The CU women’s volleyball team is taking their first major road trip of the season to New York this weekend for Fordham University’s 11th Annual Rose Hill Classic.
They are scheduled to play Sienna on Friday; Albany and Fordham on Saturday; and St. John’s on Sunday. Four games in three days can be challenging, but the Buffs say they are very confident.
“I think we’re ready to come home with four wins,” said freshman Kelsey Spencer. “That’s the plan.”
That’s been the plan all year for the Buffs. CU goes in to the Rose Hill Classic with a 3-1 record and an exhibition match against the Slovenian National Team that helped prepare them for this four game stretch. The last match they played was a very tight victory against Albany, who they face off against in a rare non-conference rematch early Saturday morning.
“What we’re really trying to focus on is playing our game as opposed to letting them control the tempo and speed of play,” said senior Anicia Santos.
After the Albany game on Saturday morning, the Buffs must prepare for their next game against host Fordham University at 5 p.m. later that day. In the game against Fordham, the buffs say preparation means everything.
“We filled out a worksheet about how to pre-game and prepare,” Spencer said. “We also eat really healthy.”
With seven people on their coaching staff, CU has no problem with keeping their players ready and focused on the big game.
“We’re off to business,” Kritza said. “We’re definitely on a business trip.”
The entire team has a winning mentality, which will be much needed as the Buffs go into their Pac-12 schedule next Tuesday against Utah.
As for now, the Buffs aren’t focusing on just one game, all four of this tournament are equally important to the program when it comes to results. However, there is one game and one day that means a little bit more to everyone, not just to the teams at the Rose Hill Classic, but the entire city of New York.
“It’s going to be a mix of chaos, positive emotion and sadness,” Kritza said.
CU plays St. John’s University in New York on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack. The significance will be on the players’ minds, but Kritza said her team will face the challenge professionally.
“When we finish playing Sunday, we’ll try to celebrate and join in the festivities in the area,” Kritza said. “For young people, it’s great to be a part of something historic like that.”
