BOULDER — The University of Colorado women’s volleyball team opened the 2022 season by taking down Green Bay (3-0 | 25-10, 26-24, 25-20) and Western Michigan (3-1 | 22-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-17) here Friday to secure the Buffs Invitational title on just the first day of the tournament.
Sixth-year graduate student Meegan Hart led by the charge for the Buffaloes (2-0), combining for 28 kills and a .577 hitting percentage through the first two matches. She also had seven combined blocks and four digs in the process. In the early match against Green Bay, Hart had 14 kills and a team-high .619 hitting percentage, then followed up with another 14 on .542 hitting in the second match.
Outside hitters Maya Tabron and Lexi Hadrych had strong performances as well offensively. Hadrych put down 13 kills with a .474 hitting percentage in her Buffs debut, while Tabron recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs in the night cap. Hadrych finished with 23 total kills while Tabron had 21 kills and digs. Tabron also had a team-best four combined aces.
The Buffs’ offense was led by sophomore Taylor Simpson who split duties with Brynna DeLuzio throughout the matches. Simpson had 27 assists in the first match, averaging nine per set, then raised that to 10 per set against the Broncos with 40 assists. Both matches had equal distribution with four hitters with 19 attacks in the first and four with 21 or more in the second.
On the defensive end, Alexia Kuehl anchored the net with seven blocks against Green Bay and four against WMU. Katie Lougeay started at libero and had 17 digs against Western Michigan, finishing the day with a team-best 23 digs.
The tournament started in the morning with Western Michigan defeating Denver, followed by Green Bay taking down the Pioneers as well. With CU’s final opponent having two losses and Colorado defeating the only other teams that could have a 2-1 record, Colorado secured the tournament on the first day. The team will look to finish off the weekend perfect as they face head coach Jesse Mahoney‘s former team in Denver tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED
VS. GREEN BAY
SET ONE: The first set got off to a relatively even start, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead for the first part of the match. Leading 8-6, the Buffs then rattled…
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