Colorado Volleyball Ready for Golden Spike Series

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (9-0, 0-0 Big 12) wraps up nonconference play this week with its annual home-and-home series against Colorado State (4-4, 0-0 Mountain West) in the Battle for the Golden Spike.

The Buffs will head up to Fort Collins on Thursday (Sept. 18) to play the Rams in Moby Arena at 6 p.m. MT, and the Rams make the journey to Boulder on Friday at 7 p.m. MT to determine who will take home the Golden Spike trophy.

Last weekend, the Buffs won another three matches, this time in Buffs Invitational – taking home their own tournament trophy with wins over Arkansas (3-1), Toledo (3-0) and Denver (3-0). Junior pin attacker Ana Burilovic, junior pin attacker Sydney Jordan, and junior middle blocker Cayla Payne were all named to the Buffs Invitational All-Tournament Team, and Payne was named tournament MVP.

Now 9-0 to start the 2025 season, this matches the best start the Buffs have had. The last time the Buffs were 9-0 to start the season was in 2021, and the Buffs lost seven sets. This season, Colorado has only lost three sets.

RIVALRY WEEK
COLORADO STATE
Moby Arena • FORT COLLINS, Colo. // CU Events Center • BOULDER, Colo.
Mountain West Network // ESPN+
MATCH #10 • Thursday, September 18 • 6 p.m. MT
MATCH #11 • Friday, September 19 • 7 p.m. MT
Colorado (9-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Colorado State (4-4, 0-0 Mountain West)
SERIES RECORD: CSU Leads, 19-28 (.404)
LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (September 20, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 5-5
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CSURams.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

CU is led by 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffs to a 150-126 (.538) 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.
Still undefeated, Colorado has received votes in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. This is th second week in a row that the Buffs have received votes in the poll. The last time Colorado was ranked in the poll was Oct. 4, 2021.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne was the Buffs' first All-Tournament selection and the MVP of the Buffs Invitational. She averaged 2.30 kills per set (23 on the weekend) and 1.30 blocks per set (13 on the weekend). Payne is currently fourth overall in the Big 12 for hitting percentage (.408) and sixth (23rd NCAA) for blocks per set (1.33). On the weekend, she had 31.0 points, 13.0 blocks and 23 kills (.347).
Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the weekend. Burilovic is currently third in the Big 12 and 20th in the NCAA for kills per set (4.59) and second in conference for aces per set (0.63). She leads the Big 12 in points per set (5.54). On the weekend, she had 52.5 points, 16 digs, seven aces and 41 kills.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan was the Buffs' third All-Tournament Team selection from the weekend. She managed a double-double against Arkansas with 15 kills and 15 digs – her seventh of her career and Colorado's first of the season. Jordan also had eight aces on the weekend, moving her into third in the Big 12 for aces per set (0.56).
R-Jr. S Rian Finley is third in the Big 12 for assists per set (10.96) after the third weekend of competition. She is also seventh in the NCAA for assists per set. In Buffs Invitational, she had 100 assists, nine digs and four blocks.
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton is currently fifth in the Big 12 for digs per set with 4.00. So far this season, Morton has had double-digit digs in eight of nine Buff matches, including 10 against Arkansas (Sept. 12), 10 against Toledo (Sept. 13) and 11 against Denver (Sept. 14). In Buffs Invitational, she had 31 digs and three aces.
As a team, the Buffs lead in the Big 12 in service aces per set (2.04). CU is second in the Big 12 for opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to .139 overall. Colorado is also seventh in the Conference for points per set with 18.00 and for digs per set with 13.67.

ROAM WITH THE BUFFS: The Buffs' Thursday match at Fort Collins will be broadcast on Mountain West Network. The home match at CUEC on Friday will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also follow Colorado matches through live stats with links available at CUBuffs.com.

BATTLE FOR THE GOLDEN SPIKE: The Golden Spike was originally donated by Colorado Volleyball supporter club members -- specifically the Comanche Crossing Museum in Strasburg, Colo., where the final spike was driven to connect the first continuous chain of train tracks from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Since the inaugural Battle for the Golden Spike in 2019, the Buffs are tied with the Rams 4-4. This will be the teams' 48th and 49th meetings all-time, and the Rams lead the series 19-28 overall.

MILESTONE WATCH: Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton has 296 assists, four away from 300, and 77 aces, 23 away from 100. Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell has 175 blocks, 25 away from 200. Jr. DS/L Avery Bolles has 94 aces, six away from 100, and 196 digs, four away from 200. Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic has 84 aces, 16 away from 100.

MILESTONE CHECK: Jr. MB Cayla Payne reached 400 kills over the Buffs Invitational weekend. Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell reached 500 kills and 100 digs. Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic reached 600 kills, now sitting at 628.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded the first double-double of the season with a season-high 15 kills and 15 digs against Arkansas (Sept. 12). This is her seventh double-double of her career after reaching six double-doubles in the 2024 season.

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

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne