CU’s Women’s Volleyball Team in the postgame huddle after the game against Iowa State at the CU Events Center on Oct. 25, 2025. (Aspen Doust/CU Independent)
The Colorado women’s volleyball team (20-5, 10-3 Big 12) fell to the Kansas State University Wildcats (14-7, 7-6 Big 12) in three sets in Manhattan, Kansas, on Saturday.
The Buffs started hot on a 5-1 run to go up 7-5 early in the first set. Juniors Cayla Payne, Sydney Jordan and Ana Burilović each got a kill in the run.
Kansas State responded with a 7-2 run of their own including back-to-back Shaylee Myers kills, putting the Wildcats up 12-9.
Back-and-forth action prevented any substantial run from developing for the Buffs, but Burilović and Payne got consecutive kills to bring the score back to 22-20 and started to shift the momentum back in favor of Colorado.
Kansas State’s Aniya Clinton slammed down back-to-back kills to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 24-20 before a service ace sealed the first set, 25-20
Clinton’s swing continued to be fed during the second set as three consecutive kills put Kansas State up 7-2 early.
Colorado responded with a 5-1 run to bring the score back 8-7, including two Payne kills.
KSU began to pull away as Clinton put down her 12th kill of the match, pushing the Wildcats’ lead to four, 14-10, before Colorado used two errors in a 4-0 run to tie the game 14-14.
The two teams went back and forth before Maria Spławska contributed to two blocks in a 4-0 Buffs run, putting the Wildcats up 20-18, their first lead since they were ahead 7-6 in the first set.
A Burilović attack error gave Kansas State the spark it needed, putting the Wildcats back in front, 24-23.
The subsequent service error from the Wildcats gave the Buffs a lifeline to push the second set to deuce, but a kill and a service ace gave the Wildcats the two points needed to take the second set, 26-24.
The third set told a similar story, as the Buffs started flat, finding themselves in a 12-5 hole, this time down in sets 2-0. The Wildcats’ defense was tough to break, netting three blocks and capitalizing on two Buff service errors.
Colorado’s offense finally had its tires catch going on a 6-2 run in the middle stages of the third set, including three Burilović kills, closing the Wildcats’ lead 18-16.
A quick 5-1 run put out any momentum the Buffs were building, mounting the Kansas State lead to 23-17.
A Wildcats service error was the only blemish in the final stages of the third set, finishing the game on a 6-1 run, taking the third set 25-18.
The Wildcats defense recorded nine blocks and held Colorado to only a .172 hitting percentage, far below their .250 average.
“One of the tougher matches we’ve played this year in terms of our performance,” head coach Jesse Mahoney said.
Colorado’s defense looked flat themselves, allowing KSU to hit .324, the highest of any opponent this season and nearly doubling the .183 opponent hitting percentage that the Buffs have held opponents to this year.
“I don’t believe we’ve let a team have their way with us offensively the way that Kansas State did,” Mahoney said. “We just didn’t make the adjustments we needed to make.”
Even with her 15th ten-kill performance in the past 16 games, Burilović was held to just a .091 hitting percentage, committing seven errors.
The Buffs will look to put the sweep behind them.
Middle Blocker Maria Spławska lines up to serve in the game against Iowa State at the CU Events Center on Oct 25, 2025. (Aspen Doust/CU Independent)
“It will be good for us to get back to Boulder,” Mahoney said.
Colorado’s next game will be at the CU Events Center Thursday, Nov. 13 against the No. 16 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (18-7, Big 12 8-5). The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MDT.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu
