No. 20 Colorado Prepped for No. 13 Kansas and Kansas State on the Road

BOULDER – The 20th-ranked Colorado volleyball team (20-3, 10-1 Big 12) goes back on the road for a trip to the Sunflower State. CU will take on No. 13 Kansas (17-8, 8-3 Big 12) on Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. MT in Lawrence, Kan., before heading to Kansas State (12-7, 5-6 Big 12) for a match in Manhattan, Kan., on Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. MT.

The Buffs meet with the Jayhawks and the Wildcats for the 53rd and 51st time, respectively. CU's competition with Kansas marks the fifth ranked opponent the Black and Gold have played this season, currently holding a 3-1 record over ranked teams.

Last week, Colorado completed its Halloween revenge tour with a five-set win over Northern Colorado and a four-set victory over then-No. 18 Baylor for its 10th conference win. Ana Burilovic was named Big 12 Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts last week, her second weekly conference award this season. Burilovic reached 106 career aces with three against Baylor, becoming the rally-scoring leader in career aces for Colorado, and she had another 30-kill match against Northern Colorado. Junior pin attacker Sydney Jordan and senior setter Rian Finley each had a double-double – Jordan with 10 kills and 10 digs at Northern Colorado (Oct. 28) and Finley with 32 assists and 11 digs against Baylor (Oct. 31).

THIS WEEK
MATCH #24 • Thursday November 6 • 5 p.m. MT
No. 20 Colorado (20-3, 10-1 Big 12) vs. No. 13 Kansas (17-8, 8-3 Big 12)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 35-17 (.673)
LAST MEETING: L, 3-1 (October 3, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Lost 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-8
OPPONENT WEBSITE: KUAthletics.com

MATCH #25 • Saturday, November 8 • 12 p.m. MT
No. 20 Colorado (20-3, 10-1 Big 12) vs. Kansas State (12-7, 5-6 Big 12)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 27-23 (.540)
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (November 27, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 3-7
OPPONENT WEBSITE: KStateSports.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

CU is led by 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffs to a 161-129 (.555) record as CU's fifth head volleyball coach. Coach Mahoney has been extended through 2027 and has led the Buffs to three NCAA appearances. Mahoney also picked up his 150th win as head coach at CU against Denver at CU Events Center (Sept. 14). He becomes the third coach in Colorado Volleyball history to reach 150 wins, joining the likes of Pi'i Aiu and Brandon Saindon.
In its second year back in the Big 12, Colorado was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. The Buffs are 162-167 (.492) all-time in Big 12 conference play and first in the conference standings.
For the first week this season, the Buffs are ranked 20th in the AVCA Coaches' Poll. This is the eighth week this season that the Buffs have received votes in the poll, and their fifth week in a row in the top-25.
Colorado has 20 wins this season, marking the program's 13th 20-win season and its first since 2022.
Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic was named Big 12 Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, the Conference announced Tuesday, Nov. 4. Burilovic earns her second career weekly recognition for conference Offensive Player of the Week. In last week's matchup against Northern Colorado, Burilovic led the match with 30 kills, hitting .329 (6e, 73att), nine digs, one ace and two blocks (Oct. 28). She becomes the second player to earn two matches with 30 or more kills in one season for Colorado. Against then-No. 18 Baylor, Burilovic saw another 18 kills, three aces, four digs, an assist and a block (Oct. 31). With her third ace of the match against BU, Burilovic became the rally-scoring career leader in aces, bringing her total to 106 and counting. In the Big 12, Burilovic currently ranks first in points per set (5.66), which is good for sixth in the NCAA. She is also first in kills per set (4.86), as well as second in service aces per set (0.45) in the Big 12. She is eighth in kills per set and 37th for aces per set in the NCAA. As a team, the Buffs are third in conference for aces per set (1.56), fourth for hitting percentage (.258), fifth for blocks per set (2.58) and sixth for points per set (17.26).
R-Jr. S Rian Finley sits at fifth in the Big 12 for assists per set with 9.78. At Northern Colorado, Finley had 52 assists and nine digs (Oct. 28). Against then-No 18 Baylor, she had her second double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs, as well as two blocks and three aces (Oct. 31).
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan is fourth in the Big 12 for aces per set (0.37). Jordan also had her fifth double-double of the season, 11th of her career, at Northern Colorado with 10 kills and 10 digs (Oct. 28). She also had two aces against the Bears.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne is fifth in the Big 12 for hitting percentage (.357). At Northern Colorado, she had 12 kills and hit .579 and she had seven blocks (one solo). Against Baylor, she had nine kills and hit .389.
As a team, the Buffs are third in the Big 12 for aces per set (1.56), fourth for hitting percentage (.258), fifth for blocks per set (2.58) and sixth for points per set (17.26).

ROAM WITH THE BUFFS: The Buffs' matches at No. 13 Kansas and Kansas State will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also follow Colorado matches through live stats with links available at CUBuffs.com.

JUMPIN' JAYHAWKS: The Buffs are 35-17 against Kansas overall, but look to snap a three-match losing streak against the Jayhawks. Boasting a 14-11 road record in Lawrence, the Buffs are on the roam for a fourth ranked win at No. 13 Kansas. Last season, the Buffs hosted the Jayhawks and fell in four sets (Oct. 3, 2024).

WHAT TEAM? WILDCATS!: Going into their 51st all-time matchup with the Wildcats, the Buffs look to repeat last year's performance against KState with another sweep (Nov. 27, 2024). The Buffs are 12-12 on the road against Kansas State and 3-7 in the last 10 games.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan had her fifth double-double of the season and 11th of her career with 10 kills and 10 digs against Northern Colorado (Oct. 28). R-Jr. S Rian Finley had her second double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs against Baylor (Oct. 31).

MILESTONE WATCH: Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan has 474 digs, 26 away from 500. Sr. DS/L Sarah Moton has 1,377 digs, 123 away from 1,500. Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal has 933 digs, 67 away from 1,000. Jr. MB Cayla Payne has 293 blocks, seven away from 300.

MILESTONE CHECK: Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic reached 106 aces against Baylor, putting her at first in program history for career aces in the rally-scoring era. So. MB Maria Splawska reached 100 career blocks against Northern Colorado.

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.

No. 20 Colorado Prepped for No. 13 Kansas and Kansas State on the Road

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Colorado University Athletics

No. 20 Colorado Prepped for No. 13 Kansas and Kansas State on the Road

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

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