Colorado
5-0,0-0Big 12
New Mexico
1-3,0-0Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 19 | 27 | 25 | 16 | 6 | 2 |
| Colorado | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Buffs Battle In Five, Take Down New Mexico
September 05, 2026 | Volleyball
BOULDER — In a competitive five set battle, the 23rd ranked Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team toppled New Mexico 25-19, 27-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-6 on Saturday evening at the CU Events Center.
Colorado (5-0) found themselves in a tight contest that totaled 39 ties and 18 lead changes, with eight coming in the first set. A standout performance from senior pin attacker Lily Dwinell and an all-time assist high from senior setter Jenna Ylivainio helped the Buffaloes pull out a win.
Dwinell had 14 kills hitting .440 for the match, totaling 15.5 points. Ylivainio had a match-high 55 assists. Senior pin Ana Burilovic had a team-best 25 kills, three blocks and an ace.
"Credit to New Mexico, they did a really nice job. Made us work really hard to get the win tonight," Head Coach Jesse Mahoney said. "Every season you're going to have matches like this. I'm happy that in that fifth set we played like the team we could be instead of being scared."
New Mexico (1-3) was led by Mina Stanojevic with 16 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
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Set One: Burilovic opened the set with a kill. Colorado matched every Lobos point to keep it close early in the set (6-5 UNM). Kills from Ylivainio and senior pin Sydney Jordan pushed the Buffs into the lead (8-7 CU). A strong kill by senior middle blocker Cayla Payne gave the Buffs momentum for a 4-2 run, including blocks by Burilovic and Payne (14-12 CU). A New Mexico error tied the score for the 14th time in the first set (18-18). Another Burilovic kill assisted by Jordan and consecutive solo blocks from freshman middle blocker Barbora Rakauskaite and Burilovic fueled a 6-0 scoring run (23-18 CU). Junior libero Tinons Munar Galmes secured the first set for the Buffs with a service ace (25-19 CU).
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Set Two: Despite allowing early Lobos points, Colorado went on a 5-2 run with two kills from Payne (5-4 CU). The Buffs stayed in a fight with New Mexico as a block assist from Rakauskaite and Dwinell evened the score once more (7-7). A successful Colorado challenge and a kill from Payne, assisted by Ylivainio, brought a source of energy and gave Colorado a narrow lead (13-10 CU). The Buffaloes took their largest lead of the set due to a block assist by Ylivainio and Payne, followed by a service ace by junior defensive specialist Katie Solonga (16-11 CU). The Lobos crept back from their deficit, bringing the set to a draw on five separate occasions before a dominant kill from Jordan gave the Buffs a lead at set point (24-23 CU). A Lobo kill put the Buffaloes into extra points before an ace from New Mexico caused Colorado to drop their first set of the season (27-25 UNM).
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Set Three: CU and the Lobos continued to battle as a Ylivainio kill put Colorado in an early lead (3-2 CU). Blocks from Yilvaninio, Jordan and Payne along with a Jordan kill caused an early Lobo timeout (7-3 CU). New Mexico rallied to cut its deficit and tie the set (8-8). Dwinell had three back-to-back kills as the Buffs continued to trade points with New Mexico (15-14 NM). Payne responded with two kills, assisted by Ylivainio, to keep the Buffs within striking distance (19-17 NM). An emphatic kill from Dwinell extinguished the Lobo lead (20-20). New Mexico regained the lead before back-to-back kills from Dwinell and Burilovic brought the match to its 35th tie of the evening (22-22). Two consecutive Lobo blocks gave New Mexico the third set (25-23 UNM).
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Set Four: Back-to-back Burilovic kills ignited a 5-1 Colorado run (7-3 CU). The Buffaloes continued to put their dynamic offense on display with kills from Payne and Jordan (9-6 CU). New Mexico inched back into the game, but Colorado refused to give up the lead, responding with a kill from junior middle blocker Maria Splawska and a block by Payne and Dwinell (13-10 CU). Colorado capitalized on their lead as Splawska's second kill of the night pushed the Buffs further ahead (20-16 CU). Kills from Burilovic and Splawska gave Colorado their largest lead of the set (23-16 CU). The Buffs secured the set with yet another Splawska kill (25-16 CU).
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Set Five: The Black and Gold came out aggressive with Burilovic and Splawska kills, followed by a block by Dwinell and Payne (3-0 CU). The senior squad continued to lead as Payne notched a kill, assisted by Yilvaninio, capped off by a Burilovic service ace (7-2 CU). Burilovic and Dwinell kills gave Colorado a larger advantage (12-4 CU). Dwinell signed off on the night with back-to-back kills followed by a block assist from Burilovic and Splawska to secure the win (15-6 CU).
"We always go into every set knowing that we're not just gonna win this because we should win this. We're gonna win this because we play hard and we execute systems and we play as a team," Payne said.
KEY PLAYERS:
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Burilovic: Reached a season-high 25 kills and 56 attacks.
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Ylivainio: Recorded a career-high in assists with 55.
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Payne: Boasted 17 kills and six blocks while hitting at .714.
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Dwinell: Recorded a season-high 14 kills and 25 attacks.
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Splawska: Hit a season-high five kills hitting a perfect 100% and two digs.
MATCH NOTES:
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This is the first time Colorado and New Mexico have met since Sept. 10, 1999.
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Colorado trails 3-2 all-time against New Mexico
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The Buffs hit .394 as compared to the Lobos .213
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CU recorded 73 kills to New Mexico's 55
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Colorado lost their first set of the season in the second set of tonight's match
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The score was tied 39 times
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The lead changed 18 times
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The last time CU won in five sets at home was against No. 16 TCU (11/13/25)
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Cayla reached 10th place on Colorado's all-time blocks list with 349
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Three players reached double-digit kills: Burilovic, Dwinell and Payne
UP NEXT: Colorado will host the final match of the Buffs Invitational against Northern Colorado on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the CU Events Center. All Buffs Invitational matches will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com. Fans can purchase tickets here.
