Colorado volleyball will be the winner on December 5th and 6th as the University of Northern Colorado squares off against the University of Colorado and the University of Denver faces Colorado State University in the first round of play of the 2014 NCAA Division I volleyball championships.
The first round play will be special because twenty of the fifty-eight rostered players on the four teams played high school volleyball in Colorado.
The leader is DU. Seven of the fourteen players are from the Centennial State.
- Nola Basey, Outside Hitter, 6-2, Sophomore, Lyons
- Erica Denney, Middle Hitter, 6-5, Red-shirt Senior, Aurora
- Monique Domme, Setter, 5-11, Sophomore, Colorado Springs
- Bailey Karst, Setter, 5-10, Senior, Aurora
- Taylor Loyd, Defensive Specialist/Libero, 5-7, Freshman, Centennial
- Ruth Okoye, Middle Blocker, 6-1, Sophomore, Aurora
- Sarah Schmid, Middle Blocker, 6-1, Junior, Highlands Ranch
Five of the fifteen Buffs are Coloradans.
- Kelsey English, Middle Blocker, 6-2, Senior, Colorado Springs
- Nicole Edelman, Setter, 6-0, Junior, Boulder
Setter Nicole Edelman and Cierra Simpson (10) are two of the five in-state Buff players. - Cierra Simpson, Defensive Specialist/Libero, 6-0, Sophomore, Colorado Springs
- Gabby Simpson, Setter ,6-3, Freshman, Colorado Springs
- Simpson, Outside Hitter, 6-3, Senior, Colorado Springs
Four of the fourteen Rams are from Colorado.
- Jaime Colaizzi, 5-4, Libero, Junior, Windsor
- Grace Gordon, 5-7, Defensive Specialist/Setter, Junior, Denver
- Kelsey Snider, 6-1, Middle Blocker, Red-shirt Senior, Westminster
- Kaitlind Bestgen, 5-10, Defensive Specialist, Red-shirt Junior, Fort Collins
Four of the fifteen women from UNC call Colorado home.
- Kim Weissmann, 6-0, Outside Hitter, Freshman, Loveland
- Meagan Garcia, Defensive Specialist, Junior, 5-4, Platteville
- Ryleigh Haynes, Setter, Freshman, 5-11, Eaton
- Kendra Cunningham, OH, Junior, 5-9, Eaton
CU and CSU are favored to win the first round matches and the Rams are likely to come out on top against CU.
No matter the outcome of the matches, Colorado volleyball is the winner!