Colorado University Athletics
Men's Volleyball Serves Up Success at National Tournament
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From the
Official University of Colorado Men's Volleyball Team
Website
http://colorado.edu/studentgroups/mensvolleyball
We entered last weekend's National Championships ranked 27th in the country. We left the tournament tied for 5th in the country!
After a slow first day, finishing 3rd in pool play, our team came storming back. We started off day two hammering the University of Utah in a challenge match. Then our team really turned it up in the power pool. In two of the most exciting matches of the year, we narrowly lost to conference rival Arizona in three tight games, but answered by upsetting #5 ranked Virginia Tech. The win earned us 2nd place in the pool and advanced us to the Gold Bracket!
In the first round of the Gold Bracket, we met perhaps our biggest conference rival, Utah Valley. We had come up short in four previous meetings, but this time was different. Every player played inspired volleyball in our best match of the season. We took a very close game one 26-24, then lost game two 17-25. Game three was one of the top performances by a CU team in years. As the crowds gathered, the intensity rose. Over 100 onlookers witnessed our first Gold Bracket win in four years!
The quarterfinals brought on California State - Fresno. We played very well but the eventual national champions proved too much for us and eliminated us in two tough games. We finished the tournament tied for 5th in the nation and sole senior Sean Bartowecz received all tournament honorable mention honors.
Next season looks to be a very promising one with almost the entire team returning with the exception of right side hitter Bartowecz. We should start the season top 15 in the nation and we look to only move up from there.
Congratulations are also in order for head coach Koa Avery. He was recently named the 2008-2009 Mountain West Volleyball Conference Coach of the Year. Congratulations Koa!!!! Job well done.