Colorado Volleyball Inks Beard, Brown, Capistrano And Pinegar On National Signing Day

BOULDER – Colorado volleyball has signed Payton Beard (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville), Aspen Brown (Houston, Texas/Shadow Creek), Mya Capistrano (Eastvale, Calif./Roosevelt) and Grace Pinegar (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound), CU Head Coach Jesse Mahoney announced Wednesday.

"We are excited to welcome Grace, Payton, Aspen and Mya to the Colorado volleyball family. This is a talented group that addresses several important needs in our program and brings a great combination of physicality, skill and ball control to our roster," Mahoney said. "All four have competed at a high level throughout their club careers, and we believe they have the tools and competitive mentality to be successful in the Big 12."

PAYTON BEARD

The 6-1 outside hitter Payton Beard joins Colorado from Strongsville, Ohio.

Beard competed for Strongsville High School as well as Southwest Volleyball Club and Academy Volleyball club. She is a decorated athlete who broke her school's hitting percentage, kills per set and kills in a single-season records.

Her accomplishments include:

First-Team All-Conference (4x)
Conference Player of the Year (2x)
District Player of the Year (2x)
First-Team All-District (4x)
UA All-American Camp Invite (2x)

"Payton is another physical and dynamic attacker who has the ability to score in a number of different ways," Mahoney said. "She brings good size and athleticism to both pins, plays with an aggressive mentality and has the tools to become a high-level terminal attacker in our conference."

ASPEN BROWN

Brown is a 6-0 opposite hitter from Houston, Texas. Brown played volleyball for Shadow Creek High School and competed at the club level with Houston Skyline for six years.

Her accolades include:

First-Team All-District
Newcomer of the Year
All-Academic Team

The Houston native also surpassed 1,000 career kills during her high school career. As a left-handed force, she brings a unique skill set to Colorado. Brown hits .289, ranking her among the strongest hitters in Texas' 6A.

"Aspen's skill-set and volleyball IQ projects her as a future 6-rotation opposite in our system," Mahoney said. "Aspen has established herself as a high-level player competing for Houston Skyline, and we believe her combination of athleticism and skill will translate extremely well in our program."

Brown has a Buff background as her father, Chris Brown, played football at Colorado before competing professionally with the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans. Brown is excited to join a program with a coaching staff that believes in her and a team culture that made her feel welcomed.

MYA CAPISTRANO

As a 5-5 libero, Capistrano joins the Buff family from Eastvale, Calif. With well over 1,000 career assists, Capistrano falls in the top 50 liberos in California. While competing for her high school, Capistrano was a four-year varsity captain who earned First-Team All-League (3x), All-Academic Team and helped her team to a Big VIII championship. She broke the school record for assists (2,385) and aces (203).

With her club team, Capistrano:

Finished fifth at the Junior Nationals Open
Was a three-time regional champion
Medaled nine times at qualifiers

"She has a strong understanding of the game, reads the court well and has the ability to make difficult defensive plays look routine," Mahoney said. "We especially like her potential as a serve receiver and her ability to provide consistency in first contact."

GRACE PINEGAR

Grace Pinegar is a 6-2 outside hitter from Flower Mound, Texas. She competed for Flower Mound High School as well as three club teams: Victory Volleyball, Madfrog National White and Dallas Skyline Royal.

Her accolades include:

Second-Team All-District 6A (freshman year)
First-Team All-District 6A (3x)
Newcomer of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
AVCA Phenom Watch List
All American 16U Honorable Mention
2025 All-Area Honorable Mention
TGCA All-Star Team
USAV All-Star Game

"Grace is a long, athletic pin who brings a great combination of physical tools and all-around skill to the position. She has the ability to generate offense with her fast arm and attack from a variety of locations along the net," Mahoney said. "We especially like her potential to develop into a complete six-rotation player, as she has the athleticism and skill set to contribute in both the front and back row."

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.

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