Colorado
7-0,0-0Big 12
Oregon State
4-3,0-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon St. | 18 | 19 | 24 | 0 |
| Colorado | 25 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
Senior Squad Shines Against Oregon State, Buffs Win In Three
September 11, 2026 | Volleyball
LOS ANGELES — The 23rd ranked Colorado volleyball team took down Oregon State in three sets (25-18, 25-19, 26-24) on Friday night at the Galen Center.
A roster full of leadership and experience, the seniors rallied to secure CU's first road win, recording 34 of the team's 38 kills.
Colorado improves to 7-0 while the beavers drop to 4-3.
"It's rare in today's athletics to have a group stick together for four years," Head Coach Jesse Mahoney said. "There's not a situation that they haven't been in, so they know how to respond when they're put under pressure and they're really comfortable playing with each other."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
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Set One: An early exchange of points found the Buffs in a close contest, matching every Beavers point. Colorado took its first lead of the set off a kill from senior pin attacker Ana Burilovic, assisted by senior setter Jenna Ylivainio (4-3 CU). Oregon State found a flow before a kill from senior PIN Sydney Jordan tied the match (7-7). With a block from Jordan and junior middle blocker Maria Splawska, Colorado went on a 4-0 scoring run, capped off by an OSU error (13-9 CU). The Buffaloes extended their lead with kills from Burilovic, senior PIN Lily Dwinell and Jordan (18-12 CU). The Beavers kept the set close, tying the score, before a kill and an ace from Ylivainio put the Buffs back on top (20-18 CU). Burilovic's third kill of the night brought the Buffs to 24 points, followed by a Jordan kill to give Colorado the set (25-18 CU).
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Set Two: Colorado showed off its offensive depth with early kills from Splawska, Dwinell, senior middle Cayla Payne, Burilovic and Jordan (6-5 CU). The teams were evenly matched as a kill from Burilovic tied the set for the eighth time (9-9). Colorado regained the lead off a block from Payne and Burilovic (14-12 CU). Despite Oregon State's attempts to close in, the senior Buffs persevered as consecutive Dwinell and Payne block assists finalized the second set (25-19 CU).
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Set Three: Sophomore PIN Ines Losada brought immediate momentum to the third set with an opening ace (1-0 CU). The Buffs heated up as three kills from Payne increased Colorado's advantage (7-4 CU). Splawska recorded two kills, both assisted by Ylivainio (10-6 CU).The Beavers found a way to respond, bringing the set to a tie (14-14). The Buffs continued to swap points with the Beavers before a second lethal Losada ace and a Burilovic block put Colorado up by two (20-18 CU). Oregon State responded, securing four-straight points, but Burilovic and Ylivainio kept Colorado alive with another assisted kill from the pair (24-24). A final block from Payne and Ylivainio gave Colorado its seventh-straight win.
KEY PLAYERS:
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Burilovic: Tallied 11 kills, five digs, three blocks and two aces, totaling 15 points.
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Ylivainio: Contributed 30 assists, five digs and a kill.
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Dwinell: Added nine kills and five blocks, totaling 11.5 points.
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Payne: Mounted seven kills and six blocks, hitting .417.
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Jordan: Reached five kills, six digs and two blocks.
MATCH NOTES:
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Colorado begins its season 7-0 for the second-straight year.
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CU seniors accumulated 46.5 of the total 56 points scored tonight.
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With the win, Colorado leads the all-time series 19-6 against Oregon State.
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The score was tied 26 times throughout the match.
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Burilovic led the team in kills for the sixth time this season.
UP NEXT: The Buffs are back at the Galen Center on Saturday for a match against No. 16 USC at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on BIG+. Fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.
