Colorado
Colorado State
Colorado Faces In-State Rival In Home-And-Home Series
September 15, 2026 | Volleyball
BOULDER — Returning from a two-win road sweep, No. 17 Colorado volleyball (8-0) prepares for back-to-back match-ups against Colorado State (6-2) in the Battle for the Golden Spike, with the Buffs looking to bring the trophy back to Boulder. The in-state rivals have competed in this home-and-home contest every year since 2019, excluding 2020.Â
MATCH #1 - Thursday, Sept. 17 - 7 p.m. MT - Boulder, Colo.
No. 17 Colorado vs. Colorado State
SERIES RECORD: 19-30
LAST MEETING: 3-1 loss (Sept. 19, 2025 - Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: L3
OPPONENT WEBSITE: https://csurams.com/sports/womens-volleyballÂ
WATCH: ESPN+
MATCH #2 - Friday, Sept. 18 - 6 p.m. MT - Fort Collins, Colo.
No. 17 Colorado at Colorado State
WATCH: Pac-12 Youtube
FIRST SERVE:
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After the ranked win against No. 16 USC, Colorado moved up six spots — the largest jump in the NCAA — in the AVCA-Taraflex Division I poll. They are now the 17th-ranked team in the nation.Â
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The Buffs are one of two undefeated Big 12 teams, alongside Kansas State (6-0). In the NCAA, Colorado is one of just 11 teams who remain undefeated.Â
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Colorado has one or more player ranked in every stat category in the Big 12, including senior pin attacker Ana Burilovic (kills, aces, points), senior setter Jenna Ylivainio (assists), senior middle blocker Cayla Payne (hitting percentage, blocks), freshman MB Barbora Rakauskaite (blocks) and junior libero Tinons Munar Galmes (digs).Â
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Senior pin attacker Sydney Jordan reached a season-high 11 kills, hitting .429 against USC.Â
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Senior setter Jenna Ylivainino tied her career-high with three kills, while adding 35 assists and five blocks against USC. She was named to the Big 12 Starting Seven on Tuesday.Â
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Colorado defeated No. 16 University of Southern California in four sets on Sunday. The Buffaloes beat USC 25-13 in the third set. CU also took down Oregon State in three sets on the road.Â
ROAM WITH THE BUFFS: The home match for the Buffaloes will be streamed on ESPN+ and the away contest will be streamed on Pac-12 Youtube. Fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.Â
IN THE POLLS:Â
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As a team, the Buffs lead the conference in blocks per set, averaging 3.38 and rank second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .278.Â
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Payne ranks No. 12 in the NCAA in blocks per set with 1.55. She ranks fifth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .379, third in the conference in blocks per set and second in total blocks with 45.
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Burilovic ranks fifth in the Big 12 in kills per set, averaging 4.17, third in service aces per set at 0.59 and third in points per set at 5.16.
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Ylivainio ranks second in the Big 12 in total assists with 284 and fourth in assists per set, averaging 9.79.
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Rakauskaite ranks fifth in the Big 12 in blocks per set, averaging 1.44.
MILESTONE WATCH:
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Senior pin Ana Burilovic recorded 26 kills over the weekend, now tallying 1,182 career kills at Colorado. She is currently tied for fifth place for most career kills in program history during the rally-score era alongside Monique Gerlach.Â
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Burilovic holds 3,110 career attacks. She currently sits in fifth place for most attacks recorded in CU history during the rally-score era. She is 42 attacks away from taking fourth place from Maya Tabron.Â
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Senior pin Lily Dwinell is rapidly approaching 750 career kills and 300 career blocks. She currently holds 727 kills and 290 blocks.Â
IN-STATE FACE OFF: Colorado will battle for the Golden Spike in a home-and-home contest. The Buffaloes and Rams have a long history, having met 49 times from 1987 to 2025. The two teams last met in 2025, where Colorado lost in four sets in Boulder and in three sets in Fort Collins.
Colorado is headlined by Burilovic and Payne, who average 5.17 and 3.07 points per set for the Buffs, respectively.Â
CSU is led by junior setter Erin Debiec, who earned Pac-12 Setter of the Week and averages 10.62 assists per game. Emily Kohan is in her 11th season on the Colorado State coaching staff, her fourth season as head coach.Â
GET TICKETS: Tickets are now available to see the Buffaloes battle the Rams in the first leg of the Gold Spike at CU Event Center. Tickets can be purchased here.Â
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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