Posts tagged UMKC
Kritza Adds Five Volleyballers To Roster For 2013 Season
Jul 25th
BOULDER —University of Colorado volleyball coach Liz Kritza has announced the addition of five athletes, four freshmen and one transfer, to the roster for the 2013 season.
Freshmen Katherine Hawkins (Blaine, Minn.), Gwen Herring (San Diego, Calif.), Kate Klepetka (Allen, Texas), Cierra Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and junior Taylor Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) have all joined the CU program and are currently enrolled in summer school.
New CU v’baller Cierra Simpson
“I am very excited to add these talented athletes to our roster,” Kritza said. “This group is comprised of a good combination of sizeable players from some of the nation’s most competitive club programs, hardworking ball control players, and some superior athletes that drastically elevate the level in our gym. We are looking forward to starting practice in August and getting everyone in the gym to work towards having our best season yet.”
Bios for each of the five are below in alphabetical order:
KATHERINE HAWKINS
Hawkins, a 5-8 defensive specialist, played for Blaine High School under Celeste Gorman. The team finished the 2012 season with a 31-3 overall record. During that season, Hawkins recorded 203 kills and 324 digs and was named all-conference honorable mention. The Bengals compiled a 27-4 record in 2011 and in 2010, they finished 24-5. She was honored with the Bengal Award all four years for being a team player.
Hawkins played club volleyball for Mizuno Northern Lights and was coached by Adam Beamer. The team won seven tournaments in the spring of 2013, including Colorado Crossroads, Coracchia (Italy) and the AAU Super Regional. The team also posted a third place finish at the 2013 USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Dallas earlier this month. Hawkins decided to come to Colorado because she loved everything about it.
Hawkins was born on March 3, 1995 in Fridley, Minn. She is the daughter of Patrick and Kristine Hawkins of Blaine, Minn., and has two sisters, Rebecca and Elizabeth. In her free time Hawkins enjoys fishing and boating. She intends to major in integrative physiology.
“Kat is a strong athlete who has challenged herself to play amongst the nation’s top players and finds a way to contribute to her team and to be a driving force for constant improvement in the gym,” Kritza said. “Her time here at CU looks to be just as promising as she acclimates to the college game and the strength of the Pac-12. The energy that this kid brings to the gym is infectious and she will be a quality representative of this program in all facets.”
GWEN HERRING
Herring graduated from La Costa Canyon High School. She was a 5-9 outside hitter, libero and defensive specialist for the Mavericks and was coached by Pat McDougal. As a senior, Herring helped her team to a 28-11 overall record and during her junior year the team recorded a 31-9 record. The Mavericks won the league championship from 2010-2012 as well as the CIF Championship. In 2011, the squad also won the southern California regional championship.
Herring played for the Encinitas Wave Volleyball Club and was coached by Jackie Bernardin. She turned her attention to her beach volleyball game by playing for a beach volleyball club this past year before enrolling at CU. Prior to signing with the Buffs, she was recruited by UC-Davis, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, Denver, Pepperdine and Stanford. She chose CU because it was the right fit.
Herring was born on May 10, 1995 in San Diego, Calif. She is the daughter of Robert and Janette Herring of Carlsbad, Calif. Herring has one older sister, Amelia, who plays tennis at Stanford. She enjoys going to the beach, playing sports, drawing and hanging out with friends. Herring intends to major in business but is also interested in marketing.
“Gwen is a fiery competitor who is determined to improve and challenge herself every day,” said Kritza. “She brings strong playing experience against some of the top prep and club players in southern California and looks to make a difference on any team she is a part of. We are excited to see what she can do here at Colorado and her beach experience will be a huge plus for her in terms of the possibility of sand volleyball here at CU.”
KATE KLEPETKA
Klepetka, a 5-8 libero and defensive specialist, earned two letters as a libero for the Allen High School Eagles under coach Kelly Gregorview. As a senior, she recorded 687 digs, 100 assists and 40 kills. Klepetka was named all-district first team as well as all-academic first team and was named the defensive player of the year in 2012 and 2011. As a junior, Klepetka was also named second team all-district.
She played for the Dallas Premier Volleyball Club for coach Bryan Stanfield. Her team placed 11th in the American division at nationals after a fifth-place finish in 2011. Klepetka was also recruited by Mississippi, Miami and Albany but decided on CU because of the great coaching and awesome people.
Klepetka was born on July 20, 1995 in Dallas. She is the daughter of Bob and Jodie Klepetka of Allen, Texas and has one younger sister, Grace. Klepetka intends to major in integrative physiology.
“Kate brings a good deal of playing experience from both her club and prep careers,” Kritza said. “She will provide some excellent depth in all of our ball control positions and will help to make the competition for those positions more challenging. Kate’s prowess extends beyond her accomplishments on the court and we look for her to continue to find success in the classroom as well.”
CIERRA SIMPSON
Cierra Simpson, a 6-0 defensive specialist and outside hitter, was a member of the Doherty High School team that won the 2012 5A Colorado State High School Championship after winning the Colorado Spring Metro League Championship to complete its 29-0 perfect season. During the season, Simpson recorded 182 kills, 208 digs, 40 blocks and 39 aces in 86 sets and was named to the Under Armour High School All-America Watch List. DHS recorded a pair of third-place finishes at the 2009 and 2010 state championships. Simpson was named the DHS Most Valuable Player as a junior, helping to guide the Spartans to a share of the Colorado Springs Metro League Championship.
Over the course of four years with the Spartans, Simpson was a two-time first team all-area 4A/5A Colorado Springs team member, a three-time first team all-conference member and was named to the second team once. Simpson was an academic all-state first team selection and DHS honor roll member her freshman through senior years. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and earned the CU James H. Baker Scholarship.
Simpson played club volleyball for Colorado Juniors under the direction of Kevin Marquis. The team placed second at the Puerto Rico National Championship in 2013 and won the same tournament in 2012. Simpson was named to the all-tournament team after helping her team to the victory. She was also recruited by UT-San Antonio, Kansas State, Northern Colorado, Georgia Southern and DePaul but came to CU because she loved the coaching staff, campus, location and the fact that the Buffs play in one of the top conferences in the country.
Simpson was born on May 16, 1995 in Spokane, Wash. She is the daughter of Rich and Serena Simpson. Rick played basketball at Louisiana Tech and Serena played basketball at UMKC. Simpson won the 2012 Colorado 5A State Volleyball Championship at DHS with her younger sister Gabby. Simpson also has an older sister, Taylor, who is a member of the CU volleyball team and another younger sister, Riley. Simpson enjoys playing sports, running, reading, writing and traveling and intends to major in broadcast journalism and is also interested in law.
“Cierra is a welcomed addition as one of the top players in Colorado in this recruiting class,” Kritza said. “Her addition helps to make Colorado volleyball truly a family affair and we know she will be an excellent representative of CU on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. I have watched CeCe for quite some time while recruiting in state and know that she is a gifted athlete who has many possibilities in this program because of that athleticism. We look forward to her very bright future in a Buffs’ jersey.”
TAYLOR SIMPSON
Taylor Simpson joined the Buffs in January and shortly after she tried out and made the USA Volleyball A2 National Team which competed during the summer in Dallas. She also earned a spot on the roster for the USA Beach Volleyball A2 National Team that trained and competed this month in southern California.
Prior to joining the Buffs, Simpson played a season at Missouri (2012) and a season with Nebraska (2011). Simpson played in 14 matches for the Tigers, starting in eight of those contests (47 sets). During the 2012 season, she recorded 118 kills and hit .267. She also added 50 digs and 30 blocks for 139.0 points. Simpson recorded 12 kills and 13 digs against Virginia Tech (8/26/12) and led the Tigers with 11 kills against Appalachian State (9/1/12). Mizzou finished the year 19-11.
Simpson played in 12 matches (34 sets) before she was sidelined with a season-ending injury in 2011 with the Huskers. She recorded four kills on six attacks for a hitting percentage of .500 against Weber State (9/10/11). Simpson also posted three blocks against New Mexico State (8/26/11) and Albany (9/3/11). The Huskers won the Big Ten Championship that year and went on to play in the NCAA Tournament. NU finished the season with a 25-5 overall record.
Simpson had a decorated career at Doherty High School. As a senior, she garnered numerous awards, which included being named the Colorado 5A Player of the Year and earning the Sportswomen of Colorado high school volleyball award. Simpson was named the No. 9 player in the country by Prepvolleyball.com and was named to Volleyball Magazine’s Fab-50. Simpson played in the Under Armour All-American game for the red team and was also named to the AVCA High School All-American first team, as well as an ESPN RISE All-American honorable mention selection. Simpson was also tabbed as a Preseason All-American by MaxPreps. She also recorded 471 kills, 60 blocks, 312 digs and 21 aces as a senior.
During Simpson’s senior and junior years, she was named to the All-Colorado Team, PrepVolleyball.com’s High School All-American Team, First Team All-Colorado 5A and helped her team finish third at the state championships both seasons.
As a junior, Simpson was named to the MaxPreps All-American Team and PrepVolleyball’s Top-50 Juniors list. She was also honored as the Colorado 5A Player of the Year. That season she notched 446 kills, 46 blocks, 30 aces and 289 digs.
During her three seasons at DHS, Simpson was named first team All-Colorado Springs Metro League and first team All-4A/5A Area. As a sophomore, she helped DHS to a fifth-place finish at the state championship and was named to the All-Colorado 5A second team.
Simpson was also involved with USA Volleyball in high school. She earned a spot on the 2010 U.S. Youth Olympic Team that finished second in Singapore at the Inaugural Youth Olympics. Simpson led the team at the tournament and recorded 11 kills, six blocks and an ace in the final match of the tournament. She was also a member of the USA Youth National Training Team.
Simpson was born on September 10, 1993 in Colorado Springs, Colo. She is the daughter of Rich and Serena Simpson. Rick played basketball at Louisiana Tech and Serena played basketball at UMKC. Her sisters, Cierra and Gabby, won the 2012 Colorado 5A State Volleyball Championship at DHS. She also has another younger sister, Riley. Simpson enjoys writing, readying, traveling and playing sports. Simpson is undecided on a major.
“Taylor’s addition to our program is significant,” Kritza said. “She is a highly decorated player and has a myriad of playing experiences at the top levels of prep, club and even international volleyball; but it is her desire to be excellent that is really unique. She is a fantastic athlete who has lofty goals, as well as the combination of skill, athleticism and determination to realize those goals. She has found a home here and will thrive in a Colorado jersey while she leads the charge against the top players in the nation in the Pac-12.”
The 2013 season is just around the corner as the Buffs report for fall camp on August 11 and will have their first practice on August 12.
Colorado Women’s B-ball Team’s Front Court Dominates In 78-55 Win At UMKC
Nov 18th
Arielle Roberson scored 23 in her second CU game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One freshman forward started, one finished. No matter the order of appearance the recipe provided a winning combination for Colorado.
Arielle Roberson and Jamee Swan combined for 37 points on 71 percent shooting as Colorado defeated Missouri-Kansas City, 78-55, Sunday afternoon at the Swinney Recreation Center on the UMKC campus.
Colorado improved to 2-0, claiming its 15th straight win over nonconference regular season opponents dating back to 2010. UMKC drops to 2-2.
Swan, making her first career start, scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half to give the Buffaloes a good start. After picking up her third foul early in the second half, Roberson stepped in scoring 19 of her game-high 23 points in the last 20 minutes.
Roberson was 9-of-12 from the field, hit all five free throw attempts and grabbed six rebounds. Swan was 6-of-9 from the floor had three rebounds and an assist.
The freshman front court duo helped the Buffaloes dominate in the paint, outscoring the Kangaroos 42-14 inside.
“I give all the credit to my teammates,” Roberson said. “We knew coming out of the locker room we needed to push the ball and run more, really turn it up in the second half.
“I knew I had to bring defensive intensity and that led to offensive intensity for everybody.”
Roberson and Swan were the beneficiaries of a Colorado offense that picked apart the UMKC zone; putting on a passing clinic from all five positions. The Buffaloes had 17 assists on 32 made shots and overall shot 47 percent for the game.
That offense ran through forward Jen Reese and center Rachel Hargis. Playing in the high post, Reese and Hargis continually made the right pass, either finding Roberson and Swan on the low block or dishing out to continue through the guards.
Officially the two combined for six assists, but their initial reads led to plenty of good looks for the Buffaloes all afternoon.
Reese also had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds. Hargis made 3-of-4 field goals finishing with eight points.
“Our four post players, Arielle, Rachel, Jamee and Jen really dominated the game,” CU head coach Linda Lappe said. “They really understood what we were trying to do in our zone offense. I thought they did a fantastic job of being a presence on the inside.”
After Lauren Dudding put UMKC up with a 3-pointer on its initial possession, Colorado scored nine straight including two buckets from Swan.
UMKC briefly retook the lead with a 7-0 run of its own for a 10-9 advantage six minutes in. Roberson and Swan had back-to-back scores to put CU up for good.
The Kangaroos kept CU close early. Eilise O’Connor scored eight of her 10 points in the first half as UMKC pulled to within two at 18-16, but then the Buffaloes went to work. Colorado scored on five of its next six possessions during an 11-0 run to take a 29-16 lead. Hargis had a three point play and Roberson and Reese each scored on put-backs off CU misses.
“The start was important, we really needed that to kick-start our momentum,” Swan said. “Starting off great helps us finish great.”
Offensive rebounding was key for the Buffaloes, grabbing 19 which led to 22 second chance points. Overall Colorado enjoyed a 44-29 advantage on the boards.
“Offensive rebounding was a huge improvement (from the season opener),” Lappe said. “We crashed the glass against the zone and got a lot of put-backs. The effort on the offensive glass was fantastic.
Colorado led by nine at the half (36-27). UMKC’s Kim Nezianya quickly converted conventional 3-point play to cut the CU lead to six, and also gave Swan her third foul. From there Roberson shined.
The San Antonio native scored 14 points in the first six minutes of the half as the Buffaloes began to pull away. She scored six in a row as CU rebuilt a double-digit lead at 46-35. After a pair of Hailey Houser free throws, CU put the game away with a 13-0 run. Following a Reese jumper and a transition layup from Lexy Kresl, Roberson scored the next seven as the Buffaloes won their fifth straight nonconference regular season game away from Boulder.
Nezianya led UMKC with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Colorado returns home to host the 26th annual Omni Hotels Classic Nov. 23-24 at the Coors Events Center. The tournament starts with Auburn vs. San Diego State on Friday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m. followed by Colorado and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday the consolation game will be played at 5 p.m. followed by the championship at 7:30 p.m.
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Fribbs Leads Way For Buffs With 9-Under, 3rd Place Effort
Sep 26th
BUFF GOLFERS RALLY TO FINISH SECOND IN SIMPSON INVITATIONAL
ERIE, Colo. — The University of Colorado men’s golf team tied its third-best single round in program history but came up just a little bit short in defending its title in its own 3rd Annual Mark Simpson-CU Invitational, as Pac-12 Conference rival Oregon State held off the Buffaloes’ charge in winning by two strokes.
The Beavers closed things out with a 6-under 282 score for a tournament total of 843, or 21-under par. The Buffs recorded a 13-under par 275 to jump from fourth after two rounds into the runner-up spot with an 845 score, while Colorado State held the third position it entered the day in, finishing with an 847 score. Missouri-Kansas City, the first round leader, captured fourth with an 854 score while Kansas and Texas-Arlington tied for fifth (858).
After hanging around par for the first six holes, the Buffs collectively caught fire, the four scorers playing the last dozen holes at 13-under par; three of the four shot rounds in the 60s Tuesday with the fourth posting a 2-under 70 the 7,771-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course. The 19-under team score marked the fifth-best effort in relation to par in school history for a 54-hole tournament.
“It obviously was a good day, any time you shoot the low round of the tournament in the last round it’s a good thing,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “We really didn’t play that well the first six or seven holes; we weren’t terrible, just not getting deep into the red numbers. But we really brought it back after that, and that shows the character of the guys on our team.
“We were in sixth if not seventh place early on, and at least 17 strokes back,” he continued. “The thing that was really gratifying was that they didn’t look any different the way they were playing at the end of the day than they did at the start of things yesterday. That’s a sign that the guys really trust in their abilities, are very even keel. Today, we got a little mojo going and were able to get things really going without our best player scoring as well as he’s capable of.”
“Oregon State’s got a really good team, so we were pleased that were able to push them at the end.”
Senior Derek Fribbs led the Buffaloes here with a third place individual finish, finishing up with a 5-under 67 that gave him a 207 total for the meet, or 9-under par. He closed things out with an eagle, three birdies and 14 pars Tuesday, scoring a team-best 13 birdies which were also the eighth most in the 80-man field. He tied for second in par-5 scoring (7-under) and was seventh in par-4 scoring (3-under) while playing CNGC’s difficult par-3’s at just one over, which was 10th best among all the participants.
“Derek really played consistent,” Edwards noted. “When he made any mistakes at all, they were small ones, which in turn really contributed to him playing so consistent. He’s continued to get better over his four years here and it’s really starting to come together for him overall. He’s pretty good at a lot of things and has very minimal weaknesses in his game anymore.”
Sophomore David Oraee tied for seventh, as he put a 69 into the books in the final round for a 54-hole score of 210, or 6-under par. He had five birdies and two bogey with 13 pars Tuesday, as he closed with 12 birdies over the three rounds, tied for 10th most in the field, with his 37 pars a team-high. He was fifth in par-3 scoring (1-under) and 11th in par-5 scoring (5-under) while playing the par-4 holes even.
Both Fribbs and Oraee recorded par or better on 49 of the 54 holes played here; each had four bogeys and a double for their only holes over par.
Senior Beau Schoolcraft fashioned a 3-under 69 in his final round, enabling him to crack par for the tournament, tying for 20th at 2-under 214. He had six birdies, nine pars and three bogeys his final time around CNGC, the six birdies a team-best in the final round; he scored nine of those with 37 pars, the 12th-most in the field, over 54 holes. He played the par-5s at 6-under, tied for fifth-best, with his 1-over on the 12 par-3s for the tourney tying for 10th best.
Freshman Philip Juel-Berg ended things with a 2-under 70, giving him an even-par 216 scorecard overall; he led the field in par-3 scoring, playing the dozen holes collectively at 3-under. He recorded 10 birdies in the meet (four on Tuesday), with 36 pars (tied for 19th) against six bogeys and a double.
Senior Jason Burstyn, a two-time champion in as many tournaments entering CU’s home tourney, wound up tying for 52nd after closing with a 4-over 76 for a 6-over 222 total. He had his moments but never got things rolling like he did at the Ballyneal Challenge or at the Air Force Invitational, finishing up Tuesday with a birdie, 13 pars, three bogeys and just the second double bogey (out of 144 holes) this fall. He had six birdies and 37 pars overall, against 10 bogeys and the lone double.
Was Edwards concerned about his No. 1 player’s performance? Not at all. As the seventh-year CU coach was wrapping things up some two-plus hours after the tournament ended, the lone golfer at the far end of the driving range was his two-time medalist in 2012.
Four Buffaloes played as individuals, typical for the host school of a tournament to get its entire eligible roster some added experience. The newest Buffalo made the biggest splash, as junior Johnny Hayes finished ninth overall with a 5-under 211 score after wrapping things up with a 1-over 73. The transfer from Towson (Md.) State had 11 birdies and 30 pars while finishing high in par-4 (2-under, 16th) and par-5 (5-under, 11th).
“He did a great job in his first college tournament in almost two years,” Edward noted. “He spent some time away from the game but missed it so much that he wanted to get back into it. He had some very good results back east in a couple of amateur competitions, but this was still impressive for his first time out. He caught everyone’s attention.”
Redshirt freshman Drew Trujillo tied for 35th (75—218, 2-over) scoring 15 pars and three bogeys in his final round; he had nine birdies and 35 pars with nine bogeys and a double for his three rounds. Another redshirt frosh, Tyler Engel, finished 74th after closing with a 77 for a 13-over 229 total; he had five birds and 35 pars against 12 bogeys, a double and a quad.
Freshman Ross Thornton wrapped things up with a 6-over 78; he finished in the 80th position (last) as he was disqualified in the second round for signing for an incorrect scorecard.
CSU’s Kirby Pettit was the medalist, but he may be thinking what could have been. He opened with a bogey and the settled down with a par – and then caught fire. He played the next five holes at 5-under (an eagle and three birdies), then scored another eagle and two more birds on the back for a tournament low score of 8-under 64. That combined with a 71-67 effort on Monday gave him a 14-under 202 total, good for a three-shot win over Oregon State’s Brian Jung.
The Buffaloes turn right around and will play in the University of New Mexico’s Tucker Invitational, traveling to Albuquerque for the 54-hole tournament this Friday (36 holes) and Saturday (18). Fourteen teams will participate in he Tucker, including two schools who played here this week, Utah and Wyoming.
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS (*—played as an individual)
3. Derek Fribbs………………………… 70-70-67—207
T7. David Oraee…………………………. 73-68-69—210
9. *Johnny Hayes……………………… 71-67-73—211
T20. Beau Schoolcraft…………………… 72-73-69—214
T27. Philip Juel-Berg…………………….. 75-71-70—216
T35. *Drew Trujillo……………………….. 71-72-75—218
T52. Jason Burstyn………………………. 75-71-76—222
74. *Tyler Engel…………………………. 83-69-77—229
80. *Ross Thornton…………………….. 74-DQ-78
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS
1. Kirby Pettitt, Colorado State……… 71-67-64—202
2. Brian Jung, Oregon State………….. 67-71-67—205
3. Derek Fribbs, Colorado………….. 70-70-67—207
4. Nathan Hughes, UMKC…………….. 67-68-73—208
T5. Chris Gilbert, Kansas……………….. 69-71-69—209
T5. Korbin Kuehn, UMKC……………….. 68-70-71—209
T7. David Oraee, Colorado…………… 73-68-69—210
T7. Riley Fleming, UT-Arlington……….. 67-72-71—210
9. Johnny Hayes, Colorado………… 71-67-73—211
T10. Sean Walsh, Gonzaga………………. 69-69-74—212
T10. Oskar Arvidsson, Denver………….. 70-69-73—212
T10. Nick Chianello, Oregon State……… 69-71-72—212
T10. David Fink, Oregon State………….. 72-69-71—212
T10. Kyle Westmoreland, Air Force……. 73-70-69—212
T10. Victor Doka, Denver…………………. 70-70-72—212
T10. Hunter Brown, UT-Arlington………. 72-68-72—212
T10. Alex Gutesha, Kansas………………. 70-70-72—212
TEAM SCORES
1. Oregon State…………………….. 284-277-282—843
2. Colorado………………………….. 290-280-275—845
3. Colorado State…………………… 289-279-279—847
4. Missouri-Kansas City………….. 280-282-292—854
5. Kansas…………………………….. 287-283-288—858
5. Texas-Arlington………………….. 287-285-286—858
7. Northern Colorado………………. 292-283-286—861
8. Denver……………………………… 295-278-292—865
9. Air Force…………………………… 295-284-288—867
10. Gonzaga……………………………. 296-283-290—869
11. Houston Baptist…………………. 290-294-286—870
12. Texas State………………………. 295-288-290—873
13. Wyoming………………………….. 308-282-286—876
14. Utah………………………………… 287-299-297—883
