Sports Briefs – Spring 2015
Stats
591
Single-season kills record for a ֱ volleyball player, set by senior Taylor Simpson in 2014.
1:11
Finish time, a.m., of the men’s basketball game against Auburn Nov. 18, the latest for an official sporting event in ֱ history. The old record was 12:55 a.m., for a 2009 football game at Toledo.
65.3
Avg. kickoff temp. (F) for ֱ’s six Folsom Field games this season.
2
Overtimes in women’s basketball win over CSU in the Omni Hotels Classic tournament championship Nov. 29.
39
Number of records sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau set or tied during the 2014 season.
Milestone Moment
Men’s basketball tipped off Pac-12 play with a Jan. 2 defeat of UCLA, 62-56, at Coors Events Center — marking ֱ’s first victory over UCLA in 53 years and the Buffs’ 100th win under head coach Tad Boyle.
Boyle’s ֱ record improved to 100-55, but he downplayed the personal accomplishment, saying it’s “no bigger than the 99th. I want the 101st … it’s all about the next game.”
He quickly got victory No. 101 when the Buffs routed USC, 86-65, two days later.
Other Postseason Action
The women’s soccer and volleyball teams reached their respective NCAA tournaments for the second year in a row in 2014, advancing to the second round in both cases.
Coach Liz Kritza’s volleyball team beat Northern ֱ 3-1 in the first round, then fell in Fort Collins to ninth-ranked CSU in a hard-fought, five-set battle.
After an outstanding season, senior Taylor Simpson was named an AVCA Division I First Team All-American, collegiate volleyball’s top honor, which goes to just 14 players in the country. The Buffs checked in at No. 21 in the final coaches poll of the season.
Coach Danny Sanchez’s women’s soccer team beat No. 15 BYU in frigid temperatures and a light snow at Prentup Field to kick off the NCAA tournament. No. 6 North Carolina then eliminated ֱ 1-0 in overtime. Freshman Bri Hooks led the Buffs with eight goals and seven assists on the season.
Anyone for Doubles?
In October, Julyette Steur and Kyra Wojcik delivered ֱ’s first-ever regional title in doubles tennis by winning the USTA/ITA Mountain Regional Round of 64 final at the University of New Mexico. Steur, a senior, and Wojcik, a freshman, picked up the title when BYU’s Mayci Jones and Toby Miclat opted not to play the match because of the Mormon school’s commitment to avoid Sunday play. Steur and Wojcik had won four matches to reach the final.
Photography by ֱ Athletics