Press Release courtesy of Colorado Athletics
To start the second half of the Pac-12 Conference schedule, the Colorado Buffaloes will hit the road, traveling to the Pacific Northwest for a pair of contests. The first stop is Eugene, Ore., on Friday, Oct. 27, where the Buffs will take on No. 15 Oregon. The following night, Saturday, Oct. 28, CU will face-off against Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore. The Buffs won the first meeting this year against both teams in Boulder.
HOW TO WATCH: Both matches this weekend will be streamed on the Pac-12 Digital network. Links to each stream are located on the schedule page at CUBuffs.com.
LIVE STATS: Links to the live stats for both matches are available at CUBuffs.com.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado is 15-6 overall and is tied for seventh in the Pac-12 with a 5-5 mark. The Buffs split matches last weekend, recording their first-ever win over No. 19 Southern California (3-0) before falling to No. 13 UCLA, 3-2.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with 4.19 kills per set and is also second in the league in attacks (11.56 per set). Junior Naghede Abu has the seventh best hitting percentage in the league (.347), while senior Anna Pfefferleranks eighth in the Pac-12 with a .346 hitting percentage.
Colorado’s offense is directed by freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio. She ranks second in the Pac-12 and is 18th in the NCAA with an 11.33 assists per set average and has guided the Buffs to a .252 mark, which is sixth in the conference.
Defensively the Buffs are led by Abu who is recording 1.28 blocks per set (sixth in the Pac-12 and 48th in the NCAA). Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels ranks sixth in the conference with a 3.68 digs per set mark.
SCOUTING THE DUCKS: Oregon is currently ranked 15th in the AVCA Coaches Poll after starting the season with a 13-5 record. The Ducks own a 6-4 mark in conference play, which has them tied for fourth. Lindsey Vander Weide is averaging a team-best 2.82 kills per set and Taylor Agost is second with 2.81 kills per set. Ronika Stone ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with a .349 hitting percentage. UO also has a pair of Ducks posting over 1.00 blocks per set. Sumeet Gill is averaging 1.22 per set (seventh in the league) and Stone is 13th with 1.15 per set.
The Buffs defeated Oregon, 3-1, on Sept. 30 in Boulder.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS: Oregon State has won four straight matches to improve to 15-7 on the year. The Beavers are tied for seventh in the league standings with a 5-5 record. Mary-Kate Marshall leads the team and ranks highly in the Pac-12 in several areas. She is first in the conference in kills per set (4.58) and attacks per set (12.45), is third in aces per set (0.43) and is second in points per set (5.29). Maddy Gravley is averaging 1.19 blocks per set, which is 10th in the conference, and Kayla Ellis is leading the team with 3.45 digs per set.
Colorado won the first meeting this season between the two teams, 3-2, in Boulder.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Buffs will host the Washington schools next week. CU will host Washington State on Wednesday, Nov. 1, in a nationally televised match on Pac-12 Network at 7 p.m. The Buffs will then face off against Washington on Friday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m.in another national broadcast on Pac-12 Network.
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