Buffaloes go 3-0 at Rumble in the Rockies with sweep over host Wyoming

Colorado's Cayla Payne (#33) roars in celebration during a win over Wyoming on Sunday. (Photo via CUBuffs.com)

After the Wyoming Cowgirls beat the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder last year, the Buffs danced into Laramie with a three-set sweep to finish 3-0 at the Rumble in the Rockies Invitational.  

The first set saw the Buffaloes and Cowgirls go back and forth with five lead changes before the Buffs went on a six-point run in the middle stages to go up 17-12.  Ana Burilovic had three kills in the run.  

The Cowgirls then won five of the next seven points to bring the first set score to 19-17 before sophomore Maria Spławska got a pivotal kill that helped swing the momentum back in the Buffs’ favor, where they eventually took the set 25-20. 

The Buffaloes showed their experience in the second set, dominating Wyoming with five separate runs of four or more unanswered points.  Junior Cayla Payne had five kills in the set while Burilovic tacked on four.  The Buffaloes put a statement on the second set with an assisted block from Junior Lily Dwinell and Spławska to win 25-13. 

The third set saw the Cowgirls come out fighting to extend the match.  Colorado was able to get out to an early 7-3 lead thanks to three kills from Burilovic.  The Buffaloes cruised to an 18-11 lead in the set before Wyoming brought the game back to as close as 21-17.  

An excellent attack from Colorado junior Sydney Jordan appeared to be dug out by Wyoming, who then rallied back to get a pivotal point and keep their comeback hopes alive.  Colorado head coach Jesse Mahoney challenged the call, which was then ruled to have hit the ground, putting the Buffaloes up 22-17 and giving them the ball in a pivotal spot.

Still, Wyoming battled in the late stages, scoring four unanswered points and forcing Coach Mahoney to use his timeout, still up 23-21.  Out of the timeout, the Buffaloes and Cowgirls kept the volley going, crossing the net nine times and giving every player on the court but Payne a chance to touch the ball, bringing the score to just within one, 23-22.

The Buffaloes were able to put the Cowgirls away for good after a block from Payne and a kill from Burilovic to take the third set and win 25-22.

"It was a great opening weekend," Mahoney said. "To go 9-0 in sets is hard to do regardless of who you're playing, especially if we're doing it on the road. The competition stepped up each match and we stepped up our level each match as well.”

The Buffaloes got contributions all around, with eight total players contributing points. Burilovic remained dominant with 16 kills, half of which came in the first set.  Setter Rian Finley was excellent as well with 34 assists.

Payne added 11 kills and seven total blocks, fetching 15.5 points for the Buffs on a stellar 0.526 hitting percentage.  Maria Spławska had one kill and nine total blocks in a crafty performance. 

The Buffaloes’ next game is in Irvine, California, as part of the UCI/Adidas Invitational on Thursday, against the Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1).