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Matches Thread- Volleyball hosts Oregon (Weds., 11/27, 2:00 PM MT) and Utah (SENIOR DAY, Sat., 11:00 AM MT)

AztecBuff

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Hope the team relishes getting to play together a couple more times this season, and ends the season STRONG with a couple W's, starting with the Ducks on Wednesday.

Also hope at least some folk can make it to one or both matches, especially Senior Day, even with them being over the holiday weekend.

Go Buffs!

Preview-


Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2019/11/25/volleyball-buffs-close-out-season-with-two-home-matches.aspx

"
BOULDER – The University of Colorado women's volleyball team will close out the 2019 season at home with a matchup against Oregon Wednesday at 2 p.m. followed by senior day against No.17-ranked Utah Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

Colorado (12-16, 4-14 Pac-12) was eliminated from postseason eligibility yesterday when the team suffered a loss to No.4 Stanford. The Buffs are in a two-way tie for 10th in the conference with Oregon (8-19, 4-14 Pac-12) with a match above Oregon State in last and a match behind Arizona in ninth. Utah (20-9, 12-6 Pac-12) is currently third in the conference two matches behind Washington and a match above Washington State and UCLA.

The Buffaloes will look to send off three seniors; Lillie Klemmer, Justine Spann and Rachel Whipple, Saturday morning in style against the Utes who are 5-2 against the Buffs in their career. The trio is fourth in school history in a four-year span in ranked wins with 17. Spann ranked top-25 in CU history in kills, attacks, aces and digs while Whipple is four digs from becoming the fourth Buffalo with two seasons of 400 digs. Klemmer has 60 career blocks and will look to add a spark on the defensive end for Colorado.

Colorado is looking to take four of the past five matches against the Ducks after sweeping the team in 2017 and splitting in 2018. Jenna Ewert will be a large factor after she put up 55 assists and 16 digs in her last encounter against Oregon. She marked her 13th double-double of the season in the win over Cal last Friday to move her career total to 23, just three from 19th in Colorado history.

SCOUTING THE DUCKS
Oregon has had one of the largest drop-offs in the NCAA this season. After setting a program record for conference finish and reaching the Elite Eight, the team started the season ranked 11th and moved up to 10th at their highest ranking. The Ducks have not been over, 500 since after their fourth match of the season. The team has still shown signs of being a dangerous foe with a five-set upset of Utah and sweep of UCLA at home as well as a four-set win against Cal on the road. The Ducks are coming off a five-set win against USC in Los Angeles as well.

Oregon is led by senior Ronika Stone with 339 kills. She is joined by last year's AVCA Pacific North Freshman of the Year Brooke Nuneviller who has moved from libero to outside this season. Nuneviller has 313 kills and 26 aces as well as leads the team with 385 digs. Upfront, Karson Bacon has 100 blocks to go along with Stone's 96.

SCOUTING THE UTES
Since the first conference match of the year, the Utes have been on a roll, losing only six matches and all but one in a five-set match. Utah lost to Oregon, Cal and Stanford all in five sets on the road in the first half of the season. They also lost to Washington on the road in five and have two home losses against Washington State in five and Stanford in four. Oddly the Utes have struggled to close out matches in the quickest manner with only three conference sweeps and having played in 11 five-set matches this season.

Utah is second in assists and kills in the Pac this season with 14.1 kills per set and more than 13 assists. They are top-five in the conference in every category except digs where they are ninth. Dani Drews is second with 4.71 kills per set while Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres leads the conference with 11.57 assists per set.
"
_________________________________________________________________________

Match Media links -

Match notes
- https://cubuffs.com/documents/2019/11/25//1125_Colorado_Notes.pdf

Live video -

Vs. Oregon (Wednesday, 2:00 PM MT) : Match is being shown live on the Pac 12 Mountain and Oregon channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to one of those Pac 12 channels, assume the match can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/womens-volleyball/event/2019/11/27/oregon-colorado .

Vs. Utah (Saturday, 11:30 AM MT) : Match is being shown live on the Pac 12 Mountain channel. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to that Pac 12 channel, assume the match can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/womens-volleyball/event/2019/11/30/utah-colorado .

Live stats for both matches should be available at https://cubuffs.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary .
 
We had tickets to this game, but live down in south DTC. I was stunned this game was still on with the campus closed and the ticket office closed (I called a few times).

I'm grateful to say the CU Ticket Office is going to allow me to transfer my tickets to another game as there was simply no way I could get there from south DTC. This is an exception to the to no refund/no transfer policy, so good on them for getting the situation.

Glad the Buffs won, disappointed we couldn't see it, and looking forward to another game down the road.

Go Buffs!
 
We had tickets to this game, but live down in south DTC. I was stunned this game was still on with the campus closed and the ticket office closed (I called a few times).

I'm grateful to say the CU Ticket Office is going to allow me to transfer my tickets to another game as there was simply no way I could get there from south DTC. This is an exception to the to no refund/no transfer policy, so good on them for getting the situation.

Glad the Buffs won, disappointed we couldn't see it, and looking forward to another game down the road.

Go Buffs!
Same here. We had planned to come up from the Ken Caryl area but with a 2yo grandson decided not to take the chance. Had been looking forward to catching another game.
 
Match Day.

Beat the ducks!



(I may not be able to provide any updates as I may be in a car during the match in those beautiful but not good for cell reception Rockies.)
 
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Fun match to watch. Live stats quit working but I could watch online.

It may be senior weekend but if I had to pick a player of the game it would be Meegan Hart. Sterling Parker had a good match, too. Jenna Ewert looks so comfortable as the setter and Rachel Whipple has embraced her role.

That said, I hope Justine Spann has a great match on Sunday along with Whipple. I also hope Lillie Klems gets to play in her last match.
 
Jesse's teams have all improved as the season went along. This year, with the early injuries, they got too far down.
 
It is nice to see the team develop 2nd half of the season they been playing at a top 25 rate. I have a feeling the team is going to really good next year
 
Article after today's win-


Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2019/11/27/volleyball-team-effort-lifts-buffs-to-sweep-ducks.aspx

"
BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team took down the Oregon Ducks Wednesday afternoon by way of a 3-0 (30-28, 25-23, 25-22) sweep at home.

Colorado (13-16, 5-14 Pac-12) moves into 10th in the Pac-12 with the win and have a chance to tie Arizona for the ninth spot. The Ducks (8-20, 4-15 Pac-12) are in sole possession of 11th in the conference and will battle it out with in-state rivals Oregon State Friday to determine if they hold that position or share it with the Beavers.

The match was a story of each set with the Buffs turning to three different leaders in each game. Jenna Ewert dominated the first set dishing out 16 assists with three kills, an ace and five digs. The second set was Meegan Hart's turn to shine with eight kills on nine swings for a .777 hitting percentage along with a block and dig. The third set the Buffs turned to freshman Sterling Parker who had eight kills and a .538 hitting percentage.

Parker led the Buffs with 16 kills and a .571 hitting percentage as she was joined by Hart's 15 kills and .571 hitting percentage. Both were above .600 in the third set and were joined by Ewert who had six kills for a .600 hitting percentage in the match. Ewert finished with a double-double 41 assists and 11 digs (13.66 per set) while Hart finished with a match-high 18 points with a pair of aces, four digs and a block.

Serving was the key for Colorado as the team finished with seven aces led by Justine Spann's three including two in the last set to go along with four kills in the set. Colorado kept the Ducks out of system throughout the match between that and strong upfront blocking, but the back row was owned by Rachel Whipple who made numerous rally-saving digs to finish the match with 17-total including nine in the first set alone.

The Buffaloes close out the season Saturday at 11 a.m. when they take on No.17-ranked Utah for senior day.
...

QUOTES
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney
On the Match

"Looking at the records of both teams it's hard to understand that those are both really good volleyball teams out there. Oregon just came off a win at USC and there are two All-Americans playing on that squad. So, I was really happy and pleased that we were able to get the win. We had some tight moments in all three sets that we were able to overcome. We had some special plays down the stretch. We were able to be efficient in our middle and right side game today, even though we struggled a little bit on the outside but when we were able to control the ball we were able to score in the middle and right. That was all the difference, so excited for the win and told them that they could have one piece of pie."

On Blocking and Serving
"I do think that we served particularly well, they spent the night passing with two players and those are two really good players, so it's tough to get them out of system. We got some aces early but I don't think that we had a ton of stuff-blocks, we kind of funneled the ball where we needed it to go. I thought we defended particularly well, that is a great first-swing team and once we could create situations in which they had to take multiple swings we ended up winning most of those rallies."

On Rachel
"I feel like I say the same thing about Rachel all the time, I am so proud of her and her growth over the last four years, particularly in the second half of this season. She is second in Pac-12 matches in digs per set. She is just a different player in the second half. She is defending exceptionally well, as she extends rallies and really leads the back-court at a high level."
...
"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Box score
- https://cubuffs.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2019/oregon/boxscore/13005

Highlights/ review -


Press conference -
 
Hope the seniors have enjoyed much more laughter than sadness while Buffs so far, and the rest of their time in Boulder finds them killing the books, and enjoying their futures in Boulder and beyond. To the rest, also hope the book-work is strong, and they get healthy, rested, and ready to get better by next season's opening serve. Go Buffs!

Article on today's season-ender-


Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2019/11/30/volleyball-utes-sweep-buffaloes-on-senior-day.aspx

"
BOULDER – On an emotional morning in Boulder, the Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team suffered a sweep at the hands of No.17-ranked Utah to close out the 2019 season and the careers of three special seniors.

Colorado (13-17, 5-15 Pac-12) finishes the season in 10th in the Pac-12 while Utah (22-9, 14-6 Pac-12) is all but certain to move on to the NCAA Tournament next week.

The match marked the end of an era with the first four-year class under Head Coach Jesse Mahoney as seniors Justine Spann, Rachel Whipple and Lillie Klemmer all made their final starts in a Buffs uniform. Spann led the Buffaloes with nine kills while Whipple had four digs and Klemmer had a kill and four blocks. The four seniors combined for the fourth-most wins against ranked opponents in school history.

The Buffaloes struggled on offense throughout the match as setter Jenna Ewert was the only player that hit greater than .083. The sophomore had four kills and a .429 hitting percentage with 22 assists and six digs. Meegan Hart had four kills in the middle but contributed greatly from the service line with three aces.

On the defensive side, Jill Schneggenburger led the team with eight digs while Spann collected six. Freshmen Elissa Alcantara and Sterling Parker each had a pair of blocks while Parker was second on the team with six kills.

Utah had a dominant match with 11.5 team blocks to hold the Buffs to a .051 team hitting percentage. Kenzie Koerber and Berkeley Oblad each had five blocks while Dani Drews was a force on offense with 21 kills and a .302 hitting percentage.
...

QUOTES
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney


On The Match
"It was a tough match to end our season, I don't think that this match was indicative of how we've been playing of late. With that being said, Utah is really good. That is as good of a team as we have seen all season. They blocked particularly well and defended us particularly well, we struggled to score. They are a seeded team in the NCAA tournament. With that being said, I am proud of what we have done over the last half, especially with how we started Pac-12. To finish 5-5 with the wins that we have had, I think it is a testament to how hard this team continued to work throughout the season. I think that it was directly related to the leadership that we have on this team with these three seniors. Unfortunately, our season is over, but I think that we have some building blocks and some things to be able to propel us next year. We are looking forward to getting in the gym when we can, we are taking a break, but we are looking forward to getting back into the gym and getting ready for next season."

On The Development Of The Seniors
"I think that Rachel mentioned that we were all freshmen together that first year. The first group that you have is always cool. I think that there are a lot of great things about my job, and one of the best parts of my job is getting to be around young people as they grow and mature and turn into young women. All three of them have had ups and downs on the court, and ups and downs in their lives, and yet all three of them have grown to be really special people. I have been lucky enough, my staff and I, to be a part of that and get to see it. It will be fun to watch them as they move into the next phases of their lives."

On The Future Of The Team
"Yeah, we have nine new players on our roster this year, that's half of our roster. We have a lot of underclassmen, so I always knew that there were going to be some ups and downs. We had some pretty high highs, and unfortunately, we had some pretty low lows. It's tough when you're a senior to be a team that is essentially rebuilding. We had to go through that a little bit this year. I think that we are going to come back next year and every one of our younger players is going to be better. That's what I have seen from players in this program throughout, who have stuck it out and get better every year. That is a testament to the work ethic and environment that is created by our players. I think that we are going to be a really good team next year. I think that we are going to start where we left off, which is a .500 team in the Pac-12 and we will get better as the season goes on. Two more wins and we are in the NCAA tournament right now. We played the seventh-toughest schedule in the country this year, so I think that if we take the right lessons from that, it is going to bode well for what we do next year.

Rachel Whipple

On Her Career At CU
"Yeah, today was definitely disappointing. But I think it was a very emotional day. We all started with Jesse when he first got hired and I think it was really special. I just want to say thank you. There were a lot of ups and downs the past four years and he never gave up on us. He always came to practice every day and wanted us to get better and helped us get better and I think that's why we three have been so successful, because of Jesse and our coaching staff."

On The Improvement Over The Season
"I think like Jesse said earlier in our huddle, we could have just crumbled and totally folded and given up on our season, but we didn't. I seriously think that we have grown so much since we stepped on the court in August. I think today has really shown us that our freshmen and sophomores and juniors really have grown. I'm so excited to come back next year and watch them and see how successful they are in the future."

Justine Spann

On Her Career At CU
"The ups and the downs that the three of us have had in our career here. Thank, you Jesse for sticking with us. I know we're a handful, especially me, but I couldn't be more proud of the three of our careers here and the teammates that we've had that have pushed us to the limit both on and off the court. Just the support that we've had from this university has been amazing and the opportunities that we had. I mean, there are no other people that I would want to finish off my career here with. I'm so proud to call them my teammates and my fellow upperclassmen. The leadership from both of them just drives me to come to practice every day, even those days you don't want to, it gets tougher. First half of Pac 12 was really tough for us, but they just made it better and I think with them pushing me that's why we were able to have a more successful second half and I'm just really proud of our careers that we've had here. Thank you, guys."

On The Improvement Over The Season
"Definitely, as well as the coaching staff not giving up on us. They never once said, you know what our seasons done. They always said, okay, second half, here we go. We always have like a halfway through season meeting, and Jesse said nothing's going to change from the coaching side. We're always going to have our scouting report ready. We're always going to prepare the same exact way. It's just our mindset that needed to change. We definitely grew as a team. I think that even the three of us, we came into this season better than we had the other three years. We continue to grow, and I think that was definitely the biggest thing, was growing alongside of those younger players as well."

Lillie Klemmer

On Her Career At CU
"Yeah, you guys really said it all. I'm just really grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, Jesse for allowing me to play in that last game. It meant a lot to be out there with you guys. Just thank you for all of our families who are here tonight and all of our teammates and our staff for really just wanting nothing but the best for us the past four years."

On Her Memories At CU
"Yeah, it's been a great experience. I wouldn't change anything. The ups and the downs. You know, a lot of people say this might not have been our best season, but this was my favorite season. I'm just really grateful to be here with you guys. We've grown so much, thank god."
"
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Box score - https://cubuffs.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2019/utah/boxscore/13034

 
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