Burilović delivers as Buffs outlast Mountaineers in five

Ana Burilović rises for a kill against West Virginia (Photo by Zachry Giesenschlag/Sko Buffs Sports)

The No. 24-ranked Colorado Buffaloes (16-3, 7-1 Big 12) beat the West Virginia Mountaineers (13-6, 1-6 Big 12) in five sets on Saturday. 

The Buffs posted a .267 hitting percentage compared to the Mountaineers’ .201. Despite the loss, West Virginia held several statistical edges, recording 62 kills to Colorado’s 59, 53 assists to CU’s 48, and five service aces to the Buffs’ three. The Buffs capitalized on one stat, which was 13 blocks compared to nine from the Mountaineers.

Pin hitter Ana Burilović led the team in kills with 21, including some daggers into the heart of the Mountaineers' defense. Middle blocker Cayla Payne was dominant at the net with timely blocks and momentum-changing swings. Setter Rian Finley ran the offense smoothly, utilizing 31 assets and executing deceptive dumps.

West Virginia came out firing, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and forcing the Buffs to play more defensively. Lily Dwinell tried to stop the bleeding with a kill and launched a 6-0 run, but another 3-0 run with the help of outside hitter Nina Horning forced Coach Jesse Mahoney to call a timeout. Buffs tried to fight back with a 3-0 run, but opposite hitter Trinity Sheridan shut that down. An attack error from pin hitter Gwen Schiff caused the Buffs to lose the first set, 19-25.

The second set told a different story, starting with a 4-0 run by the Buffs, thanks to Dwinell, Finley and Burilović. Neither team could find any separation as it was a very back-and-forth set. But after a  4-0 run, topped off by a kill from Burilović, gave the Buffs the set by a score of 25-20.

The third set unfolded as a series of swings in momentum. West Virginia jumped out early, capitalizing on Colorado errors to take a 9-4 lead and force a timeout from head coach Jesse Mahoney. The Buffs responded with a 6-0 run behind the serving of Katie Salonga, pulling even at nine. From there, both teams traded blows until another WVU run gave the Mountaineers a 20-18 edge. Although Lily Dwinwll momentarily slowed their final push, a final 5-0 burst sealed the set for West Virginia, 25-19.

The Buffs responded again in the fourth set with back-to-back kills from Burilović and a block from Payne and Dwinell. It sparked a 4-0 run with kills from Sydney Jordan and Maria Splawska, which caused Mountaineers coach Jen Greeney to call a timeout. A block from Payne and an attack error from middle blocker Maddy McGath got the Buffs to set point, then a block from Spawska and Schiff won it by a score of 25-19.

Then came the all-deciding set five, where neither team found initial breathing room. A service ace from Peyton Neal and a kill from Payne gave the Buffs a two-point lead, leading the Mountaineers to another timeout. A kill from Burilović, followed by a solo block and a kill from Payne, gave the Buffs an 8-4 lead heading into the side switch. Colorado extended the cushion with a 3-0 run, pushing the advantage to six. Fittingly, it was the standout Burilović with the final kill to take the set 15-8 and the match

"I keep telling our team, and everyone will listen, this league is really good," Mahoney said. "The teams that are in the bottom third are competing and beating teams in the top third. Lucky to get the win, but we made some of our own luck as well. We have to continue to progress in this season."

With this game, they evened up the all-time series at one game apiece. The only loss to West Virginia came in a home loss last season.

The Buffs travel to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Raiders (8-11, 0-7 Big 12) on October 22nd. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. MT.