The Colorado Buffaloes (10-11, 3-6 Big 12) and the No. 21 BYU Cougars (13-6, 6-3 Big 12) met on Friday night in Boulder for some intraconference volleyball. The Cougars came in with momentum and left with even more, walking away with a 3-1 match win over the Buffs.
BYU has fluctuated throughout the Top 25 all season long, living around the twenties, and even reaching No. 14 in Week 2. CU hasn’t received a ranked vote all season long but put up an intrepid effort on the floor.
The first two sets were dominated by BYU, out-scoring the Buffs by a combined 18 points. The energy in the CU Events Center was down and expecting a short three-set match, but the Buffs caught a spark and put together a great run.
Colorado found themselves up 19-14 in set three when the Cougars would storm back and tie it up 20-20. A pair of late kills by sophomore Lily Dwinell would give the Buffs a set three win, 25-22.
Set Four was another thriller, which got the stadium on its feet in the final moments. There were six lead changes and 13 ties in the fourth set when a timeout by Colorado found the game tied at 23. Four different BYU players contributed to the last two points to close out the 3-1 match victory.
Sophomore Ana Burilovic shined in the loss, with 17 total points and a team-leading 13 kills.
“She played great, we need that from her,” Head Coach Jesse Mahoney said of Burilovic’s impact.
While Burilovic commanded the attacks, sophomore Kendell Meller paved the way on defense, with a team-leading seven blocks, bringing her season total to 18.
BYU is a ranked team for a reason, now taking their conference record to 6-3 on the year. They had more kills, assists, and an almost 12% better scoring percentage on the night. The Cougars prepare for a Halloween matchup against Arizona State back in Utah.
The Buffs continue their gauntlet of a schedule against No. 18 TCU on Wednesday and No. 23 Baylor the following Friday. Stream both those matches live on ESPN+.
Cover photo by Brody Rector/Sko Buffs Sports