I searched for the box score of the match to figure out what happened against Northwestern and found one on their website.
http://www.nusports.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2014-2015/082914.html
It looks like 2 freshman played the majority of the minutes: Stephanie Shadley and Gabby Simpson.
What happened to Alexis Austin? Is she injured? I can't believe she got beat out by Shadley on the outside. She only played in one game tonight. Why not go with more experience in the first match and go with Neira Ortiz-Ruiz?
I wonder if passing is an issue with this team. That is the biggest problem with converting middle hitters to the outside. Most middles are never in serve receive in high school/club and don't develop a solid foundation to be a primary passer on the college level. Alexis Austin was a middle in high school. I saw in the videos that Joslyn Hayes was hitting on the outside during practice. That is another middle/opposite hitter in high school being asked to be an outside hitter. Maybe Shadley is the best passer out of the Austin/Ortiz-Ruiz/Hayes group and got the start. She is the only person that played as an outside in high school. The only proven passers on this team are Cierra and Taylor Simpson. If they have an off night, it's going to be a long season for CU.
If Gabby Simpson was playing, what system was CU running tonight? A 6-2? Or a 5-1? I had a feeling that of all the freshman, the youngest Simpson would see the court.
My (very un-educated) notes (just based on the stats, didn't see any of the game.):
1) I went to the scrimmage last weekend, and Alexis Austin didn't play at all. So, I assume she's fighting an injury or something? (Didn't see anything obvious wrong with her legs, but if nothing else I assume shoulders also get a heavy workout in volleyball.) She can be a big help, and provide some valuable experience, so hopefully she's OK going forward.
2) It looks like CU was using a 5-1 with Gabby Simpson just being a hitter, as the stats showed Nicole Edelman had almost all the assists/ sets and Gabby Simpson 0.
3) I didn't notice anything special with Gabby Simpson's serve last weekend, but I wasn't looking that closely. Tonight she had 12 aces, however, so it looks like the Buffs may have someone who can really help us get some valuable points from the service line going forward!
EDIT- Just saw the match writeup is up at cubuffs.com, and it's saying Ms. Simpson had 5 aces, so I assume the stats weren't accurate with the 12 aces listed. (5 is still very good for a 1st college game.)
4) As you indicated, two true freshmen got a LOT of playing time. Assuming this continues, it is probably going to require some time for the team to fully come together, so hopefully fans will be a little patient. (Also, Northwestern did have 8 conference wins last year in the best/ 2nd best conference in the country, so losing to them isn't anything to panic about. Although, I'm sure the Buffs won't be too satisfied losing after winning the 1st two games and having a 13-10 lead in game 5.)
5) It will be interesting how the defense develops, as that was the area I was most nervous about. (Lost both of last years main defensive specialists, their best blocking middle blocker, and their steady 6 rotation senior hitter, all to graduation.) In this match, anyway, it doesn't look like any of the Buffs three listed defensive specialists (other than of course libero Cierra Simpson) played much (two are shown playing in one set, but neither had any other stats). With both G. Simpson and Ms. Shadley having quite a few digs (6 and 9, respectively), I assume they were both playing 6 rotations at least some (most) of the time, a lot of responsibility for two freshmen.
Anyway, hope the Buffs can shake this match off, keep improving, and get two wins tomorrow!