Burilović’s steady play helps Buffs sweep West Virginia

Ana Burilović rises up for a hit against West Virginia. (Photo by CUAthletics/CUVolleyballX)

After a loss against the Arizona State Sun Devils, the No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes (22-6, 12-4 Big 12) traveled to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (15-12, 3-12 Big 12). After a five-set battle in their first match, the Buffaloes made this one cleaner with a sweep.

CU started off the set with an emphatic block from middle blocker Maria Spawska, and another solo block from middle blocker Cayla Payne gave the Buffs a hot start. The Mountaineers responded with a quick run of their own, but Colorado’s front line dictated the tempo at the net.

A massive 10-0 run from the Buffs blew the set wide open. Behind serving pressure from pin hitter Ana Burilović, CU built a comfortable lead. A powerful kill from pin hitter Sydney Jordan set up set point, and another block from Spawska sealed the first set 25-18. Both Burilović and Payne finished the opening frame with five kills apiece.

The Mountaineers came out with more firepower in the second set, taking the first two points of the set, but the Buffaloes proved why they are the No. 21 team in the nation, showing resiliency with back-to-back kills from pin hitter Lily Dwinell and Burilović.

CU serving maestro, Ines Losada, with her top-spin serve sparked a 3-0 run of her own. West Virginia tried hitting the ball away from Burilović, but that didn't stop her from making an impact. A service error from Alexis Finnvold gives the Buffs the second set 25-21.

In the third set, the Buffs came out firing with a scorching 5-0 run with an ace from Spawska, 2 kills from Burilovic and two errors from the Mountaineers. The fast start gave Colorado momentum as it continued to put pressure on West Virginia.

This set was messy from both sides with a combined 20 errors. Back-to-back attack errors from Burilović gave the Mountaineers some life, but the serving woes continued for Finnwold with another service error to give the Buffs the third set 25-19.

“A pretty defensive-oriented match. Happy to get a win on the road, and sweeps are hard to come by, so happy for that,” said coach Jesse Mahoney. "We served particularly well, blocked and defended well. Our offense was not as efficient as we would like to be; hopefully, we can get some more contributions on Friday against Cincinnati.”

The Buffs stay on the road to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats (14-8, 6-8 Big 12). The game will be streamed on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+).