No. 25 Colorado Falls To No. 11 BYU - University of Colorado Athletics

Thursday, October 22

Provo, Utah

6:30 p.m.

Colorado

13-5,4-4Big 12

#11 BYU

16-1,8-0Big 12

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Colorado	25	22	16	18	1
BYU	23	25	25	25	3

October 22, 2026 | Volleyball

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By: Anna Duffy, Athletic Communications Associate

PROVO, Utah — No. 25 Colorado took the first set from No. 11 BYU in a tightly contested match on Thursday night at Smith Fieldhouse, but dropped the next three as the Buffs fell to 13-5 on the season and 4-4 in the Big 12 Conference.

Colorado was dynamic on offense in the first set, recording 19 kills and outscoring the Cougars 25-23. However, BYU showcased its depth and claimed the remaining sets 25-22, 25-16, 25-18.

During the second set of the match, libero Tinons Munar Galmes recorded her 1,000th career dig. She is now seventh on the Colorado volleyball leaderboard in the rally-scoring era.

BYU moved to 16-1 overall and 8-0 in conference play. The team was led by outside hitter Elli Mortensen, who put up 13 kills and 10 digs for the Cougars.

"It was a great atmosphere. I thought we played with a lot of energy," Head Coach Jesse Mahoney said. "Sets three and four, passing broke down a bit and we became more predictable than we wanted to be."

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Set One: Colorado 25, BYU 23

Colorado came out ready to battle the Cougars and swapped early points, highlighted by a kill from middle blocker Cayla Payne. The senior put the Buffs in the lead with another kill before a block from middle blocker Maria Splawska and pin attacker Ines Losada gave Colorado a three-point advantage.

Pin attacker Ana Burilovic was a powerhouse as she secured her third kill early in the set. At the 15-point break, the Buffs had 12 kills to showcase their offensive control.

Losada contributed back-to-back points with a kill and an ace. Capping a 3-0 scoring run, Splawska secured a kill and put Colorado ahead 20-15, the largest lead of the set.

BYU responded with a 4-0 run, but a Burilovic kill kept the Buffs ahead by one. The contest was a back-and-forth battle, but a perfectly placed kill from Losada put Colorado to set point. Losada delivered another kill to secure the first set for the Buffaloes.

Set Two: BYU 25, Colorado 22

The opponents continued to challenge each other as the score was tied through the first five points. Colorado pulled ahead with blocks from Splawska, pin attacker Lily Dwinell and setter Jenna Ylivainio to lead 10-6.

BYU mounted a 3-0 run before Dwinell eliminated the Cougar momentum with a kill. Despite recording more blocks and kills than BYU in the second set, Colorado found itself in a four-point deficit, trailing 23-19, but explosive kills from Payne and Losada kept the Buffs within striking distance.

However, BYU held onto its advantage and closed out the second set with a kill.

Set Three: BYU 25, Colorado 16

Colorado took an immediate lead with a block from Splawska and Losada. An ace from defensive specialist Avery Bolles gave Colorado a slight edge, but the third set was tightly contested throughout.

Colorado trailed by three at 9-6 before consecutive kills from Losada brought the Buffs within one.

Payne inflicted a kill with an assist from Ylivainio, launching a 3-0 run. Payne added two blocks in the scoring streak to keep Colorado in the contest, trailing 17-16.

With an 8-0 run, the Cougars claimed the third set.

Set Four: BYU 25, Colorado 18

Colorado took a 5-2 lead thanks to aces from Ylivainio and Splawska. Burilovic remained explosive as she secured her 12th kill of the night.

The fourth set was an offensive showdown as seven-straight points came from kills, both teams unable to pull away. A block from Burilovic and Splawska gave Colorado a 13-11 edge.

BYU regained the lead at 15-14 due to Colorado errors and the Buffs were unable to recover. The Cougars secured the match with the fourth-set victory.

KEY PLAYERS:
Burilovic: Tabbed 13 kills and 12 digs, while adding two blocks

Losada: Recorded 14 kills and four blocks

Ylivainio: Contributed all around with 38 assists, three blocks, two digs, an ace and a kill

Payne: Tallied nine kills and five blocks

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs averaged 12.20 kills per set. They had 19 in the first set.
Burilovic recorded her fourth double-double of the season, 14th in her career.
A Colorado player led on the match leaderboard in five stat categories: kills (Losada, 14), attacks (Losada, 38), digs (Burilovic 12), assists (Ylivainio, 38) and points (Losada, 17).

UP NEXT: The Buffaloes head to Salt Lake City for a rematch against Utah on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can follow along via live stats available at cubuffs.com. For more information on the Colorado volleyball team, please visit cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok.