Colorado’s Rian Finley and Sarah Morton celebrate during their senior day match against BYU on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 at the CU Events Center. (Lila Nuttle/CU Independent)
The No. 23 Colorado women’s volleyball team ended the regular season by falling to No. 24 Brigham Young University in four sets at the CU Events Center on Saturday. While the Buffs held tight, they couldn’t overcome the Cougars’ balanced offense, which had three players record double-digit kills. For the Buffs, junior pin attacker Ana Burilović led with 22 kills, but Colorado hit just .153 throughout the match.
Saturday also marked senior day for Colorado. The Buffs celebrated libero Sarah Morton and setter Rian Finley in a pregame ceremony, in front of a large home crowd. Both Morton and Finley talked about what it meant to have big crowds and support throughout the season.
“That crowd was freaking amazing,” Morton said. “Thank you to the entire Buff community for the support … it was loud. That was such a great environment.”
Colorado (22-8, 12-6 Big 12) came out hot to start the first set, going on a 5-1 run fueled by three kills from Burilović and forcing an early BYU timeout. The Cougars (22-8, 13-3 Big 12) began to chip away at the Buffs’ lead, tying the set at nine apiece. The teams stayed even for much of the set after that until BYU managed to pull slightly ahead, and fend Colorado off to win the first set 25-22.
Colorado’s Cayla Payne and Lily Dwinell jump to block an attack during their match against BYU on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 at the CU Events Center. (Lila Nuttle/CU Independent)
Defense proved crucial in the Buffs’ eventual second-set victory. The Buffs held BYU to just .056 hitting in the set, as they built an early 8-2 lead. While the Cougars were able to get back, eventually tying it at 18, Colorado kept at it. A big block by Burilović and middle blocker Cayla Payne put the Buffs up 23-19, and an emphatic ace from Burilović sealed the second set for the Buffs, 25-20.
For a bit, it seemed like Colorado had found its groove. The Buffs have had a pattern of slow starts all season, and have been able to turn first-set losses into comeback wins. The third set certainly seemed to follow that trend at the beginning, as Colorado went on a quick 7-2 run, causing BYU to use an early timeout. In that run, four different players hit down kills for the Buffs and BYU seemed to have no answer defensively.
The momentum swung, however, and soon Colorado head coach Jesse Mahoney called a timeout of his own after BYU caught up with the Buffs at 12. The teams battled back and forth, until the Cougars managed to pull slightly ahead, 19-17, and Colorado called its second timeout, but to no avail. Despite two more kills from Burilovćc, a final spike from BYU middle blocker Claire Little-Chambers won it for BYU, 25-20.
The fourth set was much of the same, as the Cougars held a slight lead for most of the set. A 9-2 run for BYU put them up 15-10, and Colorado used two timeouts to try to stop the Cougars’ momentum.
Junior pin attacker Ana Burilović attacks the ball during Colorado’s game against BYU on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 at the CU Events Center. (Lila Nuttle/CU Independent)
The Buffs attempted to stage a comeback, with Burilović putting down six kills in the set to tie it at 19. The Cougars then used a 6-1 run to pull ahead again. A final block by BYU’s Brielle Kemavor and Alex Bower, both of whom had nine and five blocks respectively, won the set for the Cougars 25-20 and the match 3-1.
“I thought we had a really nice game plan, and we executed it defensively fairly well,” Mahoney said. “Regardless of the loss, really proud of this group this season. We played really good volleyball [and] put ourselves in position to go to the NCAA [Tournament].”
This loss comes after Colorado was swept by unranked Cincinnati the week before, as the Buffs look to maintain their dominance heading into post-season play. Heading into play-offs, Mahoney emphasized the importance of a balanced offense for Colorado, which has heavily relied on Burilović throughout the season.
“We have to continue to find ways to score in other places,” Mahoney said. “It’s going to be about execution on both sides.”
Colorado will learn their seeding for the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, which is at 4 p.m. MDT on Nov. 30, and will be streamed on ESPN.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Lila Nuttle at lila.nuttle@colorado.edu
