Buffs Fall to Sun Devils in Four

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (12-16, 5-11 Big 12) fell to the Arizona State Sun Devils (28-2, 16-1 Big 12) in four sets (16-25, 18-25, 25-19, 16-25) at CU Events Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Buffs and the Sun Devils played a match filled with long rallies. Colorado took the third set from Arizona State where Taylor Simpson reached her 3,000th career assist, but the Buffs were ultimately defeated by the Sun Devils in four sets.

Colorado out-blocked Arizona State with nine total blocks, and all three Buff middles totaled for nine kills with zero errors.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OH Ana Burilovic earned the Buffs 20 points with one ace and 17 kills (6e, 43att, hitting .256), making this her 23rd match with double-digit kills.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson reached her 3,000th assist during the third set. She ended the match with 35 assists, one ace and six digs.
So. OPP Lily Dwinell had 10 kills (4e, 27att). This is her 14th match with double-digit kills.
So. MB Cayla Payne ended with seven kills (0e, 15att, hitting .467).
So. OH Sydney Jordan earned the Buffs eight points with seven kills (5e, 30att). She also had one ace.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton ended the match with two aces, 12 digs and six assists. This was her 17th match with double-digit digs. She also kept ASU out of system on 62% of her serves
So. DS/L Avery Bolles finished the match with seven digs and Sr. Bella Simkus ended with two kills (0e, 6 att, hitting .333).
Jr. DS/L Emilia Stepaniuk had ASU out of system on 80% of her serves and Jr. DS/L Emma Torstenson kept the opponent out of system on every serve.
For the Sun Devils, Claire Jeter had 14 kills, and Brynn Covell had 13 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Buffs started their match against the Sun Devils with big swings from Simkus and Dwinell. The Black and Gold had strategic shots, but the Sun Devils were able to respond with their own. Colorado had a 3-0 run with a solo block and a kill from Payne (13-10, ASU). Arizona had a final push at the end of the set to finish 25-16.
CU started the second set with an early ace from Torstenson (1-0) and Morton (4-1). Payne and Burilovic combined at the net for a block (6-6). ASU started to pull away, but CU responded with a 4-0 run and Simpson's first ace to bring the game to 11-11. The Buffs went point for point throughout the end of the set but fell to Sun Devils, 25-18.
The Black and Gold came out swinging in the third set, with Dwinell earning the first kill of the set (1-0). Dwinell's continuous kills forced ASU into its first timeout of the set (11-7, CU). After another Burilovic-Payne block, ASU called its second timeout (16-11, CU). Simpson reached her 3,000th assist at 21-16 (CU). The Buffs swung until the end, winning the third set, 25-19.
The fourth set saw a slower start from the Buffs. Payne and Jordan dominated at the net for the Buffs with mid-set kills. Jordan had her first ace of the set during the Buffaloes' 3-0 run (15-6, ASU). The set saw long rallies between the Buffs and the Sun Devils, including a kill off the block from Burilovic (21-11, ASU). Burilovic went on a 3-0 run of her own, including two kills and an ace (21-13, ASU). The Buffs pushed to the end but fell, 25-16.

UP NEXT:

With one final match remaining at CU Events Center this season, the Buffs will play their third straight at home against Kansas State for senior day on Wednesday. First serve against the Wildcats is set for 1 p.m. MT on Nov. 27. Arrive early for senior day celebrations and recognitions on the court! The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and links to watch are available at CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado moves to 13-14 all-time against ASU.

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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Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Bella Simkus

Taylor Simpson

Emma Torstenson

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Bella Simkus

Taylor Simpson

Emma Torstenson