University of Colorado Athletics
Colorado
3-0,0-0Big 12
Denver
2-1,0-0WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 19 | 21 | 22 | 0 |
| Colorado | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Colorado Sweeps Denver, Wins Buff Classic Tournament
August 30, 2026 | Volleyball
BOULDER — No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes volleyball (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) swept Denver (2-1, 0-0 West Coast) (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) on Sunday afternoon at the CU Events Center. The Buffs set an all-time CU record for most blocks in a three-set match with 19.
Colorado went undefeated at the Buffs Classic, finishing 3-0 and claiming the tournament title. Senior PIN Ana Burilovic was named the Buffs Classic MVP.
"A really well played match on both sides," Head Coach Jesse Mahoney said. "I thought our middles did a really nice job closing, and our right side pins set the block extremely well. [Denver] put some pressure on us. I like how we responded. I think in two of the three sets, we were down, had some pressure on us, and I actually don't mind that because it gives us an opportunity to kind of face that pressure and work through it."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
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Set One: Colorado came out dominant defensively, recording early back-to-back blocks from senior PIN Lily Dwinell and senior MB Cayla Payne which sparked a 3-0 run (3-2 CU). Denver and Colorado traded points with kills from senior PIN Sydney Jordan and Burilovic evening the score (6-6). A Jordan kill assisted by senior S Jenna Ylivaninio sparked a 5-0 Buffaloes run (13-9 CU). Colorado extended its lead with kills from Burilovic, Jordan and Payne forcing a DU timeout (21-15 CU). Payne kept the momentum going with another kill, her third of the set (22-15 CU). The Black and Gold closed out the first set due to a Denver attack error (25-19 CU).
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Set Two: Despite trailing early, the Buffs fought back as freshman MB Barbora Rakauskaite went in with a kill, leading to a 4-0 CU run (4-4). Colorado continued to battle back and forth with Denver, fueled by kills from Payne and Ylivaninio and a block from Burilovic and Rakauskaite (11-10 DU). The Buffaloes took the lead with back-to-back kills from Payne and Burilovic, both assisted by Ylivaninio (15-13 CU). Burilovic scored CU's first ace of the match, followed by a Payne kill which caused a Denver timeout (18-14 CU). The Black and Gold maintained its lead with an ace from junior DS/L/S Katie Solonga (20-17 CU). Although DU crept back, a Dwinell kill secured the match for the Buffaloes (25-21 CU).
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Set Three: The match remained tightly contested as Colorado answered every DU point with kills from Dwinell and Payne (3-3). An ace from Burilovic launched a 4-1 run for the Buffs (7-6 CU). The two teams continued to go back-and-forth as a block from Dwinell and Rakauskaite tied up the set (11-11). Two Burilovic aces and a block by Payne and Ylivaninio pushed Colorado ahead by three (19-16 CU). Colorado maintained its lead with a kill and block assist from Rakauskaite (23-21 CU). The Buffaloes finished the final set with a Burilovic kill (25-22 CU).
JORDAN ON BATTLING IN TIGHTLY CONTESTED MATCHES: "We all know how to play good volleyball," Jordan said. "Being able to fall back on our technique and what we do in practice every single day is what got us through that set."
KEY PLAYERS:
Jordan: Led the Buffs with 10 kills.
Burilovic: Saw a total of nine kills, four service aces, and five blocks.
Payne: Notched nine blocks, six kills and a .600 kill percentage.
Ylivainio: Recorded three kills and 33 assists, the most she has tallied as a Buff.
Rakauskatie: Gained a total of five kills and seven blocks, her most at Colorado.
MATCH NOTES:
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Ylivainio reached double-digit assists in each match of the Buffs Classic.
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This match moves Colorado to 13-1 all-time against Denver.
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The Buffs recorded their most blocks in a 3-set match with 19.
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Colorado swept all three matches in the Buffs Classic.
UP NEXT: Colorado will host Wichita State, Northern Colorado and New Mexico for the Buffs Invitational next weekend. The first serve against Wichita State is on Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. MT at the CU Events Center. All Buffs Invitational games will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com. Fans can purchase tickets here.
