Buffs Win Clash Over Cyclones

Wednesday, November 13

Ames, Iowa

5:30 PM

Colorado

12-14,5-9Big 12

Iowa State

9-14,3-9Big 12

Colorado

Iowa St.

November 13, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Colin Wagner, CU Athletic Communications Associate

AMES, Iowa – The Colorado volleyball team handled Iowa State 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-21) at the James H. Hilton Coliseum Wednesday night as the Buffaloes picked up their third road conference victory of the season.

Besides the first set, the Buffs (12-14, 5-9 Big 12) started each set behind the Cyclones (9-14, 3-9 Big 12) but managed to fight their way back and make things work each time.

"It was a really good match," head coach Jesse Mahoney said after the match. "I thought we came out really focused in that first set and established what we were going to do with our gameplan and really made Iowa State create some adjustments. Wins on the road are tough to come by no matter where you are or who you are so I'm just really proud of our team for the fight that they showed and resetting after that third set."

The Buffs almost had themselves a sweep but found themselves in a tough third set. While Iowa State took the set, it was a rare bright spot for the Cyclones as they struggled heavily from the service line with 12 errors on the night.

Colorado picked up its second straight victory before the team heads back to Boulder for a three-match home stand.

"It'll be good to have some time off and rest and recover," said Mahoney. " We'll get a little bit healthy and get ready for Arizona who's coming off a top-10 win and Arizona State is first in the conference so it'll be a challenge but we're excited to be going home."

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OH Ana Burilovic led the offensive attack for the Buffs with a match-high 17 kills. She also recorded six digs and two total blocks.
So. OH Lily Dwinell notched 12 kills, two digs and four blocks.
So. MB Cayla Payne had five kills and four blocks. Sr. S Taylor Simpson assisted 41 times for the Buffs. She had a near double-double as she had nine digs on the receiving end.
So. OH Sydney Jordan also almost had a double-double with nine kills and 15 digs.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton had 20 digs which is the most digs she's ever had in a non-five-set match since she's joined the Buffs. She added two assists and an ace.
Jr. DS/L Emilea Stepaniuk had nine digs, the third most she's recorded all season. She also had an ace.
So. DS/L Avery Bolles came into the match and made her impact felt at the service line, racking up two aces on the night.
For the Cyclones, Faith DeRonde and Lilly Wachholz combined for 28 total kills. Tierney Jackson also had eight kills while hitting .400 in addition to three digs and three blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Both teams traded three-point scoring runs to start the match before the Buffs scored five unanswered to lead 8-3. Colorado's run was made up of two kills and two blocks but the Cyclones had an answer. Iowa State came within one, 7-8, but Jordan stopped the run there with a kill. Later in the set, the Buffs took their largest lead of the set, 14-9. The Cyclones responded yet again with a 6-1 run to tie it at 15-15. Burilovic's fourth kill set up by Simpson put CU up 19-17, but Iowa State tied it again at 19-19. Three unanswered for the Buffs put them up 22-19, forcing an Iowa State timeout. Out of the timeout, Bolles made it four unanswered points for CU with an ace at the service line before Simpson set up set point for the Buffs with her first kill of the night. Colorado took set one, 25-19, following an Iowa State attack error.
The Cyclones came out strong in the second set as they built a quick 5-1 lead over the Buffs. Burilovic kept the Buffs in it early, however, earning Colorado's next three kills to make it 4-6. CU took its first lead of the set following an ace from Sydney Jordan, 10-9. The set continued to be a close one as both teams found themselves in a 16-16 tie. The Buffs then scored three straight, forcing a timeout from Iowa State. The Cyclones were only able to cut their deficit to two down the stretch as Colorado pulled away and took the set, 25-20.
Similarly to set two, Iowa State started fast with a 6-2 advantage over CU. Kills by Jordan and Dwinell helped the Buffs gain some momentum to get back in it, 9-12. The Cyclones answered with a run for a 16-10 lead but extended that lead to eight, 20-12, shortly after. Colorado trailed by eight for most of the remainder of set three and dropped the set 17-25.
Colorado and Iowa State jumped out to a 5-5 start in set four before the Buffs scored on back-to-back plays for a two-point cushion. The teams returned to a tie at 11-11, but CU went on to score three more points capped off by an ace from Stepaniuk to force an Iowa State timeout. Later in the set, Jordan put the Buffs up by four, 18-14, with a big kill. CU managed to stay strong through set four, surviving a late comeback bid by Iowa State. The Buffs won the set, 25-21, on a service error to take the match on the road.

UP NEXT:

The Buffs will return to Boulder next week for their final three home matches of the regular season. Colorado's next contest is against Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 23 at noon. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and links to watch are available at CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs move to 41-17 all-time against the Cyclones.
Colorado moves to 2-7 in four-set matches.

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.