Junior pin attacker Sydney Jordan yells to the crowd during the Nov. 15 game against No. 8 Arizona State University where the Buffs forced a fifth set. (Annie MacKeigan/CU Independent)
Once junior Cayla Payne’s feet left the floor, there wasn’t much more she could do but follow through on her swing. Once she did, the ball fell for a kill and helped send Colorado to the second round of the NCAA Tournament over American.
The Buffs (23-8) defeated the American Eagles (24-5) in a dominant sweep on Dec. 4. Four of Payne’s six kills came in the third set, including the last two points for the Buffs.
The Buffs set the tempo early, getting out to a 12-4 lead as junior Ana Burilović put down three kills.
The Eagles went on a 3-1 run of their own, but the Buffs responded with a 5-1 run to push their lead to 19-9.
Junior Sydney Jordan capped off a four-kill set by finding the open space on the court, helping the Buffs take the first set, 25-16.
After switching sides, American tallied their first lead of the match, 5-3, by way of three Colorado attack errors.
After cleaning up their approach, the Buffs got back on track, going on a hot 15-2 run to go ahead 18-7.
The Eagles stayed in it with a 4-0 run to close the gap to just five points, but Burilović was there to end it, taking the set 25-19 with her eighth kill through two sets.
The Buffs picked up right where they left off as Jordan scored her second ace of the night to start a 12-4 run in the first part of the third set.
American’s leading attacker, freshman Sophie Dufour, put down a kill as the Eagles attempted to mount a run of their own, down 15-9.
A 6-1 run for Colorado quickly extinguished any momentum as sophomore Maria Spławska went for a kill and solo block on back-to-back plays, putting the Buffs ahead 21-10.
The scrappy Eagles’ 5-2 run kept them alive, 23-15, but Payne was there to put down two kills for the remaining points, as the Buffs took the third set, 25-16.
This is the first NCAA Tournament win for the program since 2017 when they swept No. 12 Baylor in the second round.
“I’m really proud of our team for playing that match at the level that we can play,” head coach Jesse Mahoney said. “We prepped well – we knew American was going to challenge us, and I’m happy for how we responded.”
Colorado will play host No. 17 Indiana (23-7) after they swept Toledo (23-10) in the first round. First serve is set for 4 p.m. MT on Friday, Dec. 5, and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu.
