Buffs Gear up for 2023 Season Opener

BOULDER – The Colorado Women’s Volleyball team will kick off the 2023 season this Friday against UNLV at 7 p.m. in the CU Events Center for the Buffs Invitational. 

CU, entering its eighth season with Head Coach Jesse Mahoney at the helm, will square off against UNLV, Campbell, and North Texas over the course of the weekend. The match against Campbell will be on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. followed up with another match on Sunday at noon against North Texas. 

The Buffaloes are coming off a very successful 2022 season where they reached the 20-win plateau, the second time coach Mahoney has done so in his tenure with Colorado. Mahoney has an impressive 30-2 record (.938) in home non-conference matches and hasn’t lost a home opener since the 2018 season. Colorado has also won nine straight matches in the Buff Invitational and will look to continue that streak against the Rebels this Friday.

OPPONENT OVERVIEW

UNLV

The Rebels are coming off a stellar year, earning 26 wins en route to a regular season Mountain West title. Their top two scorers, Isabel Martin and Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos, return for their senior years and look to lead the charge for UNLV. There is just one matchup all-time between the Rebels and the Buffs, dating all the way back to 2011 when CU won in three sets to one. 

Campbell

The Camels enter the 2023 season after earning 19 wins and a 14-2 conference record the year prior. They welcome back their top five scorers, who all logged 200 or more kills in 30 matches last year. Campbell has squared off against Colorado just once in program history, when CU won with a sweep at the CU Events Center in 2019. 

North Texas

The Mean Green will enter the Buffs Invitational after ending last season just above .500 (16-15). UNT’s top scorer from the 2022 season, Treyuanna Rush, will once again suit up for North Texas along with Sh’Diamond Holly, who led the team with 153 blocks last year. They went 0-2 against Pac-12 schools, dropping six of seven sets total.