Buffs Sweep No. 23 Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – The Colorado volleyball team (11-2, 2-0 Big 12) defeated No. 23 Utah (8-5, 0-2 Big 12) in three sets (25-18, 26-24, 25-22) at Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday, Sept. 27.

For the second time in program history, the Colorado Buffaloes beat back-to-back ranked opponents in consecutive games on the road, the last time being in 2014 at No. 15 Arizona State on Oct. 31 and No. 19 Arizona on Nov. 2. The Black and Gold saw a slow start to the match but came back from a five-point deficit to win by seven points in the first set. The Buffs couldn't be stopped as they tallied their eighth sweep of the season.

"Utah is a very good team," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "This is a hard place to play, hard place to win and a really hard place to sweep. Kudos to our players for continuing to play at a high level after Thursday night. [...] I'm excited about how we are playing right now."

Colorado out-hit (48-42), out-assisted (44-39) and out-aced (4-3) Utah. In the first set, the Buffs hit .538 and held the Utes to .161 hitting. Overall, the Buffaloes held Utah to .191 hitting.

KEY PLAYERS:

Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic led the match in kills with 19, hitting .341 (4e, 44att), and in aces with three. She also saw eight digs and one solo block.
Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton led the match in digs with 14. She also recorded one kill and one assist.
Jr. MB Cayla Payne saw eight kills, hitting .333 (2e, 18att). She also recorded one dig and one block.
Sr. S Rian Finley led the match in assists with 37. She also recorded four kills, hitting .800 (0e, 5att), three digs and one ace.
Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan recorded nine kills, five digs, two assists and one block.
Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell earned five kills, hitting .400 (1e, 10att), three blocks and one dig for the Buffs.
Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal saw 12 digs and four assists.
MAHONEY ON NEAL: "Peyton's been a great addition to our program. Adding another high-level defender to our group for three rotations has been really huge. She really levels us out from a passing standpoint."
So. MB Maria Splawska saw two kills, two blocks and one dig.
For the Utes, Kamryn Gibadlo saw 15 kills and 12 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Colorado started the first set with a five-point run from the Utes, but a kill from Burilovic started the momentum for the Buffaloes (7-3, UU). Four unanswered points put CU within one, seeing kills from Jordan and Payne (7-6, UU). A kill from Jordan put the Buffs in the lead over the Utes (14-13, CU). A joust won by Finley set the Buffs on a 3-0 run (18-14, CU). Colorado maintained a four-point lead, forcing Utah to call a timeout (21-17, CU). A kill from Burilovic and a Splawska-Dwinell block saw a second Utah timeout (23-17, CU). Utah tried to battle back, but Colorado took the first set, 25-18.
The Buffs and the Utes went point-for-point to start the second set (4-4). After nine ties in the set, Colorado went on a three-point run, seeing back-to-back kills from Burilovic (12-9, CU). A kill immediately followed by a solo block from Burilovic saw the Utes calling a timeout (20-17, CU). Colorado called a timeout of their own after Utah tied the match (20-20). An ace from Burilovic forced the second Utah timeout (22-22). The Buffs called their second timeout at set point for Utah (24-22, CU). Colorado returned to the court to score four points in a row, with kills from Jordan and Finley, to take the second set (26-24, CU).
The Black and Gold went on an early four-point run, seeing kills from Finley, Payne and Burilovic (6-2, CU). Three unanswered points saw a Utah timeout (13-8, CU). A kill from Payne shut down a Utah run and started the Buffs on a run of their own (16-16). Colorado called a timeout after a three-point run from Utah tied the set (20-20). Kills from Dwinell and Burilovic forced the Utes to give up their second timeout (22-20, CU). Utah attempted to fight back, but the Buffs ended the third set, 25-22 (CU).

UP NEXT

Colorado hosts UCF for its conference home opener next Thursday, Oct. 2, at CU Events Center at 7 p.m. MT. The Buffs stay at home for the week to host Houston on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. MT. The matches will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.
MAHONEY ON UCF: "I'm glad to be home after being on the road. [...] Ranked, not ranked, it doesn't matter. Everyone in this league is dangerous. We need to get healthy and rested and ready to go for Thursday."

MATCH NOTES:

The Buffs move to 15-19 all-time against the Utes.
This is Colorado's seventh sweep over Utah and the fourth time the Buffs won when the Utes were ranked.
This is the Buffs' 26th sweep over a ranked team in program history and the 21st time Colorado has swept a ranked opponent when they are not ranked.
The Buffaloes beat back-to-back ranked opponents in consecutive road matches for the second time in program history. The last time this happened was in 2014 against Arizona State (3-1) on Oct. 31 and No. 19 Arizona (3-2) on Nov. 2.
Colorado had more kills (48-42), assists (44-39) and aces (4-3) than Utah.
The Buffaloes got their eighth 3-0 win of the season and are 8-1 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

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne

Players Mentioned

Lily Dwinell

Rian Finley

Sydney Jordan

Sarah Morton

Peyton Neal

Cayla Payne