In the 18 seasons from 1989 through 2006, the Colorado women’s volleyball team failed to reach the NCAA Tournament just twice.
The Buffaloes had made just two return appearances since 2006 before last year, when CU backed a solid fifth-place finish in the ultra-competitive Pac-12 Conference with the program’s first run to the Sweet 16 since 1997.
It was a memorable season for the Buffs in their third year under head coach Jesse Mahoney. Yet is was a destination the Buffs routinely expect of themselves. As Mahoney put his squad through spring workouts, the return trip to the NCAA tourney in 2017 hasn’t necessarily raised the bar within the program. It merely reinforced to the Buffs that they’re on the right path.
“Looking back on the season — and we were disappointed when it ended — our kids are proud of what we accomplished,” Mahoney said. “But we see ourselves in that elite group of programs and elite group of teams. It was gratifying to see that happen, but that’s kind of what we expect of ourselves. So I don’t think it has particularly changed what we do day in and day out. I think we were already working towards that kind of level.
“We know we can do it, and our expectation is to get back in there and continue to move forward.”