Buffs Best Bulldogs in Five

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (3-1) defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in five sets (22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9) in their home opener in the Buffs Classic at CU Events Center in Boulder, Colo., on Friday, Sept. 6. This is the Buffs first win over an SEC team since a sweep of Mississippi State on Aug. 30, 2008.

After going down in the first set, the Buffs came back to grab two sets in a row. Though the Bulldogs forced a fifth set, Colorado ran away with it, not allowing the opponent's score to reach double-digits.

"We had kind of a big lead in set [two]," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "I thought we played great volleyball from that point on, and really it was anyone's game going into that fifth [set], and we had some great serving runs. I thought the team managed the game plan really well. We left some blocks on the table, but we were fantastic offensively, and that was really exciting to see. Glad to be home, for sure."

Four volleyball Buffs saw career-highs against the Bulldogs: senior setter Taylor Simpson with 55 assists, sophomore middle blocker Cayla Payne with 19 kills, sophomore outside hitter with 18 kills and sophomore defensive specialist Avery Bolles with 12 digs.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. MB Cayla Payne reached a career-high in kills with 19 (3e, 28att, hitting .571) and a 69% kill percentage. She also notched two digs and four blocks.
Payne on playing this season so far: "I think it was nice last year being able to play and get some court time so I'm feeling a lot more comfortable on the court. I think it's just working every day in practice and making sure that I'm upping my skills, and just getting better. Also throughout the long matches, knowing that playing consistently is a big thing and keeping my swings high."
Sr. S Taylor Simpson had a career-high 55 assists, coupled with 10 digs and reached her first double-double of the season (fifth of her career). The Buffs hit .292 on the night when Simpson set.
So. OH Sydney Jordan also had a career-high in kills with 18 (6e, 44att, hitting .273) and a 41% kill percentage. Jordan had two aces and nine digs to go along with it.
So. DS/L Avery Bolles was the fourth Buff to register a career-high with 12 digs and a 59% dig percentage against the Bulldogs. Bolles also had an ace and three assists.
So. OH Ana Burilovic matched Jordan with 18 kills (10e, 46att) and a 38% kill percentage. She also had two aces and two digs.
So. OH Lily Dwinell had nine kills and two digs for the Buffs, and Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton led both teams with16 digs and matched Bolles' 59% dig percentage.
On the serve, Colorado had Georgia of of system 72% of the time. The Buffs out-killed (67-55) and out-dug (55-53) the Bulldogs but managed the same service ace total of seven.
For the Bulldogs, Bianna Muoneke had 23 kills and Sophie Fischer had eight blocks and 10 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Georgia took an early lead in the first set with two 3-0 runs (13-5). The Buffs managed to come within four with help from a 4-0 run (14-10), but the Bulldogs went on another 3-0 run to go up seven (17-10). After a timeout, the Buffs adjusted and went on a 6-0 run, coming within one (23-22) with three kills from Jordan and an ace from Burilovic. The Bulldogs finished out strong and took the first set, 25-22.
After a back-and-forth start, the Buffs pulled ahead with kills from Jordan (8-5). Georgia tied it up and took back the lead on a 3-0 run (12-11), but three more Jordan kills took Colorado up, 16-13. It stayed tight and competitive near the end of the set, until the Buffs pulled ahead with a 4-0 run (23-18). Ending on an ace, Colorado took set two, 25-19.
The Buffs and the Bulldogs matched up well throughout the match and kept this theme going with a tight start to the third set (11-10, UGA). With two Burilovic kills and a Payne kill, Colorado went on a 4-0 run to take the lead (15-12). Paying no mind to the Bulldogs, the Buffs maintained their steady lead to end and take the third set, 25-21.
Staying neck and neck, both teams saw big points on each side of the net in the fourth (9-9). A Bulldog 5-0 run gave them a big lead (14-9), but the Buffs forced a Georgia timeout with a 3-0 run in response (14-12). Out of the timeout, Georgia went on a 3-0 run (18-14), but the Buffs stampeded to tie it, 19-19, with kills from Dwinell and Jr. MB Bella Simkus. After another timeout, Georgia managed to come away with the tight fourth set, 25-23, forcing the deciding fifth set.
Colorado set the tone early in set five, going on an 8-1 run to start, with kills from Simpson, Payne, Burilovic and Jordan. After a huge Payne-Simpson block (9-2), the Buffs acquired lead extended, 13-5, and they secured the 3-2 win over the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT:

The Buffaloes will face Fresno State for their second match of the Buffs Classic tomorrow, Sept. 7. 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.

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado improves to 4-3 all-time against Georgia.
The Buffs get their third win of the season, staying undefeated in five-set matches.
CU gets its first win over an SEC team since Aug. 30, 2008.

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.

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Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Cayla Payne

Sydney Jordan

Lily Dwinell

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Bella Simkus

Taylor Simpson

Players Mentioned

Avery Bolles

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Cayla Payne

Bella Simkus

Taylor Simpson