In the wake of roster changes and a new coaching staff, the University of Colorado volleyball team hasn’t skipped a beat as it opened the 2016 season last weekend in Portland, Oregon. The Buffs went 2-1 in the Portland State Invitational, the first step to improving on last season’s 19-13 record.
First-year head coach Jesse Mahoney replaced Liz Kritza as the program’s fifth head coach after Kritza failed to reach the NCAA tournament last season. Mahoney previously coached at the University of Denver, leading the Pioneers to back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2014 and 2015.
Colorado faces the difficult challenge of filling the shoes of outside hitter Alexis Austin and setter Nicole Edelman, who both graduated last spring. Austin recorded 1,443 kills during her time at CU and Edelman finished as one of the programs most proficient setters, registering 4,278 assists.
The Buffs opened their 2016 season with a five-set win against Texas Tech (20-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-18 and 15-8). Sophomore outside hitter Alexa Smith led the team’s offense in her debut as a Buff with an impressive 23 kills on 47 attacks. Junior outside hitter Stephanie Shadley also recorded 15 kills in the match. Senior Kiara McKibben took to her new role as setter well, recording 41 assists and two serving aces.
Colorado recorded 66 kills to TTU’s 63, and closed out the first night of play with a .326 team hitting percentage.
The Buffs split day two in Portland, falling short against Portland State after extended play in a five-set battle (26-28, 25-18, 25-17, 19-25 and 14-16). Both teams were closely matched throughout each set, but Portland State’s offense carried the day.
CU recorded 68 kills in the match to PSU’s 75, but managed to commit less hitting errors. CU also dominated defensively around the net. Colorado’s front line recorded 22 team blocks, 15 of which were assisted by sophomore middle blocker Naghede Abu. Shadley also led the team in kills with 18.
Despite the close score, Colorado failed to win the crucial points in the match that would have pushed momentum their way to win.
The final matchup of the weekend swung in the Buffaloes’ favor, as CU swept Long Beach State in three sets (25-21, 25-18 and 25-22). Smith once again led the Buffs offense with 19 kills on 32 attacks, giving her an outstanding .406 hitting percentage. Colorado libero Cierra Simpson led in the defensive department as well. The defense recorded 41 digs compared to LBS’s 29.
Colorado’s success off the bat doesn’t come without notes for improvement. Notably absent from this weekend’s matches was junior right side hitter, Gabby Simpson. Simpson has recorded 603 kills during her first two years as a Buff, and was a starter in every match last season. The Buffs should look to her for a boost as the season progresses.
Colorado will host its first matches of the season next weekend at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge, which is set to include Penn State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, and Illinois at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4. Both teams played in the NCAA tournament last season and swept the Buffaloes in last year’s Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Olivia Butrymovich at olbu3713@colorado.edu.
