ORLANDO - The Colorado Buffaloes women’s volleyball team traveled to the University of Central Florida to take on the Knights on Sunday after the game was delayed from Wednesday night due to weather concerns related to Hurricane Milton.
The match was competitive from the first serve to the final point of the fifth set.
The Buffs were without their powerful outside hitter Ana Burilović and had to look to others to create offensive production. Burilović is reported to have stayed back from the trip because of illness.
CU took the first set and UCF responded in the second, splitting things dead even with each set resulting in a final score of 25-21. The third set is where Colorado turned to other personnel to help them gain momentum. Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Jordan led the Buffs with 18 kills and showed her versatility through ball placement and off-speed actions. Jordan looked explosive throughout the match and was able to make plays defensively as well, also recording 15 digs. She brought the energy for CU from the jump and never faltered.
Colorado took the third set 25-18, and UCF responded in the fourth set, winning 25-23 and forcing a fifth set. The Buffs prevailed in the do-or-die situation, forcing six errors on the Knights, and closing out the match with a 15-11 victory.
Other offensive weapons for the Buffs made the difference in the close match. Bella Simkus stepped up when it mattered and hit an efficient .714 with six kills in big moments. The middle blocker showed a good tempo, and her experience as a senior was evident during tense moments. Sophomore Lily Dwinell also had quite an impactful performance with 16 kills, allowing Colorado’s talented setter Taylor Simpson to spread the floor with more options on the net. Simpson finished the match with 44 assists. While Cayla Payne had a quieter outing than typically seen from her, she pursued her blocking assignments relentlessly and was still able to record 10 kills.
Playing a road game against a similarly organized UCF team, including former Buff Alexia Kuehl, who entered the transfer portal and joined the Knights after four years in Boulder, Colorado needed contribution from role-players in order to get another conference win. Freshman serving specialist Katie Solonga made the most of her time on the floor, with her serves getting the Knights out of system more often than not. Solonga was also a confident presence on the defensive end, looking comfortable in left-back and handling big swings without getting flustered.
The Buffs finished the match with a successful .307 hitting percentage and held UCF to .242. Keeping opponents under the .300 mark has been a goal for the Buffs throughout the season, and this benchmark seemed to benefit them yet again. After a long weekend of delayed travel and late nights, CU head coach Jesse Mahoney and his team were able to bring home a win from Orlando, improving to 4-0 against the Knights all-time.
This is the second conference win for the Buffs, bringing their record to 9-8 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12. CU will have a quick turnaround into another road trip on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The Arizona Wildcats (12-4, 1-4 Big 12) await in Tuscon, Arizona, and will no doubt be another challenge for this young Colorado team. Watch on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MT.
Cover photo by Aspen Doust/Sko Buffs Sports
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