CU Buffs
Baylor a cake-walk for CU volleyball: three and out
Sep 15th
WACO, Texas —The University of Colorado volleyball team (8-1) dominated the Baylor Bears (4-7), sweeping them 25-21, 25-23, 25-11 to win the Baylor Invitational on Saturday night at the Ferrell Center.
Nicole Edelman was named the tournament’s MVP, while Kerra Schroeder was named the defensive MVP. Alexis Austin and Cierra Simpson were also honored as members of the all-tournament team. The Buffs went 3-0 at the BU Invite with wins against Northwestern State and Appalachian State on Friday.
Saturday’s win is the eighth consecutive for the Buffs and ties the fifth longest streak in CU volleyball history. It is the longest streak since 1997 when the Buffs had a 10-match win streak, which tied the longest streak.
The win was also head coach Liz Kritza’s first win against Baylor. The victory snapped an eight-match losing streak for CU against the Bears which started in 2007 while CU was still a member of the Big-12 Conference.
“Tonight’s performance caps off a very tough weekend for this team, and I am pleased not only with the three wins and the improvement we made as a program, but most importantly the character and resiliency this group showed,” Kritza said. “With all the possible distractions while our home state is experiencing a catastrophic event, this group of players, coaches, and staff pulled together and put forth a strong performance and really showed great character.”
Austin proved to be a key player in the match as she provided key points at the end of the first and second sets. In total, Austin hammered a team high 12 kills and hit .400 with only two errors on 25 attacks. She also added three digs and three blocks.
“Alexis did a fantastic job tonight in finishing at the end of sets tonight,” Kritza said. “The offense was firing properly and she was able to make a significant impact on the overall outcome of the match.”
Taylor Simpson also had a nice night for the Buffs with 11 kills. She picked up her third double-double of the season with 13 digs. Schroeder hit a match-best .750 with seven kills on eight errorless attacks and added six digs and two block assists.
“Schroeder was a steady presence and came up with key plays when we needed her to,” said Kritza. “Her experience on the court is crucial as this young group keeps progressing towards Pac-12 play.”
Edelman led the team with 14 digs and handed out 32 assists. She also directed the team to a .236 hitting efficiency with 42 kills. The Buffs held BU to just 25 kills, while hitting .035. The Bears had 21 attack errors on 113 attacks.
“Edelman did a very good job this weekend of keeping our offense balanced and tonight’s performance showed her experience and ability to run an offense at a high level,” Kritza said.
Kritza was also very impressed with Elysse Richardson’s performance. She picked up five digs and added two assists and an ace in the sweep.
“A key performance that doesn’t always appear on the stat sheet is the performance of Elysse Richardson,” Kritza said. “She has the ability to go into a match and change the energy of the team and she did that again for us at the pivotal point. That role is essential to a team’s success and it takes a very special person to be able to go in under the most pressured situations and perform, and she answered that call.”
The first set of the match was very close with eight ties and three lead changes. CU led 20-18 when the Bears tied it up one last time at 20-20. After a CU timeout, the Buffs came out with three straight points to go ahead 23-20. BU answered back with a kill to get within two points, but Austin finished the set for the Buffs with two straight kills (25-21).
BU had a 15-10 lead in the second set when CU used its first timeout. Out of the break, the Buffs recorded three straight points before BU sided-out with a kill (16-14). After the kill, CU put together a 5-0 run to take an 18-16 advantage. The two teams continued to battle and the match was tied yet again at 20-20. The Bears took three straight points to force CU to use a timeout, which worked well since the Buffs finished the set with five straight points out of the break, including two kills and a block from Austin (25-20).
The Buffs dominated the third set and used a 9-0 run to go up 12-5. BU was able to take three of the next four points to bring the score to 13-8, but once again the Buffs put together a run, this time it was six straight points to go up 19-8. The Bears were out of timeouts and had no way of slowing the Buffs down as CU finished easily 25-11.
The Buffs will be off until September 24 when they will travel to Salt Lake City to open the Pac-12 Conference schedule against Utah. That match is scheduled 7 p.m. and will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network.
COLORADO BUFFALOES
Linda Sprouse
Assistant Sports Information Director
Volleyball/Cross Country/Track & Field
University of Colorado
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CU women’s soccer, with a record fourth shut-out, remain undefeated
Sep 1st
BOULDER – When the University of Colorado and Saint Mary’s College soccer teams meet, records have a way of being broken.
In 2009, the Buffaloes scored a program high eight goals, behind multiple goal performances by both Nikki Marshall and Kelly Butler. In 2013, in just their second meeting, a 2-0 CU victory was another record breaker.
The Buffs have broken the record the squad set last season, shutting out their first four opponents, a program first. Last season, the Buffs set the precedent by shutting out their first three opponents, on their way to a record setting five game unbeaten streak to start the season. In the fourth game of that year, Anne Stuller recorded her third multiple goal game of 2012.
This year, Stuller continues to make her mark, becoming the first player since Kate Russell in 2010 to record at least two assists in a single game. In just her fourth collegiate game, Brie Hooks also continues to shine, scoring both of the Buffs’ goals in the win.
“I think they were two good balls from Stuller,” CU head coach Danny Sanchez said. “We need (Stuller) scoring goals, but we need her creating goals, and she’s doing that. The first one, she just put the ball in a dangerous spot, and fortunately for us it went in. The second one was a good run to get in behind the defense. It was a good shot coming off frame for the score.”
Hooks has already scored five goals and had two multiple goal games in the young season. She joins an elite group, becoming one of five Buffs to have recorded at least two multiple goal games in a single season. She joins Nikki Marshall (three in 2006 and two in both 2007 and 2009), Katie Griffin (three in 2005 and two in 2003), Stuller (three in 2012) and Fran Munnelly (two in 2005). She also ties Melissa Cartmell for fifth on the freshmen goals list.
With the win, the Buffs improve to a perfect 4-0, also a program first. After facing back-to-back ranked opponents before coming to Prentup Field on Sunday, the Gaels fall to 1-3.
“I like how we started today,” Sanchez said. “We’ve been starting slow, and we came out really fast. We had a couple good chances early, put Saint Mary’s under pressure with those early goals, which really kind of takes the pressure off the defense a little bit … We were good in the back today. Saint Mary’s did cause us some problems with some of their runs, and they had a good early chance that could have made it a different game. Big picture, especially in the second half, I felt we were very solid and did a good job.”
The Buffs outshot the Gaels 15-8, including an outstanding 10-3 differential in the first half. It took just 39 seconds for Stuller to take the first shot for the Buffs, and just over three minutes for CU to get its first goal.
At the 3:11 mark, the Buffs controlled the pace, with Hooks getting the ball from Stuller on the right side to give the Buffs the early 1-0 lead.
Stuller, who led the Buffs with seven shots, including three on goal, kept up her early attack. In just over a three minute span, Stuller took three shots, forcing a save in the 10th minute.
It took until the 14th minute for the Gaels to take their first shot, with Vicki Shimkus taking the first of her team-high three shots. The Gaels continued to control possession, but couldn’t seem to keep the ball out of their backfield. In the 29th minute, Hooks again caused a rumble at the net, but sent the ball wide.
Shimkus responded once more for the Gaels, hitting one wide less than a minute later. The Buffs would dominate both sides of the ball until halftime, allowing no shots in the final 15 minutes and scoring once more in the 36th minute. For the third time this season, and second in the game, Stuller connected with Hooks to give the Buffs the 2-0 lead.
“The first one was an accident, again just trying to cross it, and luckily it happened to go in,” Hooks said. “The second one was a really good cross from Stu, which we’ve been working on, getting those long balls over the back. She played a perfect ball, with just a touch and then I tried to slot it in.”
SMC was in fighting mode to begin the second half. Just 1:14 in, Amanda Glass sent one at CU keeper Annie Brunner. Less than a minute later, Melinda Madden hit one wide.
The Buffs responded in the 50th minute, with Hayley Hughes hitting it high. After a CU corner kick, Stuller had her shot blocked. CU remained on their offensive frenzy, with Saint Mary’s keeper Kaeli Schmidt jumping at a Bianca Jones shot, tapping the ball just over the top post in the 57th minute. With 30 minutes remaining, Darcy Jerman got a touch off a corner kick, but caught the ride side of the net.
From the 65th minute on, the Gaels began to press the Buffs, outshooting CU 3-1. With less than eight minutes remaining, Shimkus had another solid shot, but sent it just wide right. In the 87th minute, the Gaels tried again, but Brunner grabbed her third save of the game to hold the shutout.
The Buffs leave Prentup for the final time of the non-conference portion of the season for the DU Invitational at CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium next weekend. CU opens play against Alabama at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 and faces UT-Martin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8.
“Alabama’s an SEC school off to a good start,” Sanchez said. “UT-Martin has won their conference the last couple of years. They made it to the tournament and lost in the first round in overtime last year. I know their coach from back in the DII days. Phil McNamara is a very good coach. I’m sure the team is very well coached, so tough challenges at DU next weekend.”
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Simpson Shines In CU V-Ball Debut Despite Loss To St. Mary’s
Aug 31st
BOULDER—Junior Taylor Simpson and sophomore Alexis Austin each recorded 11 kills for the University of Colorado volleyball team, but unfortunately it was not enough as the St. Mary’s College Gaels won the first match of the Omni Hotels Colorado Volleyball Classic on Friday night 25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 25-19.
Simpson made her CU debut in the match and took 36 swings to lead the team. She also added six digs and a pair of block assists. Austin added two digs and three block assists in the effort.
“I think that Taylor carried a big load for us tonight,” coach Liz Kritza said. “I think that what she is going to learn as we continue through the season is that the more points you’re getting on the offensive side, the more serve-reception balls you’ll have to handle. That’s because other teams are constantly going to try to load our front-row outsides. I’m pleased, because she is a nice addition to the program, and I only look for her to continue improving.”
Returning to CU’s line-up on Friday night was redshirt senior Kerra Schroeder who led the team defensively with 10 digs. She added a pair of kills and one block assist in her return.
“Kerra played in multiple positions tonight,” Kritza said. “She’s okay with that, because this isn’t about any individual player’s performance—it’s about the overall win-loss. I like being able to talk about that openly with players, because they know that we all want the same thing.”
Senior Nikki Lindow had nine kills and hit .312 for the Buffs. She also led the team with five block assists. Junior Kelsey English added seven kills and three block assists on the night. Freshman Joslyn Hayes had a nice debut for the Buffs as she hit .333 with five kills in her first career start.
“Hayes, as a freshman, was pretty productive,” Kritza said. “The thing with her is that I have to remember that she is still a freshman. There are some limitations right now until she gets more repetition. She contributed at a high pace.”
In total, the Buffs recorded 48 kills, 44 digs and 9.0 team blocks, while hitting .246. The Gaels put together 53 kills, 53 digs, 11.0 team blocks and hit .246.
SMC was led by Jordan Shaw who hammered 14 kills and hit .370. Kristina Graven added 12 kills and 11 digs for SMC. The Gaels, a 2012 NCAA Tournament Team, received votes in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing the 2012 season with an 18-11 overall record.
“They [St. Mary’s] were a lot more stable on their first contacts; that’s the story of the match,” Kritza explained. “We knew going in that the team who could win the serve-pass game would win, especially early in the season. This is a good team; they are organized, and they don’t make a ton of errors, as evidenced by being able to withstand some of our runs tonight. For us, there are a lot of really good things, lots of positives. Clearly, we’re disappointed, because we wanted to be able to have a more consistent group of our plays. For us, this is the beginning of a very long season that we know is going to be very productive.”
The Buffs got off to a great start in the first set, taking a 5-1 lead. The Gaels rallied back to tie the set up at 7-7. The set was close until CU was up 12-11; and at that point SMC put together a 10-0 run to take a 21-12 advantage. The Buffs kept attacking, but weren’t able to close the gap as the Gaels won 25-17.
The second set also started out well for CU and the Buffs had a 5-4 lead before SMC took three straight points to take a 7-5 lead. CU came back and tied the game at 8-8, but at that point the Gaels recorded six of seven points to go up 14-9. The Buffs didn’t let up, but unfortunately couldn’t get back in the set and fell 25-16.
The third set was another close one with 10 ties. Neither team had more than a three-point lead at any point during the game. The Buffs used a 5-0 run to take a 22-20 lead over the Gaels, forcing SMC to use a timeout. CU took the first point out of the time out to take a three-point lead at 23-20. The Buffs had set point at 24-21 thanks to a kill from Austin, but SMC fought off the first set point (24-22). The Buffs finished the set with a kill from Simpson on the following point (25-22).
The Buffs and Gaels played a tight fourth game until SMC took a five-point lead at 14-9. The Gaels extended their lead to eight points at 20-12, forcing the Buffs to use a timeout. The Buffs took the following three points out of the break, but it wasn’t enough as they dropped the fourth set 25-19.
Colorado and St. Mary’s will square off again on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the final match of the Omni Hotels Colorado Volleyball Classic. Early arriving fans will receive mini-volleyballs, courtesy of the Omni Hotels.
“The beauty of this type of double-header is that you can measure yourself; it’s virtually the same team,” Kritza said. “You can actually learn how to scout opponents; you can learn to come back. I think it’s very important for us, especially in nonconference play, to have a test like this at the very beginning.”
COLORADO BUFFALOES
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