Buffs Upset No. 14 BYU in Provo

PROVO, Utah – The Colorado volleyball team (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) defeated No. 14 (12-1, 0-1 Big 12) in four sets (25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21) at Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday, Sept. 25.

The Buffaloes battled against the Cougars in one of their most objectively challenging matchups of the season, beating an AVCA top-15 team for the first time since Sept. 24, 2021, and delivering BYU's first loss of its season.

"Huge win. I'm really proud of the team," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "[We] came in after losing two in a row – we had a great week of practice, we've been really focused in on this team and executed a really good game plan."

The Buffs out-hit (54-52), out-assisted (54-47), out-served (10-4) and out-blocked (9-5) the Cougars. In set one, the Buffs hit .565 and held BYU to .000 hitting.

"[Dwinell] had her best match of the year, [Burilovic] had a fantastic match, [Payne] hit for percentage," Mahoney said. "It takes the whole team playing well, and I thought they did that."

KEY PLAYERS:

Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic led the match in kills -- and matched her season-high -- with 22, hitting .333 (7e, 45att), and in aces with four. She also recorded seven digs, one block and one assist.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne led the match in blocks with five. She also recorded nine kills, hitting .467 (2e, 15att).
Sr. S Rian Finley led the match in assists with 47, and she had nine digs, three blocks and one kill.
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton saw nine digs, three assists and two aces.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded nine kills, nine digs, two assists and one ace.
Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell earned 10 kills, hitting .375 (1e, 24att), four blocks and one dig for the Buffs.
So. MB Maria Splawska saw three kills, three blocks and one dig.
Fr. PIN Inés Losada earned two aces and one dig for the Black and Gold.
Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal saw seven digs and Fr. S Audrey Asleson recorded one assist.
For the Cougars, Suli Davis saw 15 kills and nine digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Buffaloes saw a strong set to the first set, forcing a BYU timeout after a four-point run (5-1, CU). Colorado maintained their lead with kills from Payne and Jordan, as well as an ace from Finley (11-6, CU). BYU called its second timeout after back-to-back kills from Splawska and Burilovic (13-7, CU). The Buffs saw an 11-point lead over the Cougars after a Morton ace (24-13, CU). Colorado took the first set from BYU with a final kill from Jordan (25-14, CU).
The Buffs and the Cougars played a close first set, including an ace from Morton (8-6, CU). Colorado was the beneficiary of a challenge that reversed the point and kept the Buffaloes in the lead (10-8, CU). After a change in the lead, a kill from Jordan put the Black and Gold ahead once again (17-16, CU). BYU was forced to call both timeouts within two points of each other (21-17, CU). Final kills from Dwinell and Burilovic saw the Buffs taking set two (25-23, CU).
Colorado saw a slow start to the third set, calling an early timeout (11-5, BYU). Back-to-back kills from Dwinell forced a Cougar timeout (19-14, BYU). A 4-0 run saw an ace from Losada and a kill from Burilovic, as well as another BYU timeout (20-18, BYU). After a battle of long rallies, the Cougars took set three (25-23, BYU).
The fourth set started with the Buffs and the Cougars going point-for-point with each other (10-10). An ace from Losada and two kills from Payne and Dwinell forced a BYU timeout (14-11, CU). The Buffs saw two aces from Burilovic that maintained their three-point lead (18-15, CU). The Cougars called their second timeout, but Colorado did not lose its momentum (22-19, CU). A final ace from Burilovic in poetic fashion saw the Buffs taking the fourth set (25-21, CU).

UP NEXT

The Buffs continue conference play on the road this week against Utah. Colorado's match against the Utes is Sept. 27, and first serve is set for 1 p.m. in Salt Lake City. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs improve to 2-5 all-time against the Cougars.
Colorado had more kills (54-52), assists (54-47), aces (10-4) and blocks (9-5) than BYU.
The Buffaloes got their second 3-1 win of the season and are 2-0 in four-set matches.
The last time the Buffs defeated an AVCA Top-25 team was against then-No. 17 Arizona State in Oct. 22, 2024, and the last time the Buffs defeated someone in the Top-15 was against then-No. 15 Utah on Sept. 24, 2021.

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

Lily Dwinell

Sydney Jordan

Cayla Payne

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