No. 24 Colorado Falls to No. 15 Indiana in NCAA Second Round

Friday, December 5

Bloomington, Ind.

4 PM

Colorado

23-9,12-6Big 12

[4] #15 Indiana

25-7,14-6Big Ten

Colorado

Indiana

No. 24 Colorado Falls to No. 15 Indiana in NCAA Second Round

December 05, 2025 | Volleyball

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By: Malala Pyle, Assistant Director of Athletic Communication

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 24th-ranked and fifth-seeded Colorado volleyball team (23-9, 12-6 Big 12) fell to 15th-ranked and fourth-seeded Indiana (25-7, 14-6) in three sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-23) at Wilkinson Hall on Friday, Dec. 5, in the NCAA Second Round.

The Colorado Buffaloes battled against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second round of the NCAA tournament. After a close first set, the Buffs tried to gain momentum, but Indiana took the first two sets. The Black and Gold fell into rhythm in the third set, but a late run from Indiana saw the Hoosiers taking all three sets.

"Congratulations to IU, they played a fantastic match," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "It was a disappointing result for us. I don't feel like we played our best match. That being said, I'm proud of what our team accomplished this year. We were picked 10th in our conference and finished third. No one but the people in [our] locker room expected us to make the tournament, much less the second round. Not happy with this last result, but proud of our players and our season."

KEY PLAYERS:

Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic led the match in kills with 19. She also had seven digs, two assists and one ace.
Sr. S Rian Finley tied the match lead in assists with 29. She also had three kills, hitting 1.000 (0e, 3att), and three digs.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne had seven kills, hitting .545 (1e, 11att).
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton had eight digs and six assists.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded seven kills and two digs.
So. MB Maria Splawska saw two blocks and one dig.
Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell had three kills, three digs and two blocks.
Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal saw four digs and one assist.
For the Hoosiers, Candela Alonso-Corcelles had 16 kills and six digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Buffaloes opened the first set with a Splawska-Dwinell block (1-0, CU). Colorado went up by four from two Burilovic kills, as well as two more kills from Payne and Jordan (6-2, CU). Errors on both sides continued the set, but a kill from Jordan maintained a four-point lead (9-5, CU). Burilovic interrupted an attempted run from Indiana (11-8, CU). Colorado called a timeout during a run from the Hoosiers, but a Burilovic kill, assisted by Finley, ended the six-point streak (14-12, IU). A kill from Payne stopped Indiana from going on a run, but the Buffaloes called their second timeout after going down by five (18-13, IU). Jordan and Burilovic continued to score for the Buffs as Colorado and Indiana traded points (24-17, IU). The Black and Gold went on a three-point run from a Burilovic kill and errors from the Hoosiers, forcing Indiana to call a timeout (24-20, IU). Returning to the court, Indiana took the first set, 25-20.
Indiana took an early lead in the second set but kills from Dwinell and Payne kept Colorado within one (3-2, IU). Three points from the Hoosiers were answered by three kills from Payne, and an error from Indiana tied the score (6-6). Kills from Finley, Jordan and Burilovic put the Buffs in the lead (10-9, CU). The Hoosiers went on two runs, but a kill from Burilovic halted their momentum (14-12, IU). Colorado called their second timeout after five Indiana points (19-13, IU). Jordan and Burilovic scored the final points of the set for the Buffs, but the Hoosiers took set two, 25-17.
The third set saw an extensive point trade, with Dwinell, Burilovic, Jordan, Splawska and Finley scoring for the Buffs (12-11, CU). A kill from Burilovic sent the teams into the media timeout (15-13, CU). Kills from Burilovic and Payne, as well as a Burilovic ace, forced Indiana to call a timeout (20-16, CU). Two kills from Burilovic kept the Buffs ahead by five (22-17, CU). The Hoosiers responded with a 6-0 run, with the Black and Gold using both of their timeouts to stop the momentum for Indiana (23-22, IU). An error tied the set, but Indiana scored two final points to take the set, 25-23.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs move to 2-2 versus the Hoosiers all-time.
CU is 2-3 when playing on Dec. 5.
In program history, the Buffs move to 14-22 in the NCAA tournament and 4-8 in second round matches.
The Buffs are now 8-10 in three-set NCAA matches.
The Buffaloes got their fourth 3-0 loss of the season and are 11-4 in three-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.