2013 Volleyball Roster
Sep 13 (Sat)
6 PM
Elysse Richardson
- Position:
- Defensive Specialist/Libero
- Height:
- 5-3
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Vienna, Va.
- High School:
- Langley
As a Senior in 2013
Richardson saw action in all 32 matches for the second consecutive season. She spent most of her time as a defensive specialist, but did see a little time in the libero jersey. She had five matches with double-digit digs, including a 14 dig performance in CU’s five-set come-from-behind road win against Washington State (11/1). Richardson recorded at least one ace in seven matches this season and recorded a season-high two aces against Arizona State (10/27) and Oregon State (11/22). She played in 110 career matches (355 sets) and recorded 104 assists, 57 service aces and 700 digs.
As a Junior in 2012
Richardson saw action in all 32 matches, starting in nine. Richardson played in 105 sets and recorded 221 digs in the process. She started the season as the libero, but then moved into the defensive specialist role. Richardson recorded double-digit digs in the first three matches, including 19 against Louisiana (8/25). In the last non-conference road match of the season, Richardson picked up a career-high 23 digs against Air Force (9/13). In total there were nine matches where she had double-digit digs. Richardson ranked second on the team in digs, averaging 2.10 per set.
As a Sophomore in 2011
Richardson saw her first action of the season in the Pac-12 opener against Utah (9/13) and played in all 22 conference matches. She tied her career-high 21 digs in a close match against sixth-ranked UCLA (10/21), helping the Buffs win their first Pac-12 set in the process. Richardson’s spark and court presence earned her some time in the libero jersey as well as a regular in the back row. She also was one of the most consistent servers and proved very valuable as she had three aces again Cal (10/22).
As a Freshman in 2010
Richardson made her Colorado debut at the Buffs’ season opener against Furman (8/27), recording five digs and two aces. She played a significant role for CU in the back row, recording 17 digs against Montana (9/4) and Kansas State (9/22), but notched her season-best total of 21 digs against Texas Tech (11/20). Richardson finished her first season with 173 digs and 18 aces.
High School
Richardson was part of a successful team at Langley High School. She was named the District MVP and earned all-region and all-district first team honors as a senior. Richardson was an all-state honorable mention selection. She was named Langley’s Outstanding Athlete of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year and earned All-Met honors. During Richardson’s junior campaign she was named first team all-district and was second team all-region. She set the Virginia state record for most digs in a season during her junior campaign (490) and reset it her senior year (659).
She was also a member of the Virginia Elite Volleyball Club for three seasons and played her senior year with the Northern Virginia Volleyball Association. Her club team was undefeated in the region in 2009, winning the region championship in 2008 and ’09. The team earned runner-up honors in 2010. Richardson was also recruited by Rice, Tulane, Georgetown, Tampa and Villanova and decided on CU “for the coaches and the team is great.”
Personal
Elysse Frances Richardson was born on October 6, 1991 in Bethesda, Maryland. She is the daughter of Raj and Lily Richardson of Vienna, Va., and has two younger siblings, Daniel and Jose. Richardson is half Cuban and is bilingual. She enjoys dancing, singing, skiing and swimming.
Academics
Richardson is majoring in psychology. She was a scholar athlete in high school (possessing a GPA greater than 3.7) and was a valedictorian. Richardson was inducted into the National Honor Society her senior year. She had a 3.899 GPA heading into her senior year and was a three-time All-Academic Pac-12 First Team selection (2011, 12 and 13). Richardson recorded a perfect 4.0 during the spring 2012 semester.
