Burilovic stands out as CU sweeps Tulsa
- Lila Nuttle
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team improved to 2-0, sweeping the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (0-2) in three sets on Saturday at the Rumble in the Rockies.
Junior Ana Burilovic led the Buffs with 17 kills, and for the second day in a row, setter Rian Finley set a career-high with 38 assists.
This strong offense proved crucial in their victory over Tulsa, as Colorado played its best by keeping Tulsa on the defensive.
The first set saw CU and Tulsa trading points, with each team going on runs. CU struggled to dig Tulsa’s hits and blocks, but shone offensively, with Burilovic recording seven kills to give the Buffs momentum. The end of set one came with a decisive block by freshman Audrey Asleson and sophomore Maria Splawska, and CU won 25-21.
Colorado carried that momentum into set two, leading by as many as nine. A balanced offense, with four different players recording kills, forced Tulsa into two timeouts within five points as CU led 15-7. Burilovic continued her strong performance with a final kill to seal a 25-16 win.
Tulsa proved tougher to put away in the third set. While the Buffs established a lead for most of the set, the Golden Hurricane had 14 kills. After using its last timeout while down 17-13, Tulsa battled back. The set was tied at 21 before junior Sydney Jordan won it for Colorado with a kill.
“Great to get another win and another sweep,” said CU head coach Jesse Mahoney. “We still have some rhythm and things with our offense that we need to get better at, but we’re headed in the right direction here.”
Mahoney also praised Burlovic’s performance throughout the match.
“She was the best player on both sides of the court,” Mahoney said. “We really needed her today.”
Colorado will look to stay undefeated as it finishes up the Rumble in the Rockies tournament against the Wyoming Cowgirls on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed live on Mountain West Network.