Buffs Close Out Season, Host OSU, Travel to Utah
BOULDER— The final week of the regular season is here and the Buffs have a pair of matches left. The University of Colorado will host Oregon State on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 3 p.m., and will then head to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Friday, Nov. 28, at 12 p.m.
The match against the Oregon State Beavers on Wednesday will not be televised, but will be streamed online at CUBuffs.com. Admission to the match is also free for everyone. CU’s contest against the Utah Utes on Friday will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks. Live stats for both matches will be available at CUBuffs.com.
The Buffs (18-12, 10-8 Pac-12) are ranked 18th in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll and are tied for fifth in the Pac-12 standings with UCLA. CU blanked California last Friday to earn the season sweep of the Bears, before falling to No. 1 Stanford on Saturday.
Senior Taylor Simpson ranks third in the Pac-12 and is 10th in the NCAA with 4.65 kills per set. She has recorded 516 kills this season to lead the Buffs and is hitting 299. Simpson also ranks fifth in the Pac-12, 15th in the NCAA, in points per set with 5.19. Junior Alexis Austin has tallied 235 kills this season (3.01 kills per set), while senior Neira Ortiz Ruiz has 193 kills this year (1.99 per set).
The Buffs are attacking at a .248 clip and have held their opponents to a .209 hitting percentage. Junior Nicole Edelman and freshman Gabby Simpson have each spent time setting for the Buffs. Edelman is averaging 7.67 assists per set (729 assists), which is eighth in the conference, while Gabby Simpson is recording 4.83 assists per set (551 assists).
Defensively the Buffs are led by Cierra Simpson, who is averaging 3.95 digs per set, the ninth best mark in the league. She has picked up 454 digs this year and has recorded 20 or more digs 10 times this season. Taylor Simpson is second on the team with 2.68 digs per set and Edelman is third with 1.99 digs per set.
CU is also blocking well, averaging 2.42 blocks per set. In conference only matches, the Buffs are fourth with 2.44 blocks per set. Freshman Anna Pfefferle leads the Buffs with 1.12 blocks per set (11 block solos and 110 block assists), the seventh best in the conference. She is also third in conference only matches with 1.23 blocks per set. Sophomore Katelyn Cuff ranks second on the team with 0.74 blocks per set.
Oregon State (18-11, 8-10 Pac-12) is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll is tied for seventh in the conference with Arizona State. OSU is 4-3 in its last seven matches.
Mary-Kate Marshall ranks seventh in the conference with 4.17 kills per set for OSU, while adding 2.45 digs per set. Arica Nassar leads OSU with a .339 hitting percentage, which is eighth in the conference. The Beavers are hitting .228 under the direction of Tayla Woods, whose 9.93 assists per set ranks third in the Pac-12. Darby Reeder is third in the conference with 4.41 digs per set and also adds 0.21 aces per set, which is also third in the league. OSU is averaging 2.57 blocks per set with Nassar leading the way with 1.28, the third best amount in the Pac-12.
The series between Oregon State and CU is tied 3-3. The Buffs have won the last three meetings between the two schools.
Utah (17-11, 7-11 Pac-12) has been on quite the roll recently, winning five of its last six matches. The Utes are currently ranked 23rd in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll and are tied for ninth in the league standings with USC.
Chelsey Schofield leads UU with 3.01 kills per set and Bailey Bateman has the best hitting percentage at .328. The Utes are attacking at a .236 clip under the guidance of Kalee Kirby and Kendall Cygan. Kirby is averaging 6.07 assists per set and Cygan is recording 5.04 assists per set. Lea Adolph is the top defensive player for the Utes, recording 3.32 digs per set. Utah is a good blocking team with two athletes in the top 10. Bateman is averaging 1.13 blocks per set (sixth) and Carly Trueman is recording 1.07 blocks per set (ninth).
The series between Utah and CU is tied 6-6. CU won the first meeting this year, a 3-2 win in Boulder on Sept. 25. For the last two seasons, the two schools have each won the contest at home.