Colorado University Athletics
Simpson Earns AVCA All-Region Honors
LEXINGTON, Ky. GÇö The storied collegiate career of University of Colorado senior Taylor Simpson might be over, but awards are still coming in as she was named to the AVCA All-Pacific South Region Team on Tuesday.
GÇ£Taylor's stellar play on the court grabbed the attention of many opponents this season, and these postseason awards are a testament to that since they are selected by votes from head coaches in the region,GÇ¥ CU head coach Liz Kritza said. GÇ£She is one of the elite players in the country and this honor is well deserved. While she continues to garner attention for her abilities, she is the first to credit her teammates; she is confident and humble, which speaks volumes of her character.GÇ¥
Simpson, a 6-3 outside hitter from Colorado Springs, Colo., had an outstanding 2014 season which included breaking several records at CU. She broke the single season kills record of 528, which had stood for 17 years, with 591 kills, a single season mark which will stand for many years. She recorded a career-best 32 kills in the five-set thriller against Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 6. The 32 kills tied for the eighth-best total in Buffs history. She also hit .426 in the match, her third best hitting efficiency of the year.
An offensive powerhouse, Simpson hammered 20 or more kills in 10 matches this season, which broke CUGÇÖs record of nine matches with 20 or more kills in a season. In total, the 2014 All-Pac-12 team member recorded double-digit kills in 32 matches and had 22 double-doubles. Simpson tied a career-high with 22 digs in the five-set win against No. 2 Washington. She also recorded 29 kills in the contest to become just the fifth Buff to ever tally two or more career 20-20 double-doubles.
Simpson currently ranks 11th in the NCAA with 4.65 kills per set this year, which was fourth in the Pac-12. She also ranks 15th in the NCAA in points per set (5.18), fifth in the Pac-12. Simpson was an all-around player as she was second on the team with 2.71 digs per set and averaged 0.57 blocks per set.
This season she was named to several all-tournament teams. She was a member of the Northern Illinois, Omni Classic and Creighton Classic teams and was the MVP of the Omni Invitational. A Preseason Pac-12 selection, Simpson was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week twice and was the only player this year to be named the ESPNW Volleyball Player of the Week two times.
Simpson is the first Buff since 2006 to earn AVCA all-region recognition when Ashley NuGÇÖu was named to the All-Central Region Team. Last season Simpson was a member of the all-region honorable mention team.
GÇ£She has been an exemplary leader for us as well and we support her as she moves forward to an outstanding professional playing career and U.S. National Team experiences,GÇ¥ Kritza said.
Simpson helped the Buffaloes to one of their best seasons on record. CU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and finished the season with a 20-14 record. It was the first time in over a decade that Colorado had a 20-win season. The Buffs also tied for fourth in the Pac-12 (11-9) with UCLA and Oregon, their best finish since joining the league in 2011.