Colorado
9-1,0-0Big 12
Colorado State
7-3,0-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 21 | 23 | 15 | 0 |
| Colorado St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Colorado Drops Match Against Colorado State In Three
September 18, 2026 | Volleyball
FORT COLLINS — The No. 17-ranked Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team dropped its first match of the season to Colorado State on Friday night at Moby Arena.Â
Colorado fell in straight sets (25-21, 25-22, 25-15), moving to 9-1 on the season, with Colorado State improving to 7-3.Â
Colorado was led by pin attacker Ana Burilovic, who logged 14 kills, and setter Jenna Ylivainio, who provided 30 assists.Â
The Rams were led by pin hitter Sofia Zabjek, who had nine kills, and setter Erin Debiec with 33 assists.
"It's a learning experience. It's good for us to be pushed and find a way to respond to it," Head Coach Jesse Mahoney said. "We have to get in the right mindset, make sure we're working hard in practice everyday and understand that we still have a ceiling we can get to."Â
HOW IT HAPPENED:Â
Set One: In an early brawl, the Buffs took a 4-3 lead over Colorado State with kills from Burilovic and pin attacker Lily Dwinell. After a four point run from the Rams, a kill from middle blocker Barbora Rakauskaite sparked some momentum for Colorado, with a block from Lily Dwinell and middle blocker Cayla Payne tying the set at nine.Â
The Buffs continued to battle in the hostile environment, responding to each Rams point. A Rakauskaite kill knotted the set at 16 and an error from the Rams gave CU a one point lead. Despite a third kill from Dwinell and a seventh from Burilovic, CSU took the first set 25-21.
Set Two: An initial Colorado State three-point run was matched with a block from Payne and back-to-back Burilovic kills. The Rams regained the lead at 9-6, but the Buffaloes tied the set after another three-point run, capped off by a kill from pin attacker Sydney Jordan.Â
Tied at 17, CSU went on a 4-0 scoring run before a kill from Jordan closed in on the gap as Colorado trailed 21-18. After a kill and a block from Dwinell, the Buffs came within striking distance, bringing the score to 21-20. Rakauskaite and Burilovic combined for a block to put the Buffs behind one, 23-22, but the Rams secured the set, 25-22.
Set Three: The Rams took a quick three-point advantage, but the Buffs found an offensive flow and went on a 6-1 run with kills from Jordan and Burilovic, tying the set at eight. A kill from Rakauskaite stopped a 3-0 run from the Rams, before Payne's fourth kill of the night cut the deficit to two at 13-11.Â
However, the Rams scored the next five points and took over from there, finishing off the third set at 25-15.
KEY PLAYERS:
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Burilovic: Recorded her second-straight double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs.
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Dwinell: Logged four total blocks along with eight kills in the match.
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Ylivainio: Recorded 30 assists, three digs and one kill against the Rams.
MATCH NOTES:
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The Buffs' first loss of the season was also the first match where Colorado had a lower hitting percentage than its opponent.
UP NEXT: The Buffs return home to open Big 12 conference play against Utah on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can follow along via live stats on cubuffs.com. Tickets for the Utah match are available for purchase here.
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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