Tag: Denver

Colorado Volleyball is the Winner in NCAA Tournament

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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

    Colorado volleyball - Nicole Edleman and Cierra Simpson
    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!

 

Learn from the Legends – Online Anytime

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The Art of Coaching Volleyball (ACV) Tour, “Learn from the Legends – Online Anytime” hit Regis College in Denver on May 17th and 18th. The 2014 ACV “Legends” tour has made stops at Chapel Hill and Denver, and will visit Toronto, Portland, and Austin later this summer.LEARN FROM THE LEGENDS - ONLINE ANYTIME - The Art of Coaching Volleyball

An unscientific tally of attendees showed they enjoyed the Denver event. One participant said, “While the bleacher seats were hard and uncomfortable, it was worth it because of the quality of the presentations. I’ve been to a number of coach’s workshops that were well done, but this was exceptional.”

It stands to reason the event was successful given the quality of the speakers:

  • Russ Rose – Penn State University – 6 NCAA National Championships.
  • John Dunning – Stanford University – 4 NCAA National Championships.
  • Terry Liskevych – Oregon State University – Former USA National Team Coach, 1985 – 1996.
  • Frank Lavrisha – Head Coach Regis University – 11 Conference Titles.
  • Beth Launiere – Head Coach University of Utah – 3 Conference Titles.

ACV is a new kid on the block for coaching education. In addition to their clinics they offer an excellent selection of instructional videos on their website free of charge. For a nominal fee, subscribers receive access to additional videos and resources.

So what’s the big deal about ACV?

Simply put, it will play a major role in raising the standards for coaching volleyball in the following ways:
• USAV and AVCA have excellent certification programs. Unfortunately, they only reach a small percentage of  coaches. By providing credible material “online anytime” coaches will have an opportunity to learn more about coaching all aspects of the sport (technique, tactics, nutrition, injury prevention). This is important because only a handful of coaches work in the profession on a full-time basis. Most coaches are eager to learn, but they have to do it on their own time.
• By making videos available to the masses, parents and players will be more knowledgeable about the sport. As a result, they will have greater expectations of their coaches, which will motivate coaches to strengthen their skills.
• The sport is in a growth mode that will continue because of greater interest in boys’ programs and increased popularity of beach volleyball. The demand for ACV will remain high  because there currently are not enough qualified instructors. That situation will only get worse in the near-term.

If you haven’t done so, check out the “Legends” when they come to a town near you. And if you can’t do that, remember, “Online Anytime.”