No. 24 Colorado to Take on Texas Tech and Iowa State

BOULDER – The 24th-ranked Colorado volleyball team (16-3, 7-1 Big 12) splits the upcoming week on the road against Texas Tech (8-11, 0-7 Big 12) on Oct. 22 and at home versus Iowa State (15-3, 5-2 Big 12) on Oct. 25. The Buffs are ranked 24th in the AVCA Coaches' Poll for the third week in a row.

The Buffs meet with the Red Raiders for the 34th time ever and for the 15th time on their turf at 5 p.m. MT in Lubbock, Texas, at United Supermarkets Arena. The 59th all-time first serve against the Cyclones is set for 1 p.m. MT at CU Events Center three days later.

Steadfast at second in conference, CU is 7-1 in Big 12 play after two wins at home last week. The Buffs managed a four-set win over Utah last week, as well as a five-set thriller victory against West Virginia. Junior pin attacker Ana Burilovic and redshirt-junior setter Rian Finley each had their first double-doubles of the season against Utah (Oct. 15).

THIS WEEK
MATCH #20 • Wednesday, October 22 • 5 p.m. MT
No. 24 Colorado (16-3, 7-1 Big 12) vs. Texas Tech (8-11, 0-7 Big 12)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 28-5 (.849)
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (October 5, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Won 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
OPPONENT WEBSITE: TexasTech.com

MATCH #21 • Saturday, October 25 • 1 p.m. MT
No. 24 Colorado (16-3, 7-1 Big 12) vs. Iowa State (15-3, 5-2 Big 12)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 41-17 (.707)
LAST MEETING: W, 3-1 (October 13, 2024 • Ames, Iowa)
STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 3-7
OPPONENT WEBSITE: Cyclones.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

CU is led by 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffs to a 157-129 (.549) record as CU's fifth head volleyball coach. Coach Mahoney has been extended through 2027 and has led the Buffs to three NCAA appearances. Mahoney also picked up his 150th win as head coach at CU against Denver at CU Events Center (Sept. 14). He becomes the third coach in Colorado Volleyball history to reach 150 wins, joining the likes of Pi'i Aiu and Brandon Saindon.
In its second year back in the Big 12, Colorado was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. The Buffs are 159-167 (.488) in Big 12 conference play and second in the conference standings.
For the third week in a row, the Buffs are ranked 24th in the AVCA Coaches' Poll. This is the sixth week this season that the Buffs have received votes in the poll, and their third week in a row in the top-25.
CU is looking at its second-best overall start in program history after 19 matches with a 16-3 overall record and a 7-1 record in conference. In 1998, the Buffs went 17-2 overall to start the season and matched CU's current conference record at 7-1.
Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic holds her reign at first in conference for both points per set (5.72) and kills per set (4.88), putting her at seventh and 10th in the country, respectively. She is also still second in conference for aces per set with 0.50, 27th in the NCAA. Against Utah, she notched her first double-double of the season, seventh of her career, with 20 kills and 13 digs (Oct. 15). Versus West Virginia, she had 21 kills, eight digs, two blocks and an ace.

R-Jr. S Rian Finley is fourth in the Big 12 and 40th in the country (via NCAA) for assists per set with 9.98. Finley notched her first career double-double with 34 assists and 16 digs against Utah (Oct. 15). Against West Virginia, she had 31 assists, nine digs, one block, and one kill (Oct. 18).
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan is fourth in conference for aces per set with 0.39. Jordan had an ace against each of the Buffs' opponents this week, as well as totaling 20 kills, 16 digs and five blocks.

As a team, the Buffs are third in the Big 12 in aces per set (1.65) and are fifth in conference for blocks per set (2.47).

ROAM WITH THE BUFFS: The Buffs' matches at Texas Tech and against Iowa State will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also follow Colorado matches through live stats with links available at CUBuffs.com.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: The Buffs head to Lubbock to play the Texas Tech Raiders for the first and only time this season this week. CU leads the rivalry with a 28-5 all-time record, with a 12-2 record on the road and a 9-1 record in the last 10 matchups. Last season, the Raiders came to Boulder, where the Black and Gold defeated them in five sets (Oct. 5, 2024).

BRING ON THE CYCLONES: The Buffs' second match this week its 59th meeting with Iowa State, and CU leads 41-17 all-time. Colorado is 19-6 at home against the Cyclones, but 3-7 in the last 10 meetings. Last season, the Buffs went to Ames, Iowa, and beat ISU in four sets (Nov. 13, 2024).

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic had her first double-double of the season and seventh of her career against Utah with 20 kills and 13 digs (Oct. 15). R-Jr. Rian Finley also had a double-double in that match, her first of both season and career, with 34 assists and 16 digs.

MILESTONE WATCH: R-Jr. Rian Finley has 697 assists, three away from 700. Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan has 475 kills, 25 away from 500. So. MB Maria Splawska has 88 blocks, 12 away from 100. Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic has 96 aces, four away from 100. Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal has 196 assists, four away from 200. Sr. DS/L Sarah Moton has 1,336 digs, 164 away from 1,500, and 81 aces, 19 away from 100. Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell has 579 kills, 21 away from 600. Jr. MB Cayla Payne has 482 kills, 18 away from 500.

MILESTONE CHECK: Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan reached 50 aces against West Virginia (Oct. 18). Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell hit 200 blocks against Utah (Oct. 15), now at 204.

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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Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne