Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Ranked 18th, Abu Named Defensive Player of the Week
September 05, 2016 | Volleyball
BOULDER — After upsetting a pair of ranked Big Ten opponents last weekend at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge in Boulder, the Colorado volleyball team is picking up some well-deserved honors.
After being unranked for the first two weeks of the season, the Buffs shot up to 18th in the AVCA Coaches Poll and sophomore middle blocker Naghede Abu was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.
Colorado is 4-1 to start the season and jumped into the coaches' poll after defeating then-No. 13 Penn State (3-2) and then-No. 17 Illinois (3-2) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. More impressively, the Buffs held PSU to just three points in the fifth set, setting a CU record for the largest margin of victory in a fifth set in the rally scoring era. The ranking ties CU's best poll position since Nov. 24, 2014 and is the highest the Buffs have been ranked since 1998.
Abu played a big part in CU's wins, although both wins were a complete team effort. Her presence at the net was felt by both opponents. She posted eight blocks, two solo and six assists, against the Nittany Lions and added four more in the victory against the Fighting Illini. Abu averaged 1.20 blocks per set to lead the Buffs at the net, but she also had a strong showing on offense. Abu recorded nine kills against PSU and added another 13 kills against Illinois. She hit an impressive .476 with three errors on 21 attacks against the Illini.
This is the second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor for Abu as she was named the freshman of the week on Oct. 19, 2015.
CU will be back in action this weekend against a pair of tough opponents, traveling to San Diego to play in the San Diego Invitational. They will face the tournament host, USD, which is ranked 15th, on Friday, Sept. 8, at 8 p.m. MT. On Saturday at 3 p.m. MT, CU will take on UC-Irvine.
COLORADO TICKET INFORMATION
Single match tickets for most contests start at just $5 for general admission and $8 for reserved seating. Tickets for the second day of the Omni Invitational (Sept. 17), will start at $8 for general admission and $12 for reserved seats. Kids 12 and under are still 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.
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.
AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll
Week #2: September 5, 2016
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Michigan State 90; Kansas State 84; Dayton 76; Kentucky 52; Creighton 48; Oregon 45; TCU 39; Louisville 25; Missouri 14; Wichita State 13; Washington State 11; Arizona 8; Missouri State 8; Iowa State 7; Pittsburgh 6; UNLV 6; UC Santa Barbara 4; Oklahoma 3; Ole Miss 3
Four teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 13 combined points.
Dropped Out: Kentucky 23; Creighton 22; Louisville 21; Colorado State 25
(CU's 2016 opponents are bolded)
After being unranked for the first two weeks of the season, the Buffs shot up to 18th in the AVCA Coaches Poll and sophomore middle blocker Naghede Abu was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.
Colorado is 4-1 to start the season and jumped into the coaches' poll after defeating then-No. 13 Penn State (3-2) and then-No. 17 Illinois (3-2) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. More impressively, the Buffs held PSU to just three points in the fifth set, setting a CU record for the largest margin of victory in a fifth set in the rally scoring era. The ranking ties CU's best poll position since Nov. 24, 2014 and is the highest the Buffs have been ranked since 1998.
Abu played a big part in CU's wins, although both wins were a complete team effort. Her presence at the net was felt by both opponents. She posted eight blocks, two solo and six assists, against the Nittany Lions and added four more in the victory against the Fighting Illini. Abu averaged 1.20 blocks per set to lead the Buffs at the net, but she also had a strong showing on offense. Abu recorded nine kills against PSU and added another 13 kills against Illinois. She hit an impressive .476 with three errors on 21 attacks against the Illini.
This is the second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor for Abu as she was named the freshman of the week on Oct. 19, 2015.
CU will be back in action this weekend against a pair of tough opponents, traveling to San Diego to play in the San Diego Invitational. They will face the tournament host, USD, which is ranked 15th, on Friday, Sept. 8, at 8 p.m. MT. On Saturday at 3 p.m. MT, CU will take on UC-Irvine.
COLORADO TICKET INFORMATION
Single match tickets for most contests start at just $5 for general admission and $8 for reserved seating. Tickets for the second day of the Omni Invitational (Sept. 17), will start at $8 for general admission and $12 for reserved seats. Kids 12 and under are still 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.
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.
AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll
Week #2: September 5, 2016
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | 2016 Record |
Previous Week |
| 1 | Nebraska (64) | 1600 | 4-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 1518 | 5-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas | 1439 | 5-1 | 3 |
| 4 | Kansas | 1357 | 6-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 1279 | 3-1 | 6 |
| 6 | Washington | 1245 | 5-0 | 5 |
| 7 | UCLA | 1189 | 6-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Florida | 1174 | 4-1 | 7 |
| 9 | Stanford | 1128 | 3-1 | 9 |
| 10 | BYU | 1044 | 6-0 | 10 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 987 | 5-0 | 12 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 900 | 5-1 | 11 |
| 13 | Florida State | 756 | 3-1 | 16 |
| 14 | Hawai'i | 684 | 3-3 | 15 |
| 15 | San Diego | 585 | 2-2 | 18 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | 573 | 3-3 | 14 |
| 17 | Penn State | 478 | 2-3 | 13 |
| 18 | Colorado | 466 | 4-1 | NR |
| 19 | Santa Clara | 423 | 6-0 | NR |
| 20 | Purdue | 374 | 5-1 | 24 |
| 21 | Illinois | 322 | 2-3 | 17 |
| 22 | Michigan | 308 | 6-0 | NR |
| 23 | Western Kentucky | 205 | 6-1 | 19 |
| 24 | Southern California | 110 | 3-3 | NR |
| 25 | Loyola Marymount | 101 | 4-2 | 20 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Michigan State 90; Kansas State 84; Dayton 76; Kentucky 52; Creighton 48; Oregon 45; TCU 39; Louisville 25; Missouri 14; Wichita State 13; Washington State 11; Arizona 8; Missouri State 8; Iowa State 7; Pittsburgh 6; UNLV 6; UC Santa Barbara 4; Oklahoma 3; Ole Miss 3
Four teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 13 combined points.
Dropped Out: Kentucky 23; Creighton 22; Louisville 21; Colorado State 25
(CU's 2016 opponents are bolded)
Players Mentioned
MB
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