Buffs Crush Cougars in Three

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) defeated Houston (8-7, 1-3 Big 12) in three sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-19) at CU Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The Buffs made quick work of the Cougars, besting them in just one hour and 19 minutes. CU went up by as many as 10 points in sets one and two and maintained the lead all the way through the third.

"A really good weekend for us," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "We had a really hard-fought match on Thursday, and then, even though this is a sweep, I felt like we had to work for this one as well. […] Our middle blockers did a really nice job blocking. […] It was a really good weekend, a fun match, and we go on the road and play two really good teams, so I'm looking forward to it."

Colorado out-scored (37-28), out-assisted (37-28), out-dug (27-21) and out-aced (7-3) the Cougars. The Buffs held Houston to –0.065 hitting in the second set and .048 hitting on the match. CU hit .333 overall.

"There are things that we do really well," Mahoney said. "When we're on, we can be a really exciting serving team. We are now old enough to really digest information and make changes, enact a game plan and then be flexible enough to change that game plan. That's served us really well. And then we've been resilient, we've had some opportunities to fold that we haven't taken this season, and I'm excited for that."

KEY PLAYERS:

Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic led the match in kills with 11, as well as five digs, one ace and one block.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded nine kills, three digs and two aces.
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton led the match in aces with three. She also recorded six digs and four assists.
Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell recorded six kills, hitting .600 (0e, 10att), one block and one dig.
So. MB Maria Splawska earned four kills, hitting .500 (1e,6att) and two blocks.
So. DS/L/S Katie Salonga attained five assists, two digs and one ace.
Sr. S Rian Finley recorded 28 assists, five digs and two blocks.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne scored on six kills and three blocks.
Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal saw five dig and So. PIN Gwen Schiff recorded one kill.
For the Cougars, Alyssa Gonzales recorded eight kills and Alana Torres-Rivera earned five digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Colorado came out hot to start the first set, going up 6-1 off kills from Payne and Burilovic and forcing Houston to take its first timeout early. Kills from Jordan, assisted by Finley, held the Buffs' steady lead (10-5). CU ran away with it, with kills from Jordan, Dwinell, Splawska and Payne, and an ace from Burilovic to double the Cougars' score (18-9, CU). The Buffs went up by as many as 10 in the first set (23-13). Houston went on a 5-0 run to hold off set point and close the gap (24-20), but the Buffs took set one, 25-20.
Both teams traded points in set two, and the Buffs registered kills from Payne, Burilovic and Jordan, as well as a Payne-Finely block (8-6, CU). A kill from Splawska and an ace from Jordan kept Colorado in the lead (13-9). The Buffs went on a 4-0 run, momentum not stopped by a Houston timeout, and went up by 10 points off blocks from Splawska and Dwinell (23-13, CU). Errors plagued the Cougars, and the Buffs took set two, 25-15.
The Buffs took an early lead in the third set, going up by three from a kill by Burilovic, a solo block from Payne and an ace from Morton (3-0, CU). Kills from Dwinell and Burilovic contributed to another 3-0 run from Colorado (6-1, CU). Burilovic halted a 4-0 run from the Cougars with a kill (8-6, CU). CU established a four-point lead following a kill from Dwinell and an ace from Jordan (12-8, CU). After a Houston timeout, the Cougars improved to be within one (18-17, CU). The Black and Gold responded with kills from Jordan, Dwinell and Splawska (21-18, CU). After four unanswered points from the Cougars, including two aces from Morton, Colorado took the third set, 25-19.

UP NEXT

Colorado goes back on the road next week to take on the Arizona schools. First serve against Arizona is set for 7 p.m. MT on Oct. 8 and first serve at Arizona State is at 8 p.m. MT on Oct. 10. The matches will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs improve to 5-3 all-time against the Cougars.
Colorado had more kills (37-28), aces (7-3) and digs (27-21) than Houston.
The Buffaloes got their ninth 3-0 win of the season and are 9-1 in three-set matches.

For more information on the Colorado women's volleyball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team through the camera lens on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsVB.

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Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Sydney Jordan

Lily Dwinell

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Katie Salonga

Gwen Schiff

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Katie Salonga

Gwen Schiff