard for our games, studying for school, and getting some wins under our belt. Until next time...
Amber Sutherland #12
August 26 - Amber Sutherland
Well let’s see where to begin. I think Lauren did a great job summing up our preseason 08’ and like her it is hard to believe this is going to be my last one L. We have a lot of great players on this year’s team and unlike previous seasons, the depth in each position forces everyone to keep working hard day in and day out. We are a very talented team with a lot of heart, dedication, and commitment.
I’m sure some of you are wondering about my health? Let’s just say that coming back from two shoulder surgeries hasn’t been an easy task, but with all the support and love from my family, teammates, coaches, and all the CU Staff, I DID IT! However, I did have the undesired privilege of getting an ingrown toe nail removed towards the end of pre-season and geez did that hurt. Other than that, I am healthy and really excited to be back on the court for my last year here at CU. We are heading to the Mississippi State Classic on Thursday and I can’t wait. Last year I REALLY missed being able to travel with my team. The experiences I’ve had throughout the years are memories that I will never forget. Although we all might deny our excitement to starting classes this week, I am extremely excited for my ONE and only class I have to take in order to graduate in December with a sociology degree. We have set a goal to achieve a 3.0 team GPA for the semester, and as Lauren mentioned we were close to a 4.0 during the summer session, so we should be able to continue of efforts throughout this fall semester. Ok guys that’s all I have for now, but I would like to give thanks to the CU sports medicine staff for all your help and keeping us all healthy, training table members for cooking and cleaning up after us, our athletic/academic advisors for making sure everyone stays eligible, the weight room crew for keeping us "buff", our families for understanding and supporting us, and our coaches for pushing us to be the best we can be in every aspect of life. If I missed anyone I will get ya on the next go round...THANK YOU AND GO BUFFS!!! Amber Sutherland #12
Well, my last college preseason is officially over and I can't believe how fast the past four years have gone by! Overall, I think our team did a great job training over the summer and coming in the gym over the past couple of weeks and working hard.
The rest of this week we did a lot of team six on six drills and I feel very confident with how we look after our inner-team scrimmage on saturday. It looks like we've finally narrowed down primary starting positions and I'm really proud of the level of competitiveness that has been brought to the court. We have all been working very hard to push eachother to becoming mentally and physically stronger players and I think all the hard work is definitely paying off. Additionally, the team has really enjoyed the new perspective, drills, and attitude that our new Assistant Coach, Stevie, has brought to the court and we are really happy to have her as a part of our team. Furthermore, our strength coach, James, has also been pushing us very hard in the weight room and leads us in agility and conditioning workouts in the gym that I think have really helped build our overall stamina (We may have all hated you a bit during 6am workouts, but thank you James). I can't wait for our season to officially begin as we travel to Mississippi this weekend and compete against Troy Friday night.
Well, that's all for this weeks blog- great job Freshmen coming in and working hard, we're happy to have all of you in our Buff family! Hope everyone had a great week and good luck next week as we start classes! And to my family back in California I love you and miss you guys!
Lauren Schaefer's Blog Entry - August 18Hey everyone its Lauren Schaefer bringing you this week's volleyball blog! Well, we survived our first week of double days! Practices have been going really well and we are all very excited for the upcoming season. Last week we focused on a lot of individual skill based drills that allowed each position to get a lot of repetitions, however this week we are transitioning into more team oriented drills and six on six playing. Everyone seems really excited to get into the six on six playing as we begin to fight for starting positions and I love the circulating competitive spirit!
Today, we played a lot of position vs. position drills. In these four point games hitters are paired up against each other on opposing teams and the rest of the teams' goal revolves around playing defense for the selected hitter. I saw a lot of good hustle and competitive play this morning and am really happy with how hard we have been working. And with all of the exercise we've been doing it's crucial to stay well hydrated and take in nutritious meals-the team seemed very excited about todays lunch of turkey, guacamole, and bacon sandwiches (and of course the chocolate chip cookies)! This afternoon looks like more six on six play, followed by weight lifting and team dinner in Dal Ward.
I can't believe how fast summer has flown by and can't believe class starts next Monday. Most of the team took classes over the summer while we were here training and I am proud/happy to report we had close to a 4.0 team GPA in these summer classes! Having the opportunity to take summer classes has been very beneficial as in the fall it is hard to load up on too many credits while we're in season. I will be taking 5 classes in the fall- Corporate Financial Reporting II, Cost Management Accounting, Intro to German, Hiring and Retaining Human Resources, and Buyer Behavior.
Well, time to start warming up for afternoon practice. Hope everyone has a healthy, fun week and looking forward to seeing all of our amazing fans at our first home match against CSU Wednesday September 10th! GO BUFFS!