MATCH NOTES
- #22 Colorado def. Oregon State 3-2 (25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 7-25, 15-12)
- Colorado moves to 11-3, 1-2 Pac 12
- Oregon State drops to to 10-5, 0-3 Pac 12
- Boulder, Colorado
- Attendance: 1,098
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Top 25 (Week 6)
Playing without junior outside Frankie Shebby, the #22 Colorado Buffaloes bounced back from a 25-7 fourth-set loss and a 12-10 fifth-set deficit to outlast the Oregon State Beavers in a five-set thriller.
“She had a fluke tweak,” said Colorado head coach Jesse Mahoney about Shebby’s injury. “We felt it was best to hold her out so that it didn’t magnify. It happened right before the match. I saw her dancing out there during some of the breaks so hopefully she’s good to go by tomorrow. But, if she’s not we have kids that are ready to play and play hard. They all make the most of their opportunities.”
Two Buffaloes recorded double-doubles on the night: freshman setter Brynn DeLuzio (55 assists, 10 digs) and junior outside Alexa Smith (21 kills, 16 digs). Junior middle Naghede Abu had 12 kills, hitting at a team-best .529 clip, and senior opposite Joslyn Hayes added 15 kills, on .429 efficiency. Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels registered a team-high 19 digs.
For the Beavers, junior Kayla Ellis recorded 21 digs, becoming just the 14th player in Oregon State history to record 1,000 digs in her career. Four Oregon State players also recorded double-doubles: freshman outside Maddie Goings (20 kills, 14 digs), junior middle Maddie Gravely (20 kills, 14 digs), freshman setter Kylee McLaughlin (57 assists, 17 digs) and senior outside Mary-Kate Marshall (22 kills, 16 digs).
The first set stayed close throughout with the score knotted at 19 after consecutive Colorado kills from Hayes. After an Oregon State timeout, the Buffaloes took the lead for good on a DeLuzio ace and won the frame 25-21. In the second set, Oregon State fought off two Colorado set points before taking that deuce set 27-25.
Set three was also tied late at 23-23 before two straight Colorado kills gave the Buffaloes a 2-1 advantage in the match. The fourth was all Oregon State, which build leads of 9-3 and 18-6 on their way to a lopsided 25-7 finish.
Colorado built an early 6-2 edge in the fifth before the Beavers recorded four straight points to even the score. They had a 12-10 lead before five straight from Colorado sealed the victory for the Buffs.
Colorado hosts the #12 Oregon Ducks on Saturday, while Oregon State travels to #14 Utah to take on the Utes. Both teams also played a thrilling five-setter on Friday night.
This Naghede Abu kill in the 3rd set is the @OpusBank #12Best Moment. #Pac12VB pic.twitter.com/PEJC7Kng9q
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 30, 2017
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Oregon State Athletics
Beavers Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker to Buffs
BOULDER, Colo. – Oregon State pushed Colorado to five sets on the road but ultimately fell to the Buffaloes Friday night, 3-2. Mary-Kate Marshall led the Beavers’ offense with a season-best 22 kills in OSU’s first five-set match of the season.
The loss drops the Beavers’ record to 10-5 and 0-3 in conference play. Set scores were 21-25, 27-25, 23-25, 25-7 and 12-15.
“If you want to be good in the Pac-12 you can’t let these kinds of games slip away,” head coach Mark Barnard said. “It’s really disappointing. It is very hard to win matches in the Pac-12 and to be in a position to win and not finish is hard.”
Oregon State dominated the fourth set, 25-7, in what was an otherwise closely fought match, to force a deciding Set Five. OSU was led in the fourth stanza by some tough serving from Grace Massey, who helped the Beavers run off 10 straight points. Maddie Goings and Mary-Kate Marshall each recorded four kills in the period and Goings finished the match with a career-high 20 kills. In addition, the Beavers held the Buffaloes to an attack percentage of minus-.074 in the set and turned away the CU offense with three blocks.
Despite the fourth set dominance, CU was unfazed heading into the final set. A 6-2 Colorado lead forced the Beavers into a timeout. OSU answered the call with four straight points to tie the match. The teams battled back-and-forth with the Beavers taking a 12-10 lead to force the Buffs’ second timeout. OSU would not score again, falling 15-12 in the fifth set.
In the third set, which may have been the most crucial, OSU led 17-11 before Colorado slowly inched its way back into the game. The Buffaloes tied the set 22-22 for the first time since the teams were locked at 4-4 and eventually stole the game 25-23.
“We were ahead 17-11 in the third set and gave it away. I thought that was the turning point. Fifth sets are always wild and can go either way, so I’m not as upset about that. We have to develop the ability to execute when it really matters and tonight we couldn’t put it away.”
Libero Kayla Ellis registered a season-best 21 digs to lead five OSU players in double-digits. Late in the fourth set, Ellis hit a milestone becoming the 14th player in OSU history to tally 1,000 career digs.
Game Notes: Kayla Ellis tallied the 1,000th dig of her career becoming the 14th player in OSU history to accomplish the feat … Maddie Goings recorded the second double-double of her career (20 kills, 14 digs) in as many matches … Mary-Kate Marshall recorded a team season-high 22 kills and 16 digs … Kory Cheshire set her career-high with 14 kills and her season-best with seven blocks … five Beavers registered double digits in digs Friday night with Kayla Ellis tallying a season-best 21, Kylee McLaughlin registering 17, Marshall 16, and Goings and Grace Massey posting 14 apiece … McLaughlin set a personal-best with 57 assists.
Next Up: The Beavers are back at it in less than 24 hours, when they travel to Salt Lake City to face No. 15 Utah, Saturday at 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Mountain.
Courtesy: Colorado Athletics
Buffs Improve To 11-3 With Five-Set Victory Over Oregon State
BOULDER — Colorado earned its first Pac-12 win of the season on Friday night, defeating Oregon State 3-2. Set scores were 25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 7-25, 15-12.
With the win, the Buffs improved to 11-3 overall (1-2 Pac-12), while the Beavers dropped to 10-5 (0-3 Pac-12).
WHAT HAPPENED: Alexa Smith sparked CU’s offense Friday night, recording 21 kills. She also picked up 16 digs and added a pair of blocks and one ace.
Brynna DeLuzio tied her career-high with 55 assists and added four aces, another career-high, and 10 digs. In addition to setting up Smith, DeLuzio also directed two other hitters to double-digit performances. Joslyn Hayes had 15 kills and hit .429 with just three errors on 28 attacks. Naghede Abu had 12 kills and tallied a team-best .529 hitting efficiency with just one errors on 19 swings.
The Buffs performed well defensively with four players recording 10 or more digs, including Smith and DeLuzio. The two others were Gabby Carta-Samuels, who led the team with 19, and Stephanie Shadley, who added 15.
The Oregon State Beavers were led by Mary-Kate Marshall, who tallied a match-best 22 kills and added 16 digs. Maddie Gravely tallied another 20 kills for OSU and had 14 digs.
SET 1: OSU took an early lead in the set at 5-2, but the Buffs came back to even it up at 11-11. The Beavers went up again, this time leading 15-13 at the media timeout, but CU continued to work and was able to tie up the frame at 19-19 after two straight kills from Hayes. OSU took a timeout, but it didn’t slow the Buffs down as DeLuzio served up an ace, her second of the set, and Shadley recorded a kill for a two-point lead (21-19). OSU took its final timeout two points later with the Buffs leading 22-20. The Buffs finished the set with a 3-1 run (25-21).
SET 2: The frame started out very close. The Buffs lead 10-9 before OSU strung together a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 advantage. CU came back to even the set up at 14-14, but OSU took the next point to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. The Beavers added two straight points, forcing the Buffs to spend a timeout (17-14). CU came back to even the set at 22-22 and went ahead on the following point. The Buffs had set point twice (24-23, 25-24), but each time OSU fought it off and went on to take the game 27-25.
SET 3: OSU took control of the game, going up 10-6. After a timeout by the Buffs, CU got back within two (12-10), but OSU responded with a 3-0 run to go up by five (15-10) and increased the lead to 17-11. The Buffs continued to fight, going on a 5-1 run to bring the score within a pair (18-16), causing OSU to take a timeout. Colorado rallied back to even the game late in the game at 22-22, and again the Beavers had to use a timeout. Hayes put the Buffs up by one with a kill, but OSU responded with a kill of its own. After that, CU finished the game with kills from Abu and Hayes (25-23).
SET 4: The Beavers had a 9-3 lead in the game before the Buffs used their first timeout of the set. OSU came out of the break and extended its lead to 18-6 before CU took its final timeout. Oregon State went on to take the game 25-7.
SET 5: The Buffs came out strong in the final set, taking a 4-1 advantage and forced OSU to call timeout at 6-2. The Beavers took the following four points and this time, the Buffs needed to take a break to regroup. The Beavers pulled ahead, leading 8-7 at the side change. The set stayed closed, but CU had to take its final timeout when OSU led 12-10. Back-to-back kills by Abu and Smith tied the game up at 12-12 and this time, OSU spent a timeout. The break did not slow the Buffs down as they finished the set with three straight points, including an ace from Carta-Samuels to finish the match (15-12).
NOTES: This was the fifth time this season DeLuzio has recorded 50 or more assists in a match….DeLuzio’s four aces is the most by a Buff in a single match this year…Smith has recorded 20 or more kills in three matches this season…CU is 3-1 in five-set matches this season and are 5-1 at Coors…The Buffs lead the all-time series against OSU at 8-4….All 12 meetings have come since 2011 when CU joined the Pac-12 Conference.
TEAM STATISTICS: Oregon State hit .251 in the match with 73 kills and 25 errors on 191 attacks. The Buffs hit .185 with 60 kills and 26 errors on 184 swings. CU had the edge in aces, serving up seven to OSU’s five. The Beavers posted 11.0 blocks to CU’s 7.0 and also led the match in digs (87-80).
NEXT UP: The Buffs face No. 12 Oregon at Coors on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
On the first Pac-12 win and if this win means a spark going forward
“I hope so, that’s the plan. We started off with number two and number 15 last weekend, played some good and some bad. We ended up 0-2, could’ve very easily been one and one. Tonight, we could have easily lost as well, that’s what this league is like. A lot of times it’s a coin flip like that last serve, an ace or an error. Today it rolled our way.”
On the decision to pull the starters near the end of set four
“I do things on purpose sometimes, maybe people don’t know that. That set got away from us, so I did two things. One, I wanted to rest some people. Two, I wanted to set a lot of stuff that we don’t normally set so that when we got into the fifth set they would bite on a back-row attack to Joss (Joslyn Hayes) or run the middle over and over so we can open up the outside. Those things aren’t particularly efficient all the time and maybe not very efficient with some back row players in there. But, it gave Lex (Alexis Smith) and Feff (Anna Pfefferle) an opportunity to relax. If we had more subs I would have taken everybody out so that we could have just had a fresh start. I think for the most part it worked. We came out in the fifth set with some energy, got up six to two, had a little bit of a spark and we were able to sustain it at the end.”
On Oregon State’s competitive start and catching up throughout the game
“Well, Oregon State is really good. You can call it chasing, it’s us competing. They’ve got Mary-Kate Marshall who’s one of the best players in our league and when she comes to the front row, they point score a lot. When she goes to the back row we catch up. At the end, at 12-12 she was in the front row which was a little disconcerting. But, she made an error, we transitioned the ball, got an ace, and things rolled our way. I don’t think we played the cleanest volleyball. I do think that Oregon State is really good and they did a lot of really good things. They made us uncomfortable. On top of that, we were down a starter. I thought Steph (Stephanie Shadley) did a really nice job certainly passing and defending. But, we got caught in our two-hitter rotations too much.”
On Frankie Shebby‘s injury
“She had a fluke tweak. We felt it was best to hold her out so that it didn’t magnify. It happened right before the match. I saw her dancing out there during some of the breaks so hopefully she’s good to go by tomorrow. But, if she’s not we have kids that are ready to play and play hard. They all make the most of their opportunities.”
On the things that need to be focused on moving forward in Pac-12 play
“There’s not any one thing. If you watch us enough you can see give away lots of points in single rotations. We did that again tonight. Those tend to be some of our two-hitter rotations. We work on that everyday trying to find a way to be a little bit more efficient. Whether it’s offensive patterns or whether it’s personnel. That’s number one. Number two, our defensive intensity has to be better. It’s just not where it needs to be right now. That needs to be a focus point for us.”
Junior Alexa Smith
On what adjustments the team made going into the fifth set
“We just needed a fresh start. We had to let that fourth set go, and move forward with the rest of the match.”
On getting a breather at the end of the fourth set to get ready for the fifth set
“It was very helpful. It is more of a mental break than a physical break. Things weren’t going well and we couldn’t find our way out of that rotation. Coach knows best, so he took us out to give us a little break and I think it helped.”
On the turning point of the game
“I wouldn’t say there was one turning point. I think we played a lot of up and down volleyball and that is something we really need to work on. We need to be more consistent. Obviously, that wasn’t the best volleyball we have ever played, and we need to learn from that going forward. I do think that in that fifth set we played some solid volleyball.”
On playing five sets in back-to-back matches and the fatigue that may bring
“I think it is all in the mindset. If you don’t think you are tried you aren’t going to be tired. We have a big match tomorrow, and I think that all of us will be up and ready for that. We are going to have to recover tonight, and get ready for the match tomorrow.”
Freshman Brynna DeLuzio
On what adjustments the team made going into the fifth set
“We needed the mindset that every point mattered. It’s a short game to 15 so we needed to be on our A game the whole time.”
On having a strong group of hitters around her
“They mean everything. I can only be as good as my hitters, and they are great. I can give the ball to anyone at any time and I know that they can score.”
On playing five sets in back-to-back matches and the fatigue that may bring
“I think that we have done a good job of preparing for that in practice. It’s just a mindset of who wants it more.”
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