Buffs Fall to Cougars in Four

PROVO, Utah – The Colorado volleyball team (7-6, 0-1 Big 12) fell to the BYU Cougars (17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25) at George Albert Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

The Buffs split the first two sets with the Cougars and kept it close in the others, reaching over 20 points in sets three and four. Though Colorado showed a valiant effort and stayed competitive, BYU took the match, 3-1.

Colorado out-aced BYU (9-3) and matched kills with the Cougars at 54 each. The Black and Gold also kept the opponent out of system on the serve 57% of the time.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OPP Lily Dwinell matched her career-high in kills with 15 (7e, 33att) and recorded two digs and three blocks. The last time Dwinell reached this high was against USC last season (Oct. 27, 2023).
So. OH Sydney Jordan finished with 12 kills (2e, 31att, hitting .323) as well as an ace, a block and six digs. She also had the opponent out of system 71% of the time.
So. MB Cayla Payne had 10 kills (4e, 22att, hitting .273), two digs and two blocks.
So. OH Ana Burilovic led both teams with 16 kills, had four aces and eight digs. She, like Jordan, had the opponent out of system on 71% of her serves, and she dug 62% of the balls hit at her.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton led the Buffs in digs with 11, reaching her seventh match with double-digit digs.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson generated 44 kills for the Buffs while notching six digs and two blocks (one solo).
So. DS/L Avery Bolles had six digs and a 67% dig percentage.
For the Cougars, Claire Little had 15 kills and Alex Bower led both teams with 13 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Both teams traded points to start the first set, with CU seeing a Burilovic ace and two kills from Payne (7-5). The Cougars then went on a 4-0 run to take back the lead, but the Buffs stayed close, managing to stay within three (16-13, BYU). The rest of the set saw kills from Burilovic and Jordan, but BYU took set one, 25-17.
The Buffs took set two in a different direction, going on multiple runs and staying in control. After starting close again, Colorado went on a 4-0 run with a kill and an ace from Simpson (10-7). The teams exchanged 3-0 runs, with the Black and Gold seeing kills from Dwinell and Burilovic and an ace from Morton (15-11). Colorado went on another 4-0 run with help from a Bolles ace, and two Jordan kills put it away, 25-21.
Colorado saw a lead early in set three, seeing back-to-back aces from Burilovic and kills from Dwinell. BYU went on a 3-0 run to take the lead (11-10, BYU). Salonga had an ace and Jordan a kill to keep the momentum going for CU, but the Cougars picked and chose their battles and went on a 4-0 run late in the third (20-18). Colorado hit .306 in set three, but BYU took the set following its lead gain, 25-23.
The Buffs received few provisions in the fourth set as the Cougars went on a 4-0 run early. Colorado held off BYU for much of the set, tying it up with three-straight Jordan kills (9-9). After the Buffs' run, neither team scored more than two points in a row. Though CU saw more kills from Dwinell and Payne, BYU took the fourth, 25-22.

UP NEXT:

Colorado will finish its first Big 12 road trip of the season with a match against Utah on Sunday, Sept. 29. First serve is set for 1 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 1-4 all-time against BYU and 1-3 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

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Taylor Simpson