Under Mahoney, Colorado has 69 wins, two NCAA tournament appearances including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, two All-Americans and three Pac-12 All-Freshman selections in just four years. All this has just been a prelude to what is to come, as Mahoney and company have searched nationwide for the most talented and best fitting individuals to build their winning culture.
"Every player we recruit has to be elitely talented at something – skill, size, arm-swing, platform, explosivity, competitiveness, etc.," said Mahoney. "Obviously, you want players that have the potential to be elite in several of these talents – or you feel that with coaching they can grow into more of these talents. Our coaching staff prides itself in training and developing talent. When we recruit a player we are always looking ahead to make sure that we can leverage their talents in a way that will lead to our team's success."
The class of 2019 was ranked 10th in the nation by prepvolleyball.com, and to date the Buffs have added six top-100 players ranked by the site. While talent is important, the proper fit and individual drive for success weight more in the Buff's mantra.
"It's important for us to recruit not only talented athletes but talented athletes with great character – and it doesn't matter to me whether a great player who is going to fit into our program is coming from high school or transferring from another program – as long as they check those two boxes," said Mahoney. "To have long-lasting success you have to build a solid foundation within a program – players that will be with us for 4-5 years - and that comes from traditionally recruited high school players like Brynna, Jenna, Sterling, Katie, Jill, Elissa, etc. But we've also had great success in the recent past with transfers such as Alexa Smith, Frankie Shebby, Meegan Hart, etc. because they were competitive people who bought into the program at Colorado from the moment they got here. Leah Clayton and Rachael Fara, transfers who our fans will get to see this season, follow that same mold."
Building talent is another important matter for Colorado. Under Mahoney, Colorado has trained four Pac-12 All-Freshman selections, none of which were ranked in the top-100 coming out of high school. The ability to scout talent and potential through development has led to strong success in both the setter and right side positions especially.
"Lee Maes, our recruiting coordinator does a fantastic job identifying the top players in the country – and we as a staff really value how a player will fit into our program and culture here at Colorado," said Mahoney. " Players like Brynna, Jenna and Sterling are players that came into the program with outstanding talent but also were willing to buy into the process be coachable. They are so competitive and hungry to improve as players."
The vision goes beyond what players do in high school. Colorado has hit pay dirt converting numerous players to other positions. In 2017, true freshman Brynna DeLuzio led Colorado to the Sweet Sixteen at setter, despite being recruited as a libero. Last season, Sterling Parker was named a volleyballmag.com Freshman All-America honorable mention at the right side, although she was recruited as a middle blocker.
The coaching staff has shown the ability to see greatness and versatility in all those that come through their doors. Others that have transitioned roles from high school to college include Zoe Neverdowski, Katie Lougeay and Jill Schneggenburger.
"Our philosophy to recruit great players and great people," said Mahoney. "If they are great players – we will develop them and find a way for them to get on the floor and contribute. And if they are great people who value our team's success, then they will buy in and excel in the role they have been given. Brynna was recruited as a libero but we needed her to set her freshman year and she was amazing in that role; Sterling was recruited as a MB, but made the switch to the rightside when asked because that's where our team needed her; Jill lost her attacking role mid-season and only played backrow the second half of the season – and excelled because she bought into that role for our team to succeed. We aren't sure of a starting line-up this early in the preseason, but we will have our best players on the floor, regardless of position."
A building program on the way up, the Buffs are situated for continued success in the future in the shadows of the flatirons. The team looks forward to growing this fall following signing day in November.
"We want the athletes in our program to have a world-class experience on and off the court at the University of Colorado – and we give the them resources to do just that," said Mahoney. "We want our athletes to dream BIG – dream about playing for our USA National Team, dream about playing professionally overseas, dream about a college experience that's filled with big-time football, big-time volleyball, big-time basketball in the #1 college town in the USA. We want our athletes to be a part of a culture that prioritizes being part of a family, that values individual and team growth."
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