Buffs Conquer Anteaters in Five

Friday, September 13

Boulder, Colo.

7 PM

Colorado

5-3,0-0Big 12

UC Irvine

4-3,0-0Big West

UC Irvine

Colorado

September 13, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Highlights

Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Payne reached 100 career blocks

By: Malala Pyle, Assistant Director of Athletic Communication

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (5-3) defeated the UC Irvine Anteaters (21-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-20, 15-13) in the first match of Buffs Invitational at CU Events Center on Friday evening.

The Buffs and the Anteaters jousted for most of the match, with 20 ties scores and nine lead changes. Colorado took sets two and four by five points or more each and narrowly snatched the win in the fifth.

"Short version, we have to start better," head coach Jesse Mahoney. "We can't come into any match expecting to win and dip our toe into the water [to see] how hard we have to work, which we did in that first set. We hit negative for that set. We gave them seven or eight points right off the bat, and then it became a match. I liked a lot of our play in the middle and at the end of that match. But, if we want to be the team we want to be, we have to play at that level the minute we walk onto the floor."

Colorado out-blocked (13.0-10.5) and out-aced (6-3) UC Irvine, and the Buffs had four athletes in double-figure kills.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. MB Cayla Payne totaled 14 kills (5e, 31att), had three digs and seven blocks (one solo) on the night. Her first block of the match marked her 100th of her career. She also hit .588 on first ball offense.
Jr. MB Bella Simkus hit .400 on first ball, hitting .400 overall with four kills and no errors. She also matched her career-high in blocks with six.
So. OH Lily Dwinell had 12 kills (5e, 31att) with a 41% kill percentage, six digs and three blocks.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson had 48 assists for the Buffs, with nine digs and three blocks to boot.
So. OH Ana Burilovic notched 13 kills for Colorado, alongside nine digs and four blocks.
So. OH Sydney Jordan had 16 kills (6e, 45att), eight digs and two blocks.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton had 20 digs (66% dig percentage) and four assists, and So. DS/L Avery Bolles matched her career-high in digs with nine (69% dig percentage). Jr. DS/L Emilea Stepaniuk also dug 67% of the balls hit at her.
CLUTCH AWARD: So. S Rian Finley set two kills on three sets, and Colorado scored on four of her five serves (including an ace).
For the Anteaters, Hunter Riedl led both teams with 17 kills and Nicole Feliciano had 22 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Irvine came out of the gate strong, scoring seven of the first eight points, but were stopped by Buff 4-0 run (7-5, UCI). Both teams kept it close until the Buffs went on another 4-0 run to take back the lead (15-13). The Anteaters came back on a 4-0 run of their own to grab the lead (17-15). UCI maintained said lead, taking the first set, 25-21.
After starting back and forth, the Buffs took a big lead on a 5-0 run with kills from Burilovic and Jordan. A 3-0 run with kills from Jordan solidified the Buffs' lead, and Colorado took the second set on a Dwinell kill, 25-17.
The Anteaters took the lead early in the third set on a 3-0 run and extended it with four-straight (15-9). The Buffs narrowed the lead with a 5-0 run with an ace from Finley and two Jordan kills (19-17, UCI). UCI powered through and ended the third on three-straight points, 25-19.
A Fr. DS/L Katie Salonga ace and kills from Payne and Jordan gave Colorado a three-point lead on a 5-0 run to start the fourth set and force an Irvine timeout (8-5, CU). The match stayed tight for much of the fourth, before the Buffs went on a 4-0 run to extend the lead (19-14). This lead carried through, and Colorado forced the fifth set, 25-20.
The Buffs were the definition of grit in set five, battling it out with the Anteaters for a scrappy win. Colorado went on a 3-0 run to gain the lead (13-11), and the Buffs snagged the two-point win after a UC Irvine challenge called for a replay of match point.

UP NEXT:

Colorado will face Cal in the next match of Buffs Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 14. First serve is set for 6 p.m. MT at CU Events Center. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and links to watch are available at CUBuffs.com.
Mahoney on the upcoming matches: "We have to work hard to rest and recover, because we have two more really good teams here this weekend."

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado moves to 2-1 all-time against UC Irvine.
The Buffs get their fifth win of the season going 3-2 in five-set matches.
So. MB Cayla Payne reached 100 career blocks with her first block of the night.
Jr. MB Bella Simkus matched her career high in blocks with six.
So. DS/L Avery Bolles matched her career high in digs with nine.

Under ninth-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, Colorado earned a winning record in the 2023 season (16-15) and went 8-12 against Pac-12 opponents. A significant win for the Buffs took place against 17th-ranked Arizona State last year. The Buffs took down the Sun Devils in three sets, completing the sweep and earning CU's only win against a ranked opponent in the 2023 season. Colorado also swept Arizona (Oct. 20) and Washington (Nov. 19) and finished seventh in the Pac-12.

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.