Buffs lose Golden Spike to close non-conference play

The Colorado Buffaloes were shut down by their in-state rival to lose the Golden Spike for the third straight season.

The No. 17 Colorado Buffaloes (9-1) couldn’t quite get their feet under them in a three-set sweep by their in-state rival, Colorado State Rams (7-3).

Senior pin attacker Ana Burilovic was a bright spot, putting down 14 kills, but 30 total errors from the Buffs made the difference. As a team, Colorado hit only .083, their worst mark this year.

“We did not handle the ball very well,” head coach Jesse Mahoney said. “We just made it easy for their block to key on our left side attackers, and we're just pretty smart with the ball.”

Colorado struggled from beginning to end in front of 8,083 rowdy fans in Moby Arena. The noise seemed to get to the Buffs, who committed 10 total errors in the first set, while the Rams hit for over .312. 

“I mean, obviously that's a great environment,” Mahoney said. “Obviously, it's an opportunity for us to play under stress and under pressure.” 

Nine combined kills from CSU’s front court of Sofia Zabjek and Halle Jameson also did the Buffs in, losing the first set 25-21. 

Still, much like the first set, the second was a back-and-forth affair with seven ties before either team hit 20 points. Colorado State was able to pull away late thanks to four blocks in the set.

The Rams defense found success in blocking Burilovic, limiting her to just two kills in the second set after having seven in the first.

In the do-or-die third set, Colorado State got out to an early 7-2 lead. The Buffs were forced to use a timeout, after which they responded with a 6-1 run to tie the set at 8-8 early.

The Rams took control from there, going on a 5-1 run in response, and climbing ahead 17-11. Colorado State rode the momentum to a 25-15 third-set win and retention of the Golden Spike for the third straight year.

Colorado’s next game is Friday, Sep. 25, at the CU Events Center when they host the Utah Utes (7-3) (ESPN+).