Buffs Fall to Wildcats in Three

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (12-15, 5-10 Big 12) fell to the Arizona Wildcats (17-9, 6-9 Big 12) in three sets (20-25, 21-25, 18-25) at CU Events Center on Thursday night.

Despite a strong back and forth effort from the Buffs, the Black and Gold were defeated by the Wildcats in three sets.

"I think our mindset was in a good place," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "We had a week off, so we had some time to feel better physically, and time to prepare. We didn't execute. I felt like our defensive game plan was pretty good. We let them off the hook with some blocking mistakes, but it was really more just offensive rhythm tonight."

The Buffs kept the Wildcats out of system on 62% of their serves and held Arizona to .167 hitting when out of system.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OH Ana Burilovic finished the match with 10 kills and two blocks (one solo) making this her 22nd match with double-figure kills. Burilovic had the opponent out of system on 100% of her serves.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson ended with 25 assists and led the team with three service aces.
Coach Mahoney on Simpson: "Taylor's a great person, a great athlete, a great leader, and has been a starting setter for us for essentially three seasons. I think it's tough when you're a senior on a team that's really young. When you're young and struggling, it can be even harder. I have nothing but respect for the way she's gone about this season. Not only how she carries herself with her own personal work ethic, but the example she sets for everybody else. She's not a complainer and a kid that holds herself and everyone else accountable."
So. OPP Lily Dwinell had eight kills and two blocks, and So. MB Cayla Payne finished with four kills and two blocks.
So. OH Sydney Jordan ended the match with four kills and six digs. She also had one block and one service ace.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton led the team with seven digs and earned the Buffs one service ace. She also had the opponent out of system on 69% of her serves.
Jr. DS/L Emilea Stepaniuk had four digs and So. DS/L Avery Bolles had the opponent out of system on 71% of her serves.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Wildcats went up early in the first set with a score of 9-4 at the first timeout. Morton earned the first ace of the match during a 4-0 run from Colorado (14-10, UA). The Buffs began storming back near the end of the set with their second 4-0 run and two consecutive aces from Simpson, which translated to a score of 19-18 (UA). Arizona was ultimately able to fend off CU in the first set, taking it with a score of 25-20.
The second set was filled with back-and-forth action between Arizona and Colorado. Arizona began to pull away at the beginning of the set, but the Buffs warned off the Wildcats with a 4-0 run, and the Buffs came within one (9-8, UA). Arizona eventually closed out the set 25-21, taking a 2-0 set lead. Simpson ended the set with a total of three aces.
The Buffs got off to a strong start in the third set, taking a 7-4 lead at the first timeout. As the set continued, the Wildcats were able to narrow the gap, bringing the score to 12-11 (CU) at the next timeout. The Wildcats were then able to apply their own pressure, taking a 16-13 lead in the third set. The Buffaloes continued trying to fight back, but Arizona was able to hold on to set three, 25-18, taking the match in straight sets.

UP NEXT:

The Buffs have another home match this week against ninth-ranked Arizona State on Saturday. First serve against the Sun Devils is set for 12 p.m. MT on Nov. 23. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and links to watch are available at CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado falls to 4-5 in three-set matches this season.
The Buffs move to 12-15 all-time against the Wildcats. Colorado defeated Arizona earlier this season in Tucson, Ariz., in five sets (Oct. 16).

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.

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Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson

Emilea Stepaniuk

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson

Emilea Stepaniuk