Junior pin attacker Sydney Jordan spikes the ball in the game against West Virginia at the CU Events Center on October 18, 2025. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
The No. 24 ranked Colorado Buffaloes (16-3, 7-1 Big 12 ) were able to hold off the West Virginia Mountaineers (13-6, 1-6 Big 12) Saturday, Oct. 18 in five sets.
Colorado struggled out of the gate as West Virginia went on a 9-0 run to start the game. The Mountaineers continued to hold a nine point lead before two kills from junior pin attacker Ana Burilović sparked a 6-0 run that cut the lead to three, 16-13.
A West Virginia timeout stopped the momentum, and the Mountaineers went on a subsequent 5-1 run to go up 21-14, eventually taking the first set 25-19.
The second set started much better for the Buffs as they got off to a 5-1 lead behind two Burilović kills. A 6-2 run in the middle stages of the second set helped the Buffs continue to build on their lead 12-6.
A kill from West Virginia’s top point getter, Cassidy Tanton, helped the Mountaineers in a 5-2 run which brought the score back within one, 21-20.
Burilović hit two more kills in the Buffs’ last four points to help Colorado capture the second set, 25-19.
The third set started back and forth as the two teams were tied three times by the time the scoreboard read 3-3. Three consecutive Buff errors followed by three Mountaineer kills in a 6-1 run put the Buffs in a 9-4 hole early.
Junior Sydney Jordan put down two strong kills in the Buffs’ 6-0 run to respond and recapture the lead, 10-9.
Colorado and West Virginia were tied five more times before three consecutive kills from three different players helped put Colorado back up 16-14. The Mountaineers then responded with a 3-0 run of their own to take back the lead, 18-17.
Engaged in a close back-and-forth battle that would decide momentum, two Alexis Finnvold aces and two Tanton kills helped swing the third set in West Virginia’s favor, 25-19.
The fourth set began with West Virginia getting out 3-0 before two Burilović kills helped lift the Buffs up to a 4-3 lead. Two consecutive Mountaineer errors helped the Buffs extend their lead up to 7-4. Both teams went on a run of 3-0 or more by the time the score read 14-13 in favor of the Buffs.
Junior Lily Dwinell and Burilović had subsequent kills and began a 5-1 run which helped swing the momentum towards Colorado, 19-14.
The defense stepped up in the later parts of the fourth set with juniors Cayla Payne and Rian Finley combining for a block to put the Buffs up 23-18.
After a Mountaineers’ kill, a huge diving dig from junior Peyton Neal helped set up a Jordan kill attempt that was dug out by West Virginia before being met by a monster block from sophomore Maria Spławska and freshman Gwen Schiff, for CU to take the fourth set, 25-19.
Sophomore middle blocker Maria Spławska and junior pin attacker Sydney Jordan block a shot in the game against West Virginia at the CU Events Center on October 18, 2025. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
A Neal ace was sandwiched between two Buff kills forcing West Virginia to call an early timeout as the Buffs got out to a 5-3 lead in the fifth and final set.
Payne scored back-to-back points on a solo block and a kill to swell the lead to 8-4. Spławska jumped in with back-to-back blocks as the Buffs continued to build on their lead, 13-6. Burilović got her 21st kill of the match to help give the fifth set to the Buffs, 15-8.
Despite the win, this is the third straight match that the Buffs have dropped the first set.
“We got aced three times and had four attack errors and just kind of handed points away,” head coach Jesse Mahoney said.
Still, the Buffs were able to bounce back in two of their last games that they lost the first set.
“The reason we’re good is because we play and work really hard and we forget that and we don’t always want to work really hard until we have to,” Mahoney said.
“As much as he wants to say that and take the blame for it, it’s definitely on us,” Payne said. “We actually have to do the little things right and we have to execute and I think it just takes a little bit of time to get there.”
Colorado’s only Big 12 loss remains the No. 7 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. Colorado will return to the CU Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 25 to face the Iowa State Cyclones (15-3, 5-2 Big 12). First serve is set for 1 p.m. MT and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu.
