Posts tagged Volleyball Cross Country Track Field
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 Buffs tracksters ready for World Championships
Aug 9th
BOULDER—University of Colorado senior Shalaya Kipp is poised to compete at her second major international competition, the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Athletes, August 10-18, in Moscow.
Kipp, the 2012 NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase champion, qualified for her second U.S. team after placing third at the USATF Championships in June. The Salt Lake City native made her first international team in 2012 when she qualified for the Olympic Games in London.
Kipp enters the world championships fresh off of her best performance of the season, placing fourth with a season-best time of9:37.23 at the Diamond League Meet in Monaco. The time was just shy of her personal best (9:35.73) which she ran at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.
She is joined at the world championships by two-time Olympian and CU volunteer assistant coach Jenny Simpson. Simpson is the reigning 2011 world champion in the 1,500 and is one of nine Americans who enter the meet as reigning champions. Simpson ran the 1,500 at the meet in Monaco and won her first Diamond League Meet in 4:00.48. She was named the USATF Athlete of the Week for her performance.
Former Buff and three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein is also a member of the U.S. team and will run in the 10,000 at worlds. Ritzenhein finished second at the U.S. championships to advance to Moscow.
Parts of the meet will be televised on Universal Sports and NBC. A complete schedule can be found here: http://buffs.me/13JVOHL.
IAAF World Championships in Athletics (all times Mountain)
Women’s 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
(Shalaya Kipp)
Saturday, August 10, Round 1, 7:20 a.m.
Tuesday, August 13, Finals, 11:25 a.m.
Men’s 10,000 Meters
(Dathan Ritzenhein)
Saturday, August 10, Finals, 8:55 a.m.
Women’s 1,500 Meters
(Jenny Simpson)
Sunday, August 11, Round 1, 12:25 a.m.
Tuesday, August 13, Semifinals, 10:40 a.m.
Thursday, August, 15, Finals, 11:20 a.m.
COLORADO BUFFALOES
Linda Sprouse
Assistant Sports Information Director
Volleyball/Cross Country/Track & Field
University of Colorado
303-492-5626
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Emma Coburn Named A Semifinalist For USTFCCCA special honor
Jun 18th
NEW ORLEANS – Recent University of Colorado graduate Emma Coburn has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the prestigious USTFCCCA’s The Bowerman, which is given out annually to the top male and female collegiate track and field performers of the year.
Coburn won the 2013 NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase title with the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history less than two weeks ago, crossing the finish in 9:35.38. Overall it was Coburn’s third individual championship. She won the steeplechase in 2011 before redshirting the 2012 season and during the indoor season she won CU’s first NCAA mile title. During her five years at CU, she has been an All-American on six different occasions.
The 2012 Olympian was also named the 2013 USTFCCCA Mountain Region Indoor and Outdoor Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, and for good reason as she ran the fastest mile, 1,500 and steeplechase times by an NCAA athlete in 2013.
The Bowerman takes into account an athlete’s complete season and Coburn got a great start to her final campaign. She was invited to compete in the indoor mile at the 106th Millrose Games (in a field full of professional athletes) and ran a PR of 4:29.86 to become the fifth fastest NCAA athlete ever in the mile. A few short weeks later, she ran another sub-4:30 mile to win CU’s first NCAA indoor mile title in 4:29.91 and also became the first American to run a pair of sub-4:30 miles in the same season.
During the outdoor season, Coburn continued to impress. She ran the then-fastest steeplechase time in the world at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite (9:28.26) in Stanford, Calif. just two days after her 2013 1,500-meter debut (4:11.36) at the 104th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Coburn won her first Pac-12 title in the steeplechase in May (9:55.67).
Instead of taking a week off between outdoor conference and the NCAA West Preliminary Championship, she took to the track again in a field of professional athletes at the OXY High Performance meet in the 1,500 and cruised to a PR of 4:06.87 while becoming the fifth-best performer in NCAA history.
This past April, Coburn was named CU’s Co-Female Athlete of the Year for the third time, as well as winning CU’s Co-Female Career Athletic Achievement Award.
The 10 semifinalists will be cut down to three finalists, which will be announced July 10. Voting for the final winner, including an online fan vote, will take place from late July to mid-August. The ultimate winner will be revealed at the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention in December.
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Southern Utah’s Cam Levins and LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman. Past winners include Olympic gold medalist and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters, Jenny Simpson (2009). Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies. For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
ABOUT THE USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
Linda Sprouse
Assistant Sports Information Director
Volleyball/Cross Country/Track & Field
University of Colorado
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