Buffs Fall to Cougars in Three

HOUSTON – The Colorado volleyball team (13-17, 6-12 Big 12) fell to the Houston Cougars (12-16, 7-11 Big 12) in three sets (13-25, 15-25, 19-25) at Fertitta Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Buffs fought hard in all three sets against the Cougars but were unable to come back against the Houston offense. The Buffs out-dug the Cougars (41-37) and ended the three-set match with two players with double-digit digs. This is the Buffs' seventh match this season with more digs than the opponent.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OPP Lily Dwinell led the Buffs with 11 kills (5e, 24att, hitting .250) and had three blocks to total 12.5 points.
So. OH Ana Burilovic had six kills, 11 digs (digging 81%), one ace and a block for the Buffs. She also had the Cougars out of system 75% of the time.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson had 22 assists, two kills and five digs.
So. MB Cayla Payne had three kills and a block while Sr. MB Bella Simkus recorded three blocks, a kill and a dig.
So. OH Sydney Jordan recorded five kills and eight digs, and she had the opponent out of system on 71% of her serves.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton had 10 digs and three assists. She also passed 58% in system, leading both teams for in system passing.
So. DS/L Avery Bolles had three digs and one assist for the Buffs, and Fr. DS/L Katie Salonga added three digs as well.
For the Cougars, Rebecca Rocassin had a double-double with 14 assists and 10 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Buffs had a slow start in set one, unable to stop 4-0 and 6-0 runs from the Cougars (14-4, UH). Colorado saw an ace and a kill from Burilovic to stay with Houston, as well as a Simkus kill. Back-to-back blocks from Payne-Dwinell and Simkus-Burilovic and a kill from Dwinell sent CU on a 3-0 run and kept the Buffs afloat, but Colorado dropped set one, 25-13.
Houston strung together multiple 3-0 runs in set two, but Colorado saw kills from Simpson, Dwinell, Burilovic, and Jordan to narrow the gap early (10-6, UH). CU utilized Payne in the middle, seeing back-to-back kills from her (20-12, UH). The Buffs were unable to gain momentum, and the Cougars took the second set, 25-15.
Colorado took an early lead in set three on a 3-0 run with two Burilovic kills and a Houston attack error. CU maintained its lead with two Jordan kills and a kill from Payne (10-7, CU). The Cougars then went on a 5-0 run to take its first lead of the set (12-10, UH). A kill from Dwinell stopped the run and unforced Cougar errors kept the Buffs within two (16-14, UH). Houston then went on a 3-0 run to take a five-point lead (19-14, UH). Despite Dwinell and Burilovic kills, the Buffs lost the third set, 25-19.

UP NEXT:

The Buffs' match against Houston concludes regular season play and marks the end of the 2024 season. Colorado will return in early 2025 for Spring Ball scrimmages and again in Fall 2025 for its second season back in the Big 12.

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado moves to 4-3 all-time against Houston.
This is the Buffs' seventh match this season with more digs than the opponent.
CU ends the 2024 season 152-166 (.478) in Big 12 play all-time.

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.

Team Stats

Lily Dwinell

Ana Burilović

Sydney Jordan

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Katie Salonga

Bella Simkus

Taylor Simpson

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Katie Salonga

Bella Simkus

Taylor Simpson