Buffs Battle Bulldogs, Secure Sweep

Saturday, September 7

Boulder, Colo.

6 PM

Colorado

4-1,0-0Big 12

Fresno State

2-3,0-0Mountain West

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Fresno St.	17	15	23	0
Colorado	25	25	25	3

September 07, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: Malala Pyle, Assistant Director of Athletic Communication

BOULDER – Colorado volleyball swept the Fresno State Bulldogs (25-17, 25-15, 25-23) in their second match of the Buffs Classic at CU Events Center on Saturday, Sept. 8. This is the Buffs 43rd win over a Mountain West opponent all-time.

The Buffs went up big early, holding the Bulldogs below 20 points in the first two sets and going on multiple runs – two as high as 8-0 and 9-0. Fresno State battled hard in set three, but Colorado managed to pull away and win by two.

"Two thirds of that match were really well done by us," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "[Fresno State is] a very good team, and I think very well coached, and they've got some really nice players. And the first two sets, we served extremely well and got them out of system and were able to run some points there. […] A lot of really good performances. [Ana Burilovic] was fantastic from the service line. And [Sydney Jordan] had .481 which is spectacular with the amount of swings that she took. So, glad to get that match over in three."

The Buffs out-killed (45-36), out-aced (11-4) and out-dug (33-26) the Bulldogs, and they registered a .407 team hitting percentage. On the serve, with help from sophomore outside hitter Ana Burilovic's career-high six aces, the Buffs had the Bulldogs out of system 51% of the time.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. OH Ana Burilovic reached a career-high six aces and had 11 kills (6e, 22att) with a 50% kill percentage. She also had six digs and a block for the Buffs.
So. OH Sydney Jordan led both teams in scoring with 14 kills (1e, 27att, hitting .481), a 54% kill percentage. Jordan additionally had two aces and five digs.
So. MB Cayla Payne had seven kills (1e, 10att, hitting .600) with a 64% kill percentage, as well as one dig and two blocks (one solo).
Sr. S Taylor Simpson had 37 assists on the night and five digs.
So. OH Lily Dwinell had eight kills (2e, 15att, hitting .400) and two digs, and Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton had eight digs.
For the Bulldogs, Ella Rud had 11 kills, Addison Haluska had eight kills and Dionii Fraga had eight digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The first set started off tight, with both teams always staying within two (11-9, CU). With three aces from Burilovic, the Buffs went on an 8-0 run to go up by nine (18-9). Fresno State tried to stop the stampede, going on a 4-0 run to come within six, but a Jordan kill kept the Bulldogs at bay. The Buffs big lead held fast, and they took the first set, 25-17.
Fresno State set the tone early in the second set, going on a 5-0 run after the Buffs score the first two points. Colorado came back quickly, going on a 5-0 run of their own to take back the lead (9-6). It was back-and-forth for the next few points (11-10, CU) until the Buffs run away with it on a 9-0 run with two Dwinell kills, two Burilovic kills and two Jordan aces (20-10). Colorado secured set two easily, 25-15.
The Bulldogs and the Buffs exchanged the lead for most of the start of set three, until a Bulldog 3-0 run tied it up, 14-14. Colorado kept it close, 19-16, able to go up three for the second time in the set, but Fresno State stayed in the game on another 3-0 run (19-19). In a game of runs, the Buffs had the last say, and with two kills from Jordan put the third set away, 25-23.

UP NEXT:

In the final match of the Buffs Classic, Colorado will face a former Pac-12 foe in Washington tomorrow, Sept. 8. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. MT at CU Events Center. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and links to watch are available at CUBuffs.com.
This third and final match of Buffs Classic will determine first place in the tournament; the 11 a.m. match between Fresno State and Georgia will determine third and fourth place.

MATCH NOTES:

Colorado moves to 1-1 all-time against Fresno State.
The Buffs get their fourth win of the season, going 2-1 in three-set matches. They are also undefeated on the newly installed Taraflex court in CU Events Center.
CU gets its 43rd win over a Mountain West team.

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.