No. 24 Colorado Falls to No. 8 Arizona State in Four

TEMPE, Ariz. – The 24th-ranked Colorado volleyball team (14-3, 5-1 Big 12) fell to No. 8 Arizona State (14-2, 5-0 Big 12) in four sets (20-25, 18-25, 25-20, 23-25) at Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Oct. 10.

The Colorado Buffaloes played a close four sets against the Arizona State Sun Devils with 11 ties and six lead changes throughout the match. After dropping the first two sets, the Buffs rallied to take the third but lost by two in the final set.

"Our team really fought in that match, especially being behind after the first two sets," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "We responded well in the third, and had a chance to get the fourth and make it a five-setter. We struggled in serve-pass, and [ASU] was in system most of the match. […] But I like how our team fought tonight.

The Buffaloes tallied a total of 46 kills, 49 digs, 43 assists, 10 blocks and six aces.

KEY PLAYERS:

Fr. PIN Inés Losada led the match with a career-high three aces. She also saw two digs.
Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic earned 19 kills, eight digs and two blocks, including one solo block, for the Buffs.
So. MB Maria Splawska tied the match lead for blocks with five. She also recorded four digs and one kill.
Sr. S Rian Finley tallied 38 assists, four digs, three blocks and one ace.
Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal led the team in digs with 10. She also saw two assists, one ace and one kill.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded eight kills, seven digs and two blocks.
Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell saw eight kills, hitting .500 (0e, 16att), three digs and two blocks.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne scored eight kills and three blocks for Colorado.
So. DS/L/S Katie Salonga recorded three assists, three digs and one ace.
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton saw seven digs and So. PIN Gwen Schiff recorded one kill and one dig.
For the Sun Devils, Noemie Glover scored 21 kills, and Bailey Miller saw 16 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Colorado started the match with an early kill from Splawska (1-0, CU). A Sun Devil run was ended with a kill from Burilovic, assisted by Finley (5-3, ASU). Kills from Jordan, Dwinell and Burilovic kept the Buffaloes within two (12-10, ASU). After another Arizona State run, Colorado continued to battle, seeing a kill from Jordan and three from Burilovic (22-19, ASU). A Jordan kill held off an ASU set win and sent the Buffs into their first timeout (24-20, ASU). The Sun Devils took the first set, 25-20 (ASU).
The Buffaloes saw a 3-0 run from Arizona State to begin the set, but kills from Dwinell and Payne halted the Sun Devils' momentum (5-3, ASU). Colorado took the lead with an ace from Salonga and kills from Burilovic and Schiff (9-8, CU). An ASU run was ended by a kill from Dwinell (12-10, ASU). Three unanswered points sent the Black and Gold into its first timeout of the set (17-11, ASU). Colorado called its second timeout and returned to the court for a kill from Jordan and a Splawska-Jordan block (21-16, ASU). After a kill from Dwinell, Arizona State took the second set (25-18, ASU).
The Buffs saw an early 3-0 run from the Sun Devils, which was returned with three CU points, including a kill from Payne and a Splawska-Finley block (3-3). Another three-point run, with an ace from Finley, put Colorado in the lead (6-5, CU). Kills from Burilovic and Payne forced an Arizona State timeout (10-7, CU). Colorado returned to the court to trade points with ASU, seeing kills from Dwinell, Burilovic and Jordan (15-11, CU). The Buffs continued their lead with back-to-back kills from Payne and an ace from Losada (20-16, CU). A Splawska-Jordan block sent Arizona State into their second timeout (23-18, CU). A final kill from Dwinell saw the Buffs taking the third set (25-20, CU).
The Sun Devils tried to go on an early run, but a kill from Neal off a dig stopped their momentum (2-1, ASU). ASU called a timeout as the Buffs tried to even the score with an ace from Losada and kills from Burilovic (11-8, ASU). The Black and Gold used its second timeout after three ASU points (15-8, ASU). A Sun Devils run was stopped by a kill from Jordan (15-9, ASU). Four unanswered points, with an ace from Losada, sent ASU into a timeout of its own (19-15, ASU). Blocks from Payne, Burilovic and Finley carried the Buffs on a 6-0 run to take the lead (22-20, CU). Ultimately, Arizona State took set four (25-23, ASU).

UP NEXT

No. 24 Colorado returns home for two matches against Utah on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and West Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 18. First serve against the Utes is set for 7 p.m. MT and for 12 p.m. versus the Mountaineers. The matches will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs move to 13-15 all-time against the Sun Devils.
The Buffaloes got their second 3-1 loss of the season and are 3-2 in four-set matches.

For more information on the Colorado women's volleyball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsVB.

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Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Sydney Jordan

Lily Dwinell

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Katie Salonga

Gwen Schiff

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Katie Salonga

Gwen Schiff