Friday, August 29
Laramie, Wyo.
1 PM
Colorado
vs
Cleveland State
Colorado Volleyball Opens 2025 Season with Rumble in the Rockies Invite
August 25, 2025 | Volleyball
The Buffs will travel to Laramie, Wyo., for three matches to start the 2025 season
BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) opens the 2025 season against the Cleveland State Vikings (0-0, 0-0 Horizon League) on the road at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo., in the Rumble in the Rockies invite on Aug. 29. The Buffs will also go head-to-head with Tulsa (0-0, 0-0 American) on Aug. 30 and host school Wyoming (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West) on Aug. 31.
First serve for all three matches will be at 1 p.m. MT, and they will be streamed on Mountain West Network. All three Colorado volleyball coaches are entering their 10th season, including head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffaloes to a 141-126 (.528) overall record.
The Buffs won 13 matches in 2025 and finished 10th in the Big 12 standings. Colorado split the last two matches of the regular season, falling to Houston, 3-0, in the final match after sweeping Kansas State on Senior Day earlier in the week.
THIS WEEK
MATCH #1 • Friday, August 29 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) vs. Cleveland St. (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CSUVikings.com
MATCH #2 • Saturday, August 30 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) vs. Tulsa (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: Tulsa Leads, 0-1 (.000)
LAST MEETING: L 0-3 (October 24, 1986 • Wichita, Kan.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 0-1
OPPONENT WEBSITE: TulsaHurricane.com
MATCH #3 • Sunday, August 30 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) at Wyoming (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 15-9 (.625)
LAST MEETING: L 1-3 (September 15, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoWyo.com
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
MEET THE VIKINGS: This will be the inaugural meeting between the Buffs and the Cleveland State Vikings. This is the first of three times this season Colorado will meet an opponent for the first time, and this is the Buffs' only Horizon League opponent this season.
AYE, THE GOLDEN HURRICANE: Colorado will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for just the second time in program history. The last time CU faced Tulsa was in a neutral match in 1986 in Wichita, Kan., where the Hurricane swept the Buffs (Oct. 24, 1986).
COWGIRLS LIKE ME: Though the Buffs have won seven of the last 10 meetings with the Cowgirls, CU goes into the programs' 25th (15-9) matchup with a chip on its shoulder (no pun intended). Colorado hosted Wyoming in Buffs Invitational last fall, with the Cowgirls coming out on top, 3-1, at CU Events Center (Sept. 15, 2024).
MILESTONE WATCH: Jr. MB Cayla Payne has 199, one away from 200. Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton has 283 assists, 17 away from 300. Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell has 459 kills, 41 away from 500, and 93 digs, seven away from 100. Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic has 496 kills, four away from 500. Jr. DS/L Avery Bolles has 87 aces, 13 away from 100, and 192 digs, eight away from 200.
#1 OLIVIA OF ALL TRADES: Fr. MB Olivia Grenadier's dad played basketball at St. Mary's. Grenadier has always loved sports and played a bunch of different ones growing up. Outside of volleyball, she's dabbled in soccer, basketball, flag football, baseball, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, track and softball.
#4 FAMILY ASLESON: Fr. S Audrey Asleson's dad played golf at Western Illinois for two years; her older sister played volleyball at Stetson for two years; her older brother played basketball at Denison for two years before switching to football for his final two years; her cousin played volleyball at Northwestern for four years; and her cousin ran track at USC for four years. Asleson's fun facts include having a twin sister, has visited 10 countries and used to come to Colorado every year to ski as a kid.
#8 OVERSEAS LOSADA: As one of three CU international volleyball players, Fr. PIN Inés Losada spends time competing for youth national teams in the off-season. Losada has been representing Team Spain since she was just 13 years old!
#14 HOUSE OF OTT: Fr. DS/L Nikki Ott's dad was a two-time National Champion for the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football team in '94 and '95 (1991-1996). Ott's fun fact is that she loves to wake surf!
#20 NEALVILLE: Transfer Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal names her most thrilling sports moment as winning the Tennessee state championship with her high school volleyball team after coming back in the losers bracket (2022). Neal also takes aspirations from Morgan Hentz, a former Stanford volleyball athlete and a current member of Team USA. Neal says, "I watched her play a lot growing up, and I knew I wanted to compete just like her someday."
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.
First serve for all three matches will be at 1 p.m. MT, and they will be streamed on Mountain West Network. All three Colorado volleyball coaches are entering their 10th season, including head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffaloes to a 141-126 (.528) overall record.
The Buffs won 13 matches in 2025 and finished 10th in the Big 12 standings. Colorado split the last two matches of the regular season, falling to Houston, 3-0, in the final match after sweeping Kansas State on Senior Day earlier in the week.
THIS WEEK
MATCH #1 • Friday, August 29 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) vs. Cleveland St. (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CSUVikings.com
MATCH #2 • Saturday, August 30 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) vs. Tulsa (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: Tulsa Leads, 0-1 (.000)
LAST MEETING: L 0-3 (October 24, 1986 • Wichita, Kan.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 0-1
OPPONENT WEBSITE: TulsaHurricane.com
MATCH #3 • Sunday, August 30 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) at Wyoming (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 15-9 (.625)
LAST MEETING: L 1-3 (September 15, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoWyo.com
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
- CU is led by 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffs to a 141-126 (.528) record as CU's fifth head volleyball coach. Coach Mahoney has been extended through 2027 and has led the Buffs to three NCAA appearances.
- In its second year back in the Big 12, Colorado was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
- The Buffs return five of their seven starters from the 2024 season in Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic, Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan, Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell, Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton and Jr. MB Cayla Payne.
- Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic started and played in 29 games in 2024, totaling 401 kills, 38 aces, 197 digs, 46.0 blocks and 465.5 points. She was named to the 2024 All-Big 12 Team and the 2025 Big 12 Preseason Team, having finished last season seventh in the Big 12 for points per set (4.12) and eighth for kills per set (3.55). She also had four double-doubles in 2024.
- Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton started and played in 28 games in 2024, ending the season with 350 digs, 30 aces and 91 assists. Morton has 1,123 career digs, surpassing 1,000 against Arizona (Oct. 16).
- Jr. MB Cayla Payne led CU in blocks in the 2024 season with 128.0. She set a career high in blocks with 11.0 on Nov. 9 against Cincinnati and attained a double-double with 10 kills to supplement. Payne finished the season with 241 kills and hit .283 overall.
- Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan had the second most kills and digs on the team with 279 and 234, respectively. She also had 19 aces and 26.0 blocks on the season, and saw double-doubles in six matches.
- Colorado welcomes four freshmen to the 2025 squad: MB Olivia Grenadier (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Detroit Country Day), S Audrey Asleson (La Grange, Ill./Benet Academy), PIN Inés Losada (Coruña, Spain/IES Eusebio da Guarda) and DS/L Nikki Ott (Valley, Neb./Skutt Catholic HS).
- Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal (Nolensville, Tenn./Nolensville HS) is Colorado's only incoming transfer. She played her first two years at Marshall University in West Virginia. At Marshall, Neal recorded 741 digs, 175 assists and 59 aces. During both seasons, Neal led the team in digs.
- So. MB Maria Splawska spent the end of the summer (Aug. 7-17) competing for Team Poland in the FIVB Women's U21 World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia. Splawska led the whole tournament in blocks, finishing with 40 (4.44 per match).
MEET THE VIKINGS: This will be the inaugural meeting between the Buffs and the Cleveland State Vikings. This is the first of three times this season Colorado will meet an opponent for the first time, and this is the Buffs' only Horizon League opponent this season.
AYE, THE GOLDEN HURRICANE: Colorado will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for just the second time in program history. The last time CU faced Tulsa was in a neutral match in 1986 in Wichita, Kan., where the Hurricane swept the Buffs (Oct. 24, 1986).
COWGIRLS LIKE ME: Though the Buffs have won seven of the last 10 meetings with the Cowgirls, CU goes into the programs' 25th (15-9) matchup with a chip on its shoulder (no pun intended). Colorado hosted Wyoming in Buffs Invitational last fall, with the Cowgirls coming out on top, 3-1, at CU Events Center (Sept. 15, 2024).
MILESTONE WATCH: Jr. MB Cayla Payne has 199, one away from 200. Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton has 283 assists, 17 away from 300. Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell has 459 kills, 41 away from 500, and 93 digs, seven away from 100. Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic has 496 kills, four away from 500. Jr. DS/L Avery Bolles has 87 aces, 13 away from 100, and 192 digs, eight away from 200.
#1 OLIVIA OF ALL TRADES: Fr. MB Olivia Grenadier's dad played basketball at St. Mary's. Grenadier has always loved sports and played a bunch of different ones growing up. Outside of volleyball, she's dabbled in soccer, basketball, flag football, baseball, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, track and softball.
#4 FAMILY ASLESON: Fr. S Audrey Asleson's dad played golf at Western Illinois for two years; her older sister played volleyball at Stetson for two years; her older brother played basketball at Denison for two years before switching to football for his final two years; her cousin played volleyball at Northwestern for four years; and her cousin ran track at USC for four years. Asleson's fun facts include having a twin sister, has visited 10 countries and used to come to Colorado every year to ski as a kid.
#8 OVERSEAS LOSADA: As one of three CU international volleyball players, Fr. PIN Inés Losada spends time competing for youth national teams in the off-season. Losada has been representing Team Spain since she was just 13 years old!
#14 HOUSE OF OTT: Fr. DS/L Nikki Ott's dad was a two-time National Champion for the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football team in '94 and '95 (1991-1996). Ott's fun fact is that she loves to wake surf!
#20 NEALVILLE: Transfer Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal names her most thrilling sports moment as winning the Tennessee state championship with her high school volleyball team after coming back in the losers bracket (2022). Neal also takes aspirations from Morgan Hentz, a former Stanford volleyball athlete and a current member of Team USA. Neal says, "I watched her play a lot growing up, and I knew I wanted to compete just like her someday."
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.
Players Mentioned
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