Buffs Fall to Rams in Three

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team (9-1, 0-0 Big 12) fell to Colorado State (5-4, 0-0 Mountain West) in three sets (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) at the Moby Arena on Thursday, Sept. 18.

Colorado lost the first of two back-to-back rivalry matches. The Buffaloes battled with the Rams, seeing many long rallies between the two teams. However, the Black and Gold dropped their first match of the season.

"I thought Colorado State played exceptionally well; they served and passed better than we did," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "The nice thing is, we get a quick turnaround – we get an opportunity to play them right away, which everyone in the locker room is excited about."

KEY PLAYERS:

Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic tied for the match lead in kills with 11. She also recorded three digs, two blocks and two assists.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded six digs, six kills and one block.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne earned six kills, one block and one dig for the Buffs.
Sr. S Rian Finley recorded 26 assists, three digs and two kills.
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton saw eight digs and one assist.
Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell earned five kills, three blocks and one dig for Colorado.
So. MB Maria Splawska recorded six blocks, one kill and one assist.
Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal saw four digs and three assists, and Fr. S Audrey Asleson recorded one kill.
For the Rams, Maria Brun recorded 11 kills and five digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Colorado won the opening point of the rivalry match after a successful challenge (1-0, CU). A quick kill from Burilovic ended a run from the Rams (4-2, CSU). A 3-0 run put the Buffs in the lead (8-6, CSU). The Black and Gold called their first timeout after a run from CSU (13-9, CSU). Coming back from the timeout, CU tied the match with a block from Splawska and Dwinell (13-13, CU). The Buffaloes called their second timeout of the set after a short run from the Rams (20-16, CSU). After the timeout, Colorado went on a 3-0 run, forcing CSU to call a timeout (21-19, CSU). A kill from Burilovic, assisted by Asleson, kept the Rams at match-point, but Colorado lost the first set (25-21, CSU).
The Buffs went on an early three-point run to get the lead over CSU (4-2, CU). A kill from Jordan put Colorado back in the lead after an eighth tie (9-8, CU). The Buffs came back from the media timeout to get a kill from Payne, assisted by Finley (15-12, CSU). A kill from Dwinell and another Splawska-Dwinell block kept the Buffs within four (20-16, CSU). Colorado tussled with the Rams, but the Buffs lost set two (25-18, CSU).
The Black and Gold started the third set with another 3-0 run (3-0, CU). Colorado called its first timeout following a Rams run (7-3, CSU). Immediately following the timeout, Payne got her first kill of the set (7-4, CSU). Kills from Payne and Jordan ended attempted runs from the Rams (11-6, CSU). The Black and Gold called their second timeout (14-6, CSU). The Buffaloes went on a 3-0 run, seeing kills from Jordan and Burilovic (16-9, CSU). A Splawska-Burilovic block shut down the Rams' momentum (21-11, CSU). Double kills from Payne held off the CSU win (24-15, CSU). Colorado continued their energy for a Splawska-Jordan block, but the Rams took the third set, 25-17 (CSU).

UP NEXT

The Buffs head back home for the second game in the Battle for the Golden Spike series. Colorado's match against CSU is Sept. 19 in the CU Events Center, and first serve is set for 7 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs move to 19-29 all-time against the Rams.
Colorado has only lost six sets this season.
The Buffaloes got their first 3-0 loss of the season and are 7-1 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.

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Team Stats

Ana Burilović

Sydney Jordan

Cayla Payne

Lily Dwinell

Players Mentioned

Audrey Asleson

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Audrey Asleson

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne