Buffs Brawl with Utes, Fall in Four

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (10-14, 3-9 Big 12) fell to the Utah Utes (18-5, 8-3 Big 12) in four sets (21-25, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25) at CU Events Center on Wednesday night.

The Buffs split the first two sets with the Utes, but after a close battle throughout the third and fourth set, Colorado lost to Utah, 3-1.

"I was really proud of our efforts, and I thought we fought throughout, played really well in the first two sets and gave up a lead in that fourth set we couldn't come back from," head coach Jesse Mahoney said after the match. "But we played hard, which is something that we can certainly build on. We have to find a way to score a little bit better than we are, especially when we're passing well, which I thought we passed well enough to do that tonight, but Utah is big and physical, and they definitely put a big block against us. But like I said, we fought hard. We've got a match on Saturday that we have to prepare for."

The Buffs had their ninth match of the season with double-digit blocks, ending the match with 13 team blocks, leading Utah's nine. Colorado kept Utah out of system on 67% of its serves.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. MB Cayla Payne finished the match with her first double-double of her career, leading the team with 10 kills (hitting .273) and 10 blocks. This was her eighth match of the season with double-digit kills.
Coach Mahoney on Payne: "Cayla's a great player, and she's a lot of fun to coach, she's a player that is trying to get better every day and has the right mindset and has gotten better, certainly as a blocker. I think we can score with her a little bit more. That's something that is a little hot and cold, but she's working on it every day."
Sr. S Taylor Simpson had her fifth double-double of the season (ninth of her career) with 25 assists and 11 digs. She also had two blocks and kept the opponent out of system on 73% of her serves.
So. OH Ana Burilovic earned the Buffs 12.5 points with 10 kills, making this her 19th game with double-digit kills. She also had the opponent out of system on 77% of her serves.
So. DS/L Avery Bolles finished the match with two aces, tied for most aces in the match from the Buffs. She also served the opponent out of system 78% of the time.
Sr. DS/L Emilea Stepaniuk led the team with 12 digs, matching her career best against West Virginia (Oct. 23, 2024). She also accumulated a 89% dig percentage.
So. OH Sydney Jordan ended with nine kills, five digs and two aces.
For the Utes, Kamryn Gibadlo finished with 19 kills (hitting .316), and Kamry Bailey had 13 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Colorado came out swinging in the first set with Dwinell getting the Buff's first two kills. CU pulled ahead to 7-3, forcing Utah's first time out. Coming out of the timeout, Simpson and Payne continued CU's 7-0 run with a block. Bolles subbed in (10-5), getting two consecutive aces to keep Colorado in the lead (12-5). After a couple points from the Utes, Colorado responded to tie the game, 18-18. The Buffs pushed to the end, but the first set ended, 25-21, to Utah.
The Buffaloes started the second set with a lead of 5-2 over the Utes. After a couple of points going back and forth between the teams, Splawska and Dwinell's block shut down the Utes. Immediately after, Payne got her first solo block of the night, and the two Buff blocks started a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 13-9. Payne's kill ended a Utah 3-0 run, keeping the Buff's lead, 17-15. Following a consistent back and forth, Payne's sixth kill of night forced Utah's first timeout (23-22, CU). Utah called their second timeout at 24-22 (CU) but could not hold onto the set. Colorado won the set, 25-23.
Utah had an early lead over the Buffaloes (8-2) but back-to-back kills from Payne and Jordan gave Colorado momentum. A serving error from Utah set the Buffs on a 3-0 run (12-8, Utah). After a challenge from the Black and Gold, Dwinell got her sixth kill of the night (16-11, Utah). The end of the set saw long rallies, but the Utes took the third set, 25-17.
Colorado started with big swings but called their first timeout of the set at 8-1 (Utah). The Buffs went on a 4-0 run, forcing Utah to call their first timeout (10-5). Following the timeout, sophomore outside hitter Kendall Meller's kill ended Utah's run (18-13, Utah). CU kept swinging until the end, but fell to Utah, 25-17, in four sets.

UP NEXT:

The Buffs host one more match this week against Cincinnati on Saturday. First serve against the Bearcats is set for 12 p.m. MT on Nov. 9. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and links to watch are available at CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs move to 14-19 against the Utes all-time.
This is the Buffs' seventh match against a ranked opponent this season, all seven being conference opponents.

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

Cayla Payne

Sydney Jordan

Lily Dwinell

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Sydney Jordan

Kendall Meller

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson

Emilea Stepaniuk

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Sydney Jordan

Kendall Meller

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson

Emilea Stepaniuk