Burilović leads Buffs past No. 23 Utah in straight sets

Colorado's Sydney Jordan (#10) and Ana Burilovic (#11) celebrate during another impressive win over the Utah Utes on Saturday. (Photo via CUBuffs.com)

The Colorado Buffaloes (11-2, 2-0 Big 12) earned their second straight ranked win on the road Saturday afternoon, sweeping the No. 23 Utah Utes (25-18, 26-24, 25-22) in Salt Lake City. With this win, the Buffs snapped their three-game losing streak against the Utes, continuing their campaign in the Big 12.

Colorado finished with a .333 hitting percentage, compared to Utah’s .191, and led in kills (48-42), assists (44-39), and blocks (5-2). The Buffs also won the service game with four aces and kept their errors in check.

Utah came out swinging, starting with a service ace from outside hitter Devyn Wiest, and jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Colorado responded quickly, tying the set at 13-13, before a kill from Sydney Jordan gave the Buffs their first lead of the set. 

From that point onwards, the Buffs looked more in control. Ana Burilović delivered six kills, and CU was efficient with a .538 hitting percentage to take the first set 25-18.

The Utes found their footing more in the second set. Both teams traded points throughout, but neither team was able to pull away or create separation until the final stretch. Utah pulled ahead with a 5-0 run, putting themselves at a 24-22 lead, threatening to even the sets up. 

But the Buffs didn’t falter. A timely service ace from Burilović tied the set at 24, and the Buffs didn't look back and closed with a 4-0 run to take the set 26-24.

In the third, the Buffs jumped out to a 13-8 lead, but Utah responded once again. A pair of 3-0 runs helped Utah take a brief lead before coach Jesse Mahoney called a timeout to let his team regroup. Back-to-back kills by Lily Dwinell and Burilović gave CU the edge it needed, and another 3-0 run closed out the set 25-22 to complete the sweep over the Utes.

Burilović led all players with 19 kills. Setter Rian Finley anchored the offense with 37 assists. Cayla Payne added eight kills and a block, and libero Sarah Morton added 14 digs.

“Utah is a very good team,” Mahoney said. “This is a hard place to play, hard place to win and a really hard place to sweep. Kudos to our players for continuing to play at a high level after Thursday night. I’m excited about how we are playing right now.”

Now at 11-2 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, the Buffs are starting to look like a real threat in the conference. With back-to-back ranked wins, they are making a strong case to be ranked themselves.

Colorado returns to Boulder next week to host the UCF Knights (10–3, 1–1 Big 12) at the CU Events Center, looking to keep the momentum rolling in front of a home crowd.