2021 Season Brings Hope for Buffs Volleyball
On Saturday, Aug. 28, the Buffs kicks off their season this weekend with a pair of matchups against Xavier at 11 a.m. and Charlotte at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weekend, the team played an exhibition game against South Carolina State, Aug. 27. They swept South Carolina State and in the first two sets. The Buffs didn’t let them pass double digits (25-7, 25-9, 25-12).
“We’re really excited to get going this season, I think last season was a struggle for everyone, certainly our players. It will be nice to get a sense of normalcy this season.” Head coach Jesse Mahoney said. He referred to the very odd and shortened season last year due to COVID-19.
To limit travel the NCAA decided that teams will be playing in conference opponent’s only last season. The PAC-12 is home to 6 of the nations top 25 volleyball programs which, unfortunately, did not go in the Buffs favor. They had 8 straight matches against ranked opponents in the middle of the season that left them 2-6 after it was all said and done.
Along with a series of tough matchups, Colorado was not able to find success on the road last season. They went 0-9 during away games and look to improve on this record this season. Coach Mahoney believes the solution to this is, “to find a way to be calm and relaxed and play like we’re at home because when we’re at home we can beat anybody”.
This season, the climb back to the top could be difficult with a very competitive schedule in the PAC-12 conference. Not to mention the loss of graduate student Rachel Fara, who was named an All-Pac-12 honorable mention after a fantastic 2020 season.
The team will be utilizing their five incoming freshmen, three of which have All-American Honors coming out of high school. Freshman Jahara Campbell was the nation’s 27th ranked recruit and an Under Armour All-American. Along with Campbell, freshman Taylor Simpson was the 73rd ranked recruit in the nation and arguably a top-three setter in the entire 2021 class. Along with the new recruits, we have returners Meegan Hart, Leah Clayton, and Sterling Parker who were all named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mentions list last season.
After the tough COVID-19, Sterling Parker looks forward to the normal season. “Having a normal season this year is, I think, going to be a game changer, especially for the team we have this season. Like Jesse said, we have more upperclassmen than underclassmen so I think the veteran team and the five really good freshmen that we have, we have a chance to be really good, so I think going into a normal season is going to be really exciting for everyone.”
