Buffs to Battle Knights on the Road

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (8-8, 1-3 Big 12) goes back on the road this weekend for a stand-alone match against UCF (8-5, 1-3 Big 12) on Sunday.

The Buffs hosted eighth-ranked Kansas for the Big 12 home opener and took Texas Tech to five sets for CU's first Big 12 win of the season. The Black and Gold will go to Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 13 to play the Knights at The Venue. The match was originally scheduled for Oct. 9 but was postponed due to inclement weather induced by Hurricane Milton.

This will be the Buffs fourth meeting with the Knights, and they look for their fourth-straight win over UCF all-time.

THIS WEEK
MATCH #1 • Sunday, October 13 • 10 a.m. MT
Colorado (8-8) vs. UCF (8-5)
The Venue • Orlando, Fla.
SERIES RECORD: 3-0, CU Leads
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (September 1, 2007 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Won 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 3-0
TV: ESPN+
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCFKnights.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

CU is led by ninth-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffs to a 136-117 (.538) record as CU's fifth head volleyball coach. Coach Mahoney has been extended through 2027 and has led the Buffs to three NCAA appearances.
For the first time since the 2010 season, Colorado is playing volleyball in the Big 12 Conference. The Buffs are 147-157 (.484) in Big 12 conference play.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton has had 10 matches this season with double-digit digs, including four matches with 20 or more. She is averaging 3.25 digs per set, and she currently has 968 career digs, including those picked up at Auburn.
So. OPP Lily Dwinell notched a career-high in both kills (16; 4e, 32att, hitting .375) and blocks (nine) in the match against Texas Tech last week.
So. OH Ana Burilovic has only two matches this season with single digit kills and had a 13-match double-digit kill streak. She has two matches with 20 or more kills and 10 matches with 15 or more.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson has reached 642 assists this season (2,621 in her career) and is averaging 9.58 assists per set this season. She also recorded her second double-double of the season (fifth of her career) with 36 assists and 10 digs against Texas Tech (Oct. 5).

TEAM EFFORT: CU has out-killed the opponent in six matches, out-dug in five matches, out-aced in 11 matches, out-hit in six matches and out-blocked in four matches. The Buffs have also had four matches with double-digit team blocks.

SERVICE GAME STRONG: The Buffs have out-killed opponents in six matches this season, all of those falling under the eight matches the Buffs have won. When it comes to aces, not only has Colorado out-aced the opponent in seven wins, but it has also registered more aces than 11 opponents overall.

MILESTONE WATCH: Sr. S Taylor Simpson is 13 digs away from 500 career digs, sitting at 487. Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton currently has 968 career-digs (including her digs from Auburn) and is four digs away from 200 digs on the 2024 season.

MILESTONE CHECK: So. OH Sydney Jordan reached 200 career kills and So. OPP Lily Dwinell reached 300 kills over the last week. So. MB Cayla Payne hit 250 career kills with her kills against Texas Tech (Oct. 5).

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: So. OH Sydney Jordan recorded her fourth double-double of the season against Texas Tech (Oct. 5), her fourth of her career, with 13 digs and 11 kills. Sr. S Taylor Simpson recorded her second double-double of the season against Texas Tech with 36 assists and 10 digs.

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.