Friday, December 8
Lexington, KY
12:00 PM
Colorado
24-10, 12-8Pac 12
0
vs
3
Nebraska
29-4, 19-1Big Ten
1
2
3
F
Colorado
19
11
21
0
Nebraska
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Mark Mahan
Buffs Finish Season 24-10 With Sweet 16 Loss To Nebraska
December 08, 2017 | Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Every season has to come to an end at some point, and that point for the Colorado Buffaloes came on Friday afternoon against No. 5 Nebraska (25-19, 25-11, 25-21) in the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The Buffs finish the year with an impressive 24-10 record – the third most wins in a single season in program history. Nebraska, which will face Kentucky in the Elite Eight on Saturday, improved to 29-4.
WHAT HAPPENED: Junior Alexa Smith led the Buffs with nine kills and eight digs, in addition to one block solo, while Frankie Shebby had eight kills and recorded a match-high 15 digs while adding three blocks assists and an ace.
Joslyn Hayes hit a CU high .333 with six kills and just one error on 15 attacks. Anna Pfefferle posted three block assists, one kill and one dig.
Annika Albrecht led the NU attack with 13 kills and hit .344 with nine digs. Briana Holman led the block with six block assists and Jazz Sweet hit nine kills and posted four block assists.
SET 1: Nebraska got out to an 8-4 lead in the match. The Buffs did not back down and chipped away at the lead to even the score up at 12-12. The Huskers had a 15-13 advantage at the media break and increased it to 17-13 with two straight points. At that point, CU took a timeout. Shebby recorded a kill on the next point before the Huskers sided-out (18-14). The two teams exchanged points before the Buffs earned two straight off a block by Smith and a NU attack error, cutting the Huskers' lead to a pair (21-19) and forcing them to take a timeout. NU took the following two points to increase its lead to 23-19, causing the Buffs to use a timeout of their own. Unfortunately CU could not stop NU as the Huskers took the frame 25-19.
SET 2: The Huskers took a 10-4 lead in the second game before the Buffs took a timeout. After the break, Hayes hammered a kill and NU recorded an error before siding-out (11-6). CU need to take another timeout after three more NU points (14-6). The break did not slow down NU's attack as the Huskers took the next four points before Hayes recorded another kill to bring the score to 18-7. Nebraska went on to take the set 25-11.
SET 3: Colorado went up 3-1 to start the game before the Huskers strung together a run to take a 9-6 advantage, The Buffs came back to even the score at 12-12 and it would be tied again at 14-14. The Husker recorded the following three points to take a 17-14 edge in the frame. The Buffs would cut the lead to two a few times, including at 23-21 after a pair of kills from Hayes. NU took the following point (24-21) and after a CU timeout, finished the game 25-21.
NOTES: Colorado is 13-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 0-4 record in the Sweet 16. This was the first time CU and NU have faced since both left the Big 12 after the 2010-11 season; CU is 6-1 against former Big 12 rivals. Head coach Jesse Mahoney is 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament as CU's head coach.
TEAM STATISTICS: Nebraska led the match with a .292 hitting percentage. The Huskers recorded 44 kills and 13 errors on 106 attacks, while the Buffs hit .109 with 28 kills and 16 errors on 110 swings. NU edged the Buffs in digs (56-44) and blocks (10.0-4.0).
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
Opening statement …
"Thank you. First of all, I want to say thank you to the University of Kentucky for hosting us this weekend. It was definitely - everything was first rate and it was a championship experience for our players and we certainly appreciate that. Congratulations to Nebraska. That's a very good team on the other side of the net. They put a lot of pressure on you in a lot of different ways and they definitely deserve to advance to the next round. I'm sure they will be very competitive in the rest of this tournament. Not the way we wanted our season to end. We knew we were playing a very good opponent. I was very proud of the composure that our players showed and the fight that they had throughout the entire match. I thought we rebounded between sets two and three and really played our best volleyball in the third set, which is a testament to the way this team has been all season. Definitely going to miss the three seniors that are sitting here to my right who have been really instrumental in building this program the last several years and the success that we had this season. It really was. No one match defines a season. This was an amazing season for CU volleyball."
On what the feeling was in the second set …
"They definitely, I think it was (Mikaela) Foecke who was serving that run, and we tried a couple different things and moved a couple things around. We could not get in system and really struggled to get a side out there and that was certainly the turning point in that set. I do think that we've been in sets like that before where we've gotten blown out and responded. I know we didn't win the third set, but I did like how we responded in the third set."
On what Nebraska did to adjust on their outsides …
"Not to harp on it, but if we can't pass and we can't give our setter three options to set, Nebraska is big and physical and defends so well behind the block, it's just tough to score on the left side when everyone knows that's where the ball is going. We tried to loosen that up by setting the bic or the pipe in the middle of the floor a little bit, but struggled to score there as well. I think they scored in the pipe fairly well. We're a really good team when Frankie (Shebby) and Lex (Smith) are scoring, but if we have to rely on them to win then we're going to struggle and that's kind of what happened today."
On if he replaced the libero in set three to help ball control …
"Yeah our starting libero, Gabby Carta-Samuels couldn't go today, she had an injury that kind of crept up on us and so we played Justine Spann in the first two sets and then played Rachel Whipple in the third and was mostly trying to find a way to get in system - someone who could get us to pass the ball a little bit better. I thought Rachel did a nice job in that third set."
On how big it is for them to get to the second weekend in looking to the future …
"We talked in the locker room, its no fun to lose, but I think after a little bit of time we'll look back on this season as a really special season for our program. We had a lot of firsts and it's the first time we've been back here in 20 years. I think the kids have a lot to be proud of, those three seniors that just walked out are a big part of the reason we are here and we have a lot of young players in that locker room who are excited to get back here and hopefully hungry to do a little bit more."
#4, Anna Pfefferle, Sr., Middle Blocker
On her volleyball career at CU …
"Yeah, it's been a great four years, especially with these two by my side. They both have really great work ethics and are really great teammates. I think that our new coaching staff, or new for the last two years, has done a really great job to instrument that work ethic in all of us and I think that this season has been a testament to that. I've had a wonderful time."
On what Nebraska did to bring their hitting numbers down …
"I think they're just a really solid defensive team. I think that when we're out of system, when any team is out of system, it's harder to score at a high level. I think that they did a great job serving and like I said, they obviously scattered us and knew our tendencies like we did for them. I think that they played really solid defense and I think also our serve pass game just wasn't quite on point as it was last weekend."
On if she can talk about the pressure Nebraska puts on with their serving …
"Yeah, and I think they did a good job switching out between serving deep and serving short. That definitely keeps passers on their toes because they don't know what to expect. They are a solid serving team."
#22, Joslyn Hayes, Sr., Opposite Hitter
On her volleyball career at CU …
"Adding onto that, really just super thankful for the coaches, the support staff, obviously my teammates, and my seniors. We're all really good friends and we had a really awesome season. It's definitely bittersweet to end the way that we ended, but looking at the entire experience it was all well worth it. I am very happy with how this last year went."
On if there was extra pressure on them because they haven't been to the Sweet 16 …
"It could be, but there's always pressure. These games are high pressure, its win or go home so I think Nebraska came out maybe a little bit more solid than we did, but I think overall it was they just played a more solid game then we did. I think the pressure was on both of us."
On the pressure Nebraska puts on with their serving …
"Well they have solid serves. I don't have any stat sheets in front of me, but they didn't have too many service errors and they put a lot of pressure on the service line. I mean any time you win the serve-pass game you're going to get one up on the other team."
#2, Stephanie Shadley, Sr., Opposite Hitter
On her volleyball career at CU …
"Yeah. I just feel extremely blessed to have gone through four years with these two especially, but with such great teammates. You know, to end your season with just a team that you love and to be so happy next to them, you can't beat that. I'm just really happy I got to play with these girls for four years. Couldn't be better."
The Buffs finish the year with an impressive 24-10 record – the third most wins in a single season in program history. Nebraska, which will face Kentucky in the Elite Eight on Saturday, improved to 29-4.
WHAT HAPPENED: Junior Alexa Smith led the Buffs with nine kills and eight digs, in addition to one block solo, while Frankie Shebby had eight kills and recorded a match-high 15 digs while adding three blocks assists and an ace.
Joslyn Hayes hit a CU high .333 with six kills and just one error on 15 attacks. Anna Pfefferle posted three block assists, one kill and one dig.
Annika Albrecht led the NU attack with 13 kills and hit .344 with nine digs. Briana Holman led the block with six block assists and Jazz Sweet hit nine kills and posted four block assists.
SET 1: Nebraska got out to an 8-4 lead in the match. The Buffs did not back down and chipped away at the lead to even the score up at 12-12. The Huskers had a 15-13 advantage at the media break and increased it to 17-13 with two straight points. At that point, CU took a timeout. Shebby recorded a kill on the next point before the Huskers sided-out (18-14). The two teams exchanged points before the Buffs earned two straight off a block by Smith and a NU attack error, cutting the Huskers' lead to a pair (21-19) and forcing them to take a timeout. NU took the following two points to increase its lead to 23-19, causing the Buffs to use a timeout of their own. Unfortunately CU could not stop NU as the Huskers took the frame 25-19.
SET 2: The Huskers took a 10-4 lead in the second game before the Buffs took a timeout. After the break, Hayes hammered a kill and NU recorded an error before siding-out (11-6). CU need to take another timeout after three more NU points (14-6). The break did not slow down NU's attack as the Huskers took the next four points before Hayes recorded another kill to bring the score to 18-7. Nebraska went on to take the set 25-11.
SET 3: Colorado went up 3-1 to start the game before the Huskers strung together a run to take a 9-6 advantage, The Buffs came back to even the score at 12-12 and it would be tied again at 14-14. The Husker recorded the following three points to take a 17-14 edge in the frame. The Buffs would cut the lead to two a few times, including at 23-21 after a pair of kills from Hayes. NU took the following point (24-21) and after a CU timeout, finished the game 25-21.
NOTES: Colorado is 13-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 0-4 record in the Sweet 16. This was the first time CU and NU have faced since both left the Big 12 after the 2010-11 season; CU is 6-1 against former Big 12 rivals. Head coach Jesse Mahoney is 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament as CU's head coach.
TEAM STATISTICS: Nebraska led the match with a .292 hitting percentage. The Huskers recorded 44 kills and 13 errors on 106 attacks, while the Buffs hit .109 with 28 kills and 16 errors on 110 swings. NU edged the Buffs in digs (56-44) and blocks (10.0-4.0).
QUOTES:
Head coach Jesse Mahoney
Opening statement …
"Thank you. First of all, I want to say thank you to the University of Kentucky for hosting us this weekend. It was definitely - everything was first rate and it was a championship experience for our players and we certainly appreciate that. Congratulations to Nebraska. That's a very good team on the other side of the net. They put a lot of pressure on you in a lot of different ways and they definitely deserve to advance to the next round. I'm sure they will be very competitive in the rest of this tournament. Not the way we wanted our season to end. We knew we were playing a very good opponent. I was very proud of the composure that our players showed and the fight that they had throughout the entire match. I thought we rebounded between sets two and three and really played our best volleyball in the third set, which is a testament to the way this team has been all season. Definitely going to miss the three seniors that are sitting here to my right who have been really instrumental in building this program the last several years and the success that we had this season. It really was. No one match defines a season. This was an amazing season for CU volleyball."
On what the feeling was in the second set …
"They definitely, I think it was (Mikaela) Foecke who was serving that run, and we tried a couple different things and moved a couple things around. We could not get in system and really struggled to get a side out there and that was certainly the turning point in that set. I do think that we've been in sets like that before where we've gotten blown out and responded. I know we didn't win the third set, but I did like how we responded in the third set."
On what Nebraska did to adjust on their outsides …
"Not to harp on it, but if we can't pass and we can't give our setter three options to set, Nebraska is big and physical and defends so well behind the block, it's just tough to score on the left side when everyone knows that's where the ball is going. We tried to loosen that up by setting the bic or the pipe in the middle of the floor a little bit, but struggled to score there as well. I think they scored in the pipe fairly well. We're a really good team when Frankie (Shebby) and Lex (Smith) are scoring, but if we have to rely on them to win then we're going to struggle and that's kind of what happened today."
On if he replaced the libero in set three to help ball control …
"Yeah our starting libero, Gabby Carta-Samuels couldn't go today, she had an injury that kind of crept up on us and so we played Justine Spann in the first two sets and then played Rachel Whipple in the third and was mostly trying to find a way to get in system - someone who could get us to pass the ball a little bit better. I thought Rachel did a nice job in that third set."
On how big it is for them to get to the second weekend in looking to the future …
"We talked in the locker room, its no fun to lose, but I think after a little bit of time we'll look back on this season as a really special season for our program. We had a lot of firsts and it's the first time we've been back here in 20 years. I think the kids have a lot to be proud of, those three seniors that just walked out are a big part of the reason we are here and we have a lot of young players in that locker room who are excited to get back here and hopefully hungry to do a little bit more."
#4, Anna Pfefferle, Sr., Middle Blocker
On her volleyball career at CU …
"Yeah, it's been a great four years, especially with these two by my side. They both have really great work ethics and are really great teammates. I think that our new coaching staff, or new for the last two years, has done a really great job to instrument that work ethic in all of us and I think that this season has been a testament to that. I've had a wonderful time."
On what Nebraska did to bring their hitting numbers down …
"I think they're just a really solid defensive team. I think that when we're out of system, when any team is out of system, it's harder to score at a high level. I think that they did a great job serving and like I said, they obviously scattered us and knew our tendencies like we did for them. I think that they played really solid defense and I think also our serve pass game just wasn't quite on point as it was last weekend."
On if she can talk about the pressure Nebraska puts on with their serving …
"Yeah, and I think they did a good job switching out between serving deep and serving short. That definitely keeps passers on their toes because they don't know what to expect. They are a solid serving team."
#22, Joslyn Hayes, Sr., Opposite Hitter
On her volleyball career at CU …
"Adding onto that, really just super thankful for the coaches, the support staff, obviously my teammates, and my seniors. We're all really good friends and we had a really awesome season. It's definitely bittersweet to end the way that we ended, but looking at the entire experience it was all well worth it. I am very happy with how this last year went."
On if there was extra pressure on them because they haven't been to the Sweet 16 …
"It could be, but there's always pressure. These games are high pressure, its win or go home so I think Nebraska came out maybe a little bit more solid than we did, but I think overall it was they just played a more solid game then we did. I think the pressure was on both of us."
On the pressure Nebraska puts on with their serving …
"Well they have solid serves. I don't have any stat sheets in front of me, but they didn't have too many service errors and they put a lot of pressure on the service line. I mean any time you win the serve-pass game you're going to get one up on the other team."
#2, Stephanie Shadley, Sr., Opposite Hitter
On her volleyball career at CU …
"Yeah. I just feel extremely blessed to have gone through four years with these two especially, but with such great teammates. You know, to end your season with just a team that you love and to be so happy next to them, you can't beat that. I'm just really happy I got to play with these girls for four years. Couldn't be better."
Team Stats
COLO
NEB
Kills
28
44
Errors
16
13
Attempts
110
106
Hitting %
.109
.292
Points
34.0
63.0
Assists
26
43
Aces
2
9
Blocks
4.0
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
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