Buffs Fall to Huskies in Five

Sunday, September 8

Boulder, Colo.

1:30 PM

Colorado

4-2,0-0Big 12

Washington

5-0,0-0Big Ten

Washington

Colorado

September 08, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: Malala Pyle, Assistant Director of Athletic Communication

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (4-2) fell to the Washington Huskies (26-24, 25-19, 17-25, 19-25, 13-15) to earn second place in the Buffs Classic at CU Events Center on Sunday afternoon.

In a competitive five-set match, the Buffs took the first two sets – one in a deuce and the other by six points. The Huskies took the next two sets, tying up the match at two sets apiece. It was anyone's match in the fifth, with three lead changes and five tie scores, but Washington came up with it in the end, 15-13.

Two Buffs were selected to the Buffs Classic All-Tournament Team – sophomore middle blocker Cayla Payne and senior setter Taylor Simpson. Three Huskies, including the MVP, and one Bulldog for both Georgia and Fresno State were also selected. Please find the full Buffs Classic All-Tournament Team following this recap.

Colorado had 55 kills, 69 digs, seven team blocks and nine aces. On the serve, Colorado had the opponent out of system 64% of the time.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. MB Cayla Payne totaled 15 kills (3e, 37att, hitting .324), had one dig and five blocks. Her double-figure kills tonight bring her to 41 kills on the weekend overall, and she ended the weekend with 11 blocks. Payne had five kills in the first set and a 44% kill percentage on Sunday's match.
Sr. S Taylor Simpson ended the match with 40 assists, totaling 132 in Buffs Classic. She also had nine digs and a block on Sunday, bring her dig total on the weekend to 24 and her block total to five. Simpson also had three aces against Washington.
So. OH Ana Burilovic had 25 kills, including seven in the first set alone. She also had two service aces and a double-double with 12 digs.
So. OH Sydney Jordan had eight kills and a crucial 10 digs.
Jr. DS/L Sarah Morton reached 22 digs at the end of the five-setter, with a 69% digging percentage. She totaled 46 digs on the weekend.
For the Huskies, three athletes finished with double figures in kills: Emoni Bush, Kiune Fletcher and Madi Endsley.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Burilovic and Payne started scoring early for the Buffs, though the Huskies stayed close (7-6, CU). Both teams exchanged 5-0 runs, ending with Colorado back in the lead, 12-11, with help from Simkus and Burilovic kills and a Simpson ace. The Buffs pulled ahead in the second half on a 3-0 run with another Payne kill and a Burilovic ace (19-15). CU maintained its lead for a stretch, but Washington came within one on a 4-0 run (23-22). Colorado battled hard for set one and took it, 26-24.
The Buffs took a big lead on a 4-0 run in set two with a kill and a block by freshman outside hitter Gwen Schiff (13-8). A 3-0 run brought the Huskies within three, but a kill and an ace from Simpson kept Colorado in a comfortable spot (19-15). An ace from Morton and a kill from Burilovic kept the Buffs going, and they took the second set, 25-19.
Colorado defended an early Husky lead with a 4-0 run (5-4), but Washington went up five on a 6-0 run in response (11-6). The Buffs were unable to string together more than two points in a row, and the Huskies went on a 5-0 run to close out the third set (25-17).
Washington went on two 3-0 runs to go up by five on Colorado (9-4). Both teams exchanged runs – a 3-0 run for the Buffs, a 4-0 run for the Huskies and a 4-0 run for the Buffs (15-13, UW). The Huskies maintained their lead and carried through to end the fourth set, 25-19.
Washington went on a 3-0 run to start, but a well-timed challenge from Coach Mahoney started a 4-0 Buff run in response (7-4, CU). A Huskies then went on a 7-1 run, forcing a Colorado timeout. Out of the timeout, the Buffs went on a 4-0 run with two kills from Burilovic and a Morton ace. Washington scored the last two points of the set and took it, 15-13.

UP NEXT:

Colorado will face Northern Colorado for a midweek match on Wednesday, Sept. 11. First serve is set for 7 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 moves to 20-8 all-time against Washington.
The Buffs get their second loss of the season, going 2-1 in five-set matches.

TOURNAMENT PLACING:
1st - Washington
2nd - Colorado
3rd - Georgia
4th - Fresno State

BUFFS CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Kiune Fletcher (Washington)(MVP)
Julia Hunt (Washington)
Emoni Bush (Washington)
Cayla Payne (Colorado)
Taylor Simpson (Colorado)
Sophie Fischer (Georgia)
Addison Haluska (Fresno State)

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.