Jenna Ewert was a highly-decorated volleyball recruit who nonetheless found a highly-decorated player filling her position upon her arrival at the University of Colorado.
The fact that player, Brynna DeLuzio, was only one year ahead of Ewert and just months removed from playing a prominent role on an NCAA Tournament team made Ewert's push for playing time even more challenging.
During the preseason, however, Colorado coach Jesse Mahoney had a revelation. If his club wanted to optimize the talent on its roster, the answer wasn't to play either DeLuzio or Ewert. Mahoney opted to play both.
A shift to a 6-2 attack earlier this season allowed the Buffs to fully utilize that talent, though a midseason injury to DeLuzio prompted a return to a 5-1.