Colorado University Athletics
Saturday, September 30
Boulder, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado
12-3, 2-2Pac-12
3
vs
1
Oregon
9-3, 2-2Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Oregon
18
26
19
18
1
Colorado
25
24
25
25
3
Buffs Stun No. 12 Oregon, 3-1
September 30, 2017 | Volleyball
BOULDER — The No. 12 Oregon Ducks were flying high on Saturday night heading into the match against Colorado after a five-set win over Utah on Friday night, but the Buffs stunned the Ducks, pulling off a 3-1 upset at the Coors Events Center. Set scores were 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 25-18.
With the win, the Buffs improved to 12-3 overall and are now .500 in Pac-12 play (2-2), while the Ducks dropped to 9-3 (2-2 Pac-12).
WHAT HAPPENED: Four Buffs recorded double-digits in kills in the victory, CU's first in Boulder against the Ducks since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
Frankie Shebby, an Oregon transfer, recorded 16 kills, nine digs and three blocks in her first match against her former team. Alexa Smith tallied 14 kills and tied her career-high 19 digs. Naghede Abu had 11 kills and hit .333 with just two errors on 27 attacks. Joslyn Hayes got into the action and added 10 kills in the win.
Defensively, the Buffs had three players in double-digit digs with Smith, Brynna DeLuzio and Gabby Carta-Samuels recording 19, 12, and 15 digs, respectively. The Buffs also blocked extremely well, posting 17.0 team blocks, a season-best. Hayes and Abu each recorded nine blocks, while Anna Pfefferle had seven blocks in en route to recording her 400th career block.
The Oregon Ducks were led by Lindsey Vander Weide, who tallied 13 kills and added eight digs. Ronika Stone added another 11 kills for UO and had a hitting efficiency of .375.
SET 1: The Buffs took a 6-2 lead to start the first set and forced the Ducks to take an early timeout. After two consecutive blocks by Anna Pfefferle and Alexa Smith, UO took another timeout with a seven-point deficit. That second block by Pfefferle was the 400th of her career, which put the Buffs up 8-2. The Ducks rallied and cut the Buff's lead to 12-9, but Colorado responded with four consecutive points to make the score 16-9. The Ducks didn't concede easily, with a 23-18 score in the final plays of the set, but the Buffs maintained their lead and won the set 25-18.
SET 2: The second set began with Colorado up 13-9, but the Ducks answered with an eight-point run to give them a 16-14 lead. Oregon held the lead for a few more plays, but after a Colorado timeout, the Buffs had five consecutive points, including a pair of block by Hayes and Abu, to tie the score up 22-22. The Buffs battled for a few more plays, but Oregon eventually took the game 26-24.
SET 3: In another close set, the score was tied 15-15 midway through. After back-to-back kills from Hayes and Abu, the Buffs forced Oregon to take a timeout with a score of 20-17. The timeout did not deter CU as it continued on a five-point run to make the score 23-17. Shebby, an Oregon transfer, scored the set point to win the set 25-19 and make the match 2-1.
SET 4: The final set started off with a 7-6 Colorado lead, followed by a five-point run to put the Buffs' up 12-6. CU remained in the lead throughout most of the set before the Ducks went on a four-point run to cut Colorado's advantage to 21-17. The Buffs finished the set strong with four consecutive points to take the game 25-18.
NOTES: Anna Pfefferle recorded her 400th career block with her second block assist of the match (in the first set)…She is just the fifth Buff to ever reach 400 career blocks and is just the second to do so in the rally-scoring era…This is the second win over a ranked team for CU this season; the Buffs are 2-3 in matches vs. top-25 teams…This is the fourth win for the Buffs in the all-time history against the Ducks; UO leads the series 12-4…The Buffs are 2-11 against teams ranked 12th all-time…CU improved to 6-1 at Coors.
TEAM STATISTICS: Colorado had 57 kills to Oregon's 52. UO had 27 errors to CU's 18 and had a .145 hitting efficiency to Colorado's .269. The Ducks and the Buffs tied up in aces at three each. Defensively the Buffs recorded 75 digs to Oregon's 60 and Colorado out-blocked UO 17.0-9.0.
NEXT UP: The Buffs take on Washington St. in Pullman, Wash. on Friday, October. 6, at 7 p.m.
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
On win over ranked Oregon
"We have been a little up and down this season but when we play really good competition I think awe rise to the occasion. I was really proud of our team for coming back after a five set match last night. We had a great focused walk through today. In the first set we played as well as we have all season and that set the tone for the rest of the match. It was a really good win and everyone contributed, which was really nice, its something that we can go along with the rest of the season."
On coming out with a lot of energy following the match last night
"We let them sleep in, they didn't jump this afternoon, and we kind of had a relaxed day. I should probably do that more often because we came out and pounced early. All of these are big matches but I think that we let a couple slip away; we wanted to make the most of our home court and get a win against a team like this."
On large amount of blocks
"Our assistant coach runs our blocking system and I think that he was on top of what they wanted to do. I think that we just executed really well, in that first set we had seven blocks and that really helped set the tone for the rest of the night. They started to do some other things that they didn't necessarily want to do. When we did make a block call that was wrong, the blocker often times made a really nice move. I think that everything really came together tonight, I thought the plan was really good but more importantly the players executed over a long period of time."
On Joslyn Hayes increase in kills
"We are giving her the ball when the matchup is right and we had good match-ups for her tonight. I think that she is always working on taking good high and hard swings when the situations arises. She had a mini-slump a couple matches ago but I think that she is out of that. I thought that all of her looks tonight were really good. Even when she doesn't get the kill, I thought she was taking good swings.
Junior Frankie Shebby
On if being an Oregon transfer gave her any extra motivation tonight
"There was definitely a lot of motivation, but it was just like any other game. It was a great win. We bought into the game plan, and if we can do that every time, you see how we play."
On if this game was personal to her
"I still talk to a few of those girls. I have always been very close with them. They are a good group of girls. For me it was more about getting this win. We know we can beat any team in the Pac-12, and it is all about us being consistent."
On how she feels physically after having to miss last night's game
"My back just randomly flares up, and there isn't much I can do about it. I woke up today feeling great, so that was nice."
On their attacking strategy
"We have a group where we can say to anyone that they need to go get kills. It makes people feel better, because we are able to talk to each other and be blunt, and play our hearts out."
Senior Anna Pfefferle
On her 400th career block
"I couldn't do it without my teammates. Most of them are assisted blocks, which comes with whoever is blocking on the pin, giving me a good setup. We blocked extremely well tonight and followed our game plan. It is great, but it helps to have teammates that set up a nice block."
On their attacking strategy
"We can transition to any of our hitters which makes it hard for the other team. We also did a good job of communicating about where are shots were, and we were switching it up and keeping them on their toes."
On the importance of communication
"That has been a big focus for us this week in practice. Tonight it was really important because they run different plays, so being able to get ahead of the play and talk to each other definitely made a big difference."
On what she credits her consistently throughout her career to
"Just following the block calls. I think that playing in the Pac-12, and playing as a freshman right away, got me more comfortable on the court, reading setters. I also like to think that I close hard on every block, and hopefully that shows in my consistency."
With the win, the Buffs improved to 12-3 overall and are now .500 in Pac-12 play (2-2), while the Ducks dropped to 9-3 (2-2 Pac-12).
WHAT HAPPENED: Four Buffs recorded double-digits in kills in the victory, CU's first in Boulder against the Ducks since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
Frankie Shebby, an Oregon transfer, recorded 16 kills, nine digs and three blocks in her first match against her former team. Alexa Smith tallied 14 kills and tied her career-high 19 digs. Naghede Abu had 11 kills and hit .333 with just two errors on 27 attacks. Joslyn Hayes got into the action and added 10 kills in the win.
Defensively, the Buffs had three players in double-digit digs with Smith, Brynna DeLuzio and Gabby Carta-Samuels recording 19, 12, and 15 digs, respectively. The Buffs also blocked extremely well, posting 17.0 team blocks, a season-best. Hayes and Abu each recorded nine blocks, while Anna Pfefferle had seven blocks in en route to recording her 400th career block.
The Oregon Ducks were led by Lindsey Vander Weide, who tallied 13 kills and added eight digs. Ronika Stone added another 11 kills for UO and had a hitting efficiency of .375.
SET 1: The Buffs took a 6-2 lead to start the first set and forced the Ducks to take an early timeout. After two consecutive blocks by Anna Pfefferle and Alexa Smith, UO took another timeout with a seven-point deficit. That second block by Pfefferle was the 400th of her career, which put the Buffs up 8-2. The Ducks rallied and cut the Buff's lead to 12-9, but Colorado responded with four consecutive points to make the score 16-9. The Ducks didn't concede easily, with a 23-18 score in the final plays of the set, but the Buffs maintained their lead and won the set 25-18.
SET 2: The second set began with Colorado up 13-9, but the Ducks answered with an eight-point run to give them a 16-14 lead. Oregon held the lead for a few more plays, but after a Colorado timeout, the Buffs had five consecutive points, including a pair of block by Hayes and Abu, to tie the score up 22-22. The Buffs battled for a few more plays, but Oregon eventually took the game 26-24.
SET 3: In another close set, the score was tied 15-15 midway through. After back-to-back kills from Hayes and Abu, the Buffs forced Oregon to take a timeout with a score of 20-17. The timeout did not deter CU as it continued on a five-point run to make the score 23-17. Shebby, an Oregon transfer, scored the set point to win the set 25-19 and make the match 2-1.
SET 4: The final set started off with a 7-6 Colorado lead, followed by a five-point run to put the Buffs' up 12-6. CU remained in the lead throughout most of the set before the Ducks went on a four-point run to cut Colorado's advantage to 21-17. The Buffs finished the set strong with four consecutive points to take the game 25-18.
NOTES: Anna Pfefferle recorded her 400th career block with her second block assist of the match (in the first set)…She is just the fifth Buff to ever reach 400 career blocks and is just the second to do so in the rally-scoring era…This is the second win over a ranked team for CU this season; the Buffs are 2-3 in matches vs. top-25 teams…This is the fourth win for the Buffs in the all-time history against the Ducks; UO leads the series 12-4…The Buffs are 2-11 against teams ranked 12th all-time…CU improved to 6-1 at Coors.
TEAM STATISTICS: Colorado had 57 kills to Oregon's 52. UO had 27 errors to CU's 18 and had a .145 hitting efficiency to Colorado's .269. The Ducks and the Buffs tied up in aces at three each. Defensively the Buffs recorded 75 digs to Oregon's 60 and Colorado out-blocked UO 17.0-9.0.
NEXT UP: The Buffs take on Washington St. in Pullman, Wash. on Friday, October. 6, at 7 p.m.
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
On win over ranked Oregon
"We have been a little up and down this season but when we play really good competition I think awe rise to the occasion. I was really proud of our team for coming back after a five set match last night. We had a great focused walk through today. In the first set we played as well as we have all season and that set the tone for the rest of the match. It was a really good win and everyone contributed, which was really nice, its something that we can go along with the rest of the season."
On coming out with a lot of energy following the match last night
"We let them sleep in, they didn't jump this afternoon, and we kind of had a relaxed day. I should probably do that more often because we came out and pounced early. All of these are big matches but I think that we let a couple slip away; we wanted to make the most of our home court and get a win against a team like this."
On large amount of blocks
"Our assistant coach runs our blocking system and I think that he was on top of what they wanted to do. I think that we just executed really well, in that first set we had seven blocks and that really helped set the tone for the rest of the night. They started to do some other things that they didn't necessarily want to do. When we did make a block call that was wrong, the blocker often times made a really nice move. I think that everything really came together tonight, I thought the plan was really good but more importantly the players executed over a long period of time."
On Joslyn Hayes increase in kills
"We are giving her the ball when the matchup is right and we had good match-ups for her tonight. I think that she is always working on taking good high and hard swings when the situations arises. She had a mini-slump a couple matches ago but I think that she is out of that. I thought that all of her looks tonight were really good. Even when she doesn't get the kill, I thought she was taking good swings.
Junior Frankie Shebby
On if being an Oregon transfer gave her any extra motivation tonight
"There was definitely a lot of motivation, but it was just like any other game. It was a great win. We bought into the game plan, and if we can do that every time, you see how we play."
On if this game was personal to her
"I still talk to a few of those girls. I have always been very close with them. They are a good group of girls. For me it was more about getting this win. We know we can beat any team in the Pac-12, and it is all about us being consistent."
On how she feels physically after having to miss last night's game
"My back just randomly flares up, and there isn't much I can do about it. I woke up today feeling great, so that was nice."
On their attacking strategy
"We have a group where we can say to anyone that they need to go get kills. It makes people feel better, because we are able to talk to each other and be blunt, and play our hearts out."
Senior Anna Pfefferle
On her 400th career block
"I couldn't do it without my teammates. Most of them are assisted blocks, which comes with whoever is blocking on the pin, giving me a good setup. We blocked extremely well tonight and followed our game plan. It is great, but it helps to have teammates that set up a nice block."
On their attacking strategy
"We can transition to any of our hitters which makes it hard for the other team. We also did a good job of communicating about where are shots were, and we were switching it up and keeping them on their toes."
On the importance of communication
"That has been a big focus for us this week in practice. Tonight it was really important because they run different plays, so being able to get ahead of the play and talk to each other definitely made a big difference."
On what she credits her consistently throughout her career to
"Just following the block calls. I think that playing in the Pac-12, and playing as a freshman right away, got me more comfortable on the court, reading setters. I also like to think that I close hard on every block, and hopefully that shows in my consistency."
Team Stats
ORE
COLO
Kills
52
57
Errors
27
18
Attempts
173
145
Hitting %
.145
.269
Points
64.0
77.0
Assists
49
55
Aces
3
3
Blocks
9.0
17.0
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
9
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
9
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
S/L
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
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