Press Release courtesy of Colorado Athletics.
Colorado (7-1) will wrap up the non-conference slate this weekend with a trio of matches.
The Buffs will start off the weekend with at contest against Xavier at Coors Events Center on Friday, Sept. 15. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Then on Saturday, Sept. 16, CU will head north to Fort Collins, Colo., for a pair of contests at Moby Arena. CU will square off with Albany at 11 a.m. before taking on No. 22 Colorado State at 7 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live stats will be available for all three matches; links are on CUBuffs.com. Live streams will also be available for the match against Xavier, as well as Colorado State. Again those links are on CUBuffs.com.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: CU is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll after starting the season with a 7-1 record. The Buffs’ only loss this season came on Sept. 8 against No. 3 Penn State. CU rebounded the following day with an impressive five-set win at Illinois.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with 4.12 kills per set. Senior Anna Pfefferle has the best hitting percentage in the Pac-12 with a .484 clip (48 kills and four errors on 91 attacks) and junior Naghede Abu is second in the league with her .439 attack percentage (64 kills and 10 errors on 123 attacks).
Colorado’s offense is being directed by freshman setter Brynna DeLuzio. She is tied for second in the Pac-12 and is 26th in the NCAA, with an 11.25 assists per set average and has directed the Buffs to the league’s best hitting efficiency (eighth in the NCAA) at .308. Defensively the Buffs are led by Abu, who is recording 1.54 blocks per set (19th in the NCAA, fifth in the Pac-12). Junior Gabby Carta-Samuelsranks 10th in the conference with a 3.30 digs per set mark.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS: Xavier is 4-6 to start this season. The Musketeers started the season with three straight wins, but have lost the last four contests. Kristen Massa leads XU with 3.39 kills per set, but also adds 3.18 digs per set. As a team, the Musketeers are 28th in the NCAA with 17.18 digs per set. Meredith Klare leads the team with 4.53 per set. At the net, Lauren Frilling is averaging 1.08 blocks per set and Alexis Newsome is second with 1.00 blocks per set.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES: Albany enters the weekend with a 0-9 mark. Seven of its losses have been in three sets, while the other two have been in four sets. Akuabata Okenwa leads UA with 3.31 kills per set and Chloe Evering is second with 2.10 kills per set. The Great Danes are hitting .119 this season, while its opponents are attacking at a .282 clip. At the net, Courtney O’Connell is the top blocker, averaging 0.92 blocks per set. Nicole Otero is averaging a team-best 4.03 digs per set.
SCOUTING THE RAMS: Colorado State is ranked 22nd in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll after compiling an 8-1 record. Two of those wins have come against top-20 opponents. CSU defeated No. 15 Florida State (3-0) on the road and took down No. 16 Michigan (3-0) in Moby Arena.
Breana Runnels is the team’s leading attacker, averaging 3.39 kills per set. Kirstie Hillyer is second with 3.18 kills per set, but also ranks eighth in the NCAA with her .475 hitting efficiency. As a team, the Rams are hitting .315, which is the sixth best mark in the nation, under the direction of Katie Oleksak. She ranks 14th in the NCAA with 12.18 assists per set. Defensively, CSU is 18th in the NCAA with 2.89 blocks per set. Hillyer again has a top 20 ranking at 14th with 1.59 blocks per set.
WHAT’S NEXT: Colorado opens up Pac-12 Conference action on Sept. 22 at Utah in Salt Lake City. The Buffs will host fourth-ranked Stanford in the conference home opener on Sept. 24 at Coors Events Center.
MATCH PROMOTIONS VS. XAVIER:
- Fans are encouraged to wear black to support the team, which will be sporting its black jerseys.
- The first 250 fans will receive a free black foam finger.
- Head coach Jesse Mahoney will host a pre-match ‘Chalk Talk’, in the Coors Club Room approximately 35 minutes prior to the start of the match. This is open to the public.
- The team will sign autographs following the match on the concourse behind sections 3 and 4.
CU TICKET INFORMATION
Single match tickets start at just $5 for general admission and $8 for reserved seating. Kids 12 and under are free. Season tickets are also available and start at just $25 for general admission, while reserved seats are $40. Fans can purchase single match and season tickets online at CUBuffs.com or by calling 303-49-BUFFS.
New for the 2017 season is the General Admission Flex season ticket for $35. Fans will receive 14 match vouchers redeemable to all games. The flex plan is 50% off single game pricing.
And don’t forget about the Women’s Sports Pass. For just $125, the Women’s sports pass gives you general admission seating for all volleyball, soccer and women’s basketball home games.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to provide a safer environment for fans, the University of Colorado will continue its clear bag policy at the Coors Events Center for all CU volleyball matches, men’s basketball and women’s basketball games.
Fans may bring one clear bag no larger than 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches, or a one-gallon reseal-able clear plastic storage bag, into the arena. Fans will also be allowed one small clutch purse, no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches.
Bags that are not allowed into the CEC include backpacks, large purses, oversized tote bags, camera bags and binocular cases, diaper bags, fanny packs and printed plastic bags.
For more information check out the following links: http://www.cubuffs.com/news/2016/8/14/football-cu-to-implement-clear-bag-policy-at-folsom-field.aspx andhttp://www.cubuffs.com/sports/2004/8/15/folsom-field-policies.aspx#permitted.
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