Colorado takes first game of Golden Spike Series
The No. 17-ranked Colorado Buffaloes (9-0) beat the Colorado State Rams (6-3) on the first night of the battle for the Golden Spike.
The Buffs had one of their largest home crowds in recent history behind them for the rivalry win, with 3,494 in attendance.
“What an amazing crowd,” head coach Jesse Mahoney said. “That was an awesome environment. I think it really energized our players.”
The Buffs were led by pin hitter Ana Burilovic with 22 kills, along with Lily Dwinell and Ines Losada adding 12 and 10, respectively. Setter Jenna Ylivainio also put up 50 assists. On the other side, the Rams were led by pin hitter Sofia Zabjek with 13 kills, along with middle blocker Eve Wilson and outside hitter Halle Jameson having 9 and 7 kills.
The Buffs overall hit .144, with their best attacker being Burilovic at .196, and the Rams hit .107, led by Wilson at .316
With the CU Events Center rocking and the Golden Spike on the line, these two historic rivals went to battle. In a tightly contested four-set match, Colorado came out on top, defeating the Rams 3-1 in the series opener.
The game started competitively, with two errors from the Buffs before Burilovic fired back with two powerful kills. The Buffs carried that momentum and turned it into a 6-0 run fueled by several Rams attacking errors.
The story stayed the same throughout the first set, with neither team able to create separation until the final moments. CSU brought the score to 23-22, nearing a first-set victory, but the Buffs defended their home court, riding a 3-0 run to claim the first set 25-23.
The second set told a similar story, with no breathing room for either the Rams or the Buffs. Neither side led by more than three points until Rams’ setter Erin Debiec gave them a 3-0 run with two aces and a kill from Jameson.
The set stayed close until challenges from Mahoney fell in favor of the Rams. Those failed challenges gave CSU a one-point lead, making it seem like it would take the second set. But the Rams faltered with two attacking errors from outside hitter Maria Brun and middle blocker Kekua Richards. Closing the second set 27-25.
With their backs against the wall, the Rams responded in the third.
Colorado looked poised to sweep the Rams out of the CU Events Center, jumping out to an 11-6 lead with kills from Losada and Burilovic. But the Rams didn't go down easy, slowly chipping away at the lead.
With the score locked at 19, CSU capitalized on four straight attacking and service errors to build a 24-19 lead. The Buffs fought off three consecutive set points, highlighted by a service ace and a Burilovic kill, before Zabjek closed the set 25-22.
In the fourth set, the Buffs put night one of the Golden Spike away. After the teams battled to a 10-10 tie, Burilovic helped the Buffs build a lead with back-to-back kills, pushing it to 14-12.
CSU fought back to 21-20, but Dwinell responded with a kill after a Rams error, and a Burilovic solo block brought the Buffs to match point. With the Buffs faithful on their feet and the arena rocking, Dwinell slammed the door with the final kill, giving Colorado the set 25-21 and the match 3-1
The victory carried extra weight for a Colorado senior class that had yet to defeat the Rams at home.
“We were just super hungry and really wanted to get it done today,” Dwinell said. “Just really executing today meant a lot, and getting that win sets us up well for tomorrow.”
Colorado won't have much time to celebrate, with the Buffs traveling up to Fort Collins for the second half of the Golden Spike series on Friday.
“Tomorrow’s going to be a tougher matchup,” Mahoney said. “Same team with same incentive.”
The second night of the Golden Spike will take place Friday in Moby Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m. MT. (Pac-12 YouTube)
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