Buffs Joust with Jayhawks, Fall in Four

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (7-8, 0-3 Big 12) fell to the Kansas Jayhawks (22-25, 25-18, 26-28, 11-25) at CU Events Center on Thursday night.

The Buffs split the first two sets with the Jayhawks, staying neck and neck the whole way. The two teams battled in the third set, with Kansas taking it, 28-26, and finished off the match in four.

"I was proud of our team for doing a really nice job with the game plan and for us competing in the first three sets and coming back in that third set…there's a really good volleyball team in there," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "We just [have to] find it and stick with it for a while. We have to find a way to continue to respond when our backs are against the wall. But like I said, I was really proud of most of that match."

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OH Ana Burilovic led both teams with 19 kills (hitting. 250) to earn her 14th match with double digit kills. She also had a 50% kill percentage.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton finished the match with 11 digs for her ninth match with double digit digs.
So. OPP Lily Dwinell finished with 12 kills (6e, 26att, hitting .231), three blocks and one dig. Her ninth kill of the night marked her 300th of her career.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson earned the Buffs 43 assists and two blocks. She also had the opponent out of system on 75% of her serves.
So. MB Cayla Payne led the team by recording four blocks and had eight kills.
So. OH Sydney Jordan had eight kills, four digs and kept the opponent out of system 67% of the time.
For the Jayhawks, Caroline Bien and London Davis both finished with 12 kills each.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Buffs played a point for point game throughout the first set. Following two consecutive challenges and winning both, Colorado continued swinging to match kills with Kansas. The Jayhawks gained a small lead over the Black and Gold, forcing a late first timeout at 23-21. After a final push from the Buffs, the first set ended, 25-22, to KU.
Colorado came out swinging in the second set, leading 15-12 into the media timeout. With CU's momentum still there, Kansas called its first timeout (18-14, CU). Following the timeout, the Buffs went on a 5-0 run with Simpson earning Colorado's second ace of the night. Kansas was unable to slow down Colorado and the Buffs took set two, 25-18.
Kansas started the set with three consecutive blocks, but the Buffs immediately ended their run with their own block from Burilovic and Payne. After their last timeout, Colorado responded with three kills to come back from a five-point deficit, 24-19. A Buffs 4-0 run forced the Jayhawks into their first timeout of the set. Coming out of the timeout, the Buffs had two back-to-back blocks to tie the score, 24-24. Kansas called its second timeout and responded to Colorado's momentum by taking the third set, 28-26.
The Buffs started by scoring the first point of the set, but Kansas went on a 3-0 run and forced Colorado into their first time out (11-5, KU). After a resilient effort and long rallies, Colorado called their second timeout of the set, 17-8. The Buffs finished the set going back and forth with Kansas, but the Jayhawks took the fourth set, 25-11.

UP NEXT:

Colorado will finish its brief homestand with the Texas Tech Raiders this Saturday, Oct. 5. First serve is set for 6 p.m. MT and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+. Links to watch the match are available at CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado moves to 35-17 all-time against Kansas and 1-4 in four-set matches this season.

Under ninth-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, Colorado earned a winning record in the 2023 season (16-15) and went 8-12 against Pac-12 opponents. A significant win for the Buffs took place against 17th-ranked Arizona State last year. The Buffs took down the Sun Devils in three sets, completing the sweep and earning CU's only win against a ranked opponent in the 2023 season. Colorado also swept Arizona (Oct. 20) and Washington (Nov. 19) and finished seventh in the Pac-12.

For more information on the Colorado volleyball team, please visit cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.

Next Event

Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson