Colorado volleyball begins season with Black and Gold scrimmage
Coming off a successful 2025 campaign, the Colorado Buffaloes’ volleyball team is looking to build on that success with the help of returning starters such as senior pin hitters Ana Burilović and Sydney Jordan, as well as senior middle blocker Cayla Payne. The Buffs also look to fill the gaps left by Rian Finley and Sarah Morton.
Saturday’s Black and Gold gave fans a preview of what the season could look like.
The Black team took control early, winning the opening two sets 20-17 and 20-16. The Gold team responded with a 21-19 win in the third set, but Black closed out the afternoon with a 20-13 victory to take three of the four sets.
Burilović and sophomore middle blocker Maria Splawaska received many of the touches and swings for the Black team early in the scrimmage. Splawaska recorded four kills in the opening set and finished the game with eight kills on twelve attempts, hitting .583. On the other side, sophomore pin hitter Inés Losada was a frequent option for Gold, recording three kills in the opening set.
Losada continued to show off her powerful strikes as the scrimmage went on, receiving attacking opportunities on both sides after players switched teams throughout the afternoon. She finished with thirteen kills across the four sets while also working on a difficult topspin serve, making her presence felt at the net.
During the exhibition, the Buffs used the four sets to determine and experiment with different lineups, giving players opportunities alongside different combinations of teammates. Head coach Jesse Mahoney said Colorado is still trying to determine several spots in its starting lineup
“I think we’re settled on three or four, but still trying to figure out a couple more,” said Mahoney after the game.
One of those competitions will come at libero following Morton’s departure. Defensive specialiast/libero Tinons Munar Galmes was active in the back row throughout the afternoon, digging attacks and receiving opportunities.
“The libero position, I think, is going to be a battle,” Mahoney said. “Fortunately we have a lot of nice ball handlers in that position.”
Colorado gave its entire roster an opportunity to play Saturday, including its freshmen and transfers.
There were also a fair number of errors on both sides of the net, something Colorado will look to clean up before the games begin to affect their record. Mahoney said having an exhibition before the regular season gave the team an opportunity to experience a realistic match environment.
“It was a good opportunity for us to get out in front of other people and get some of the jitters out, go through a pre-match routine [and] compete in something that feels a little more real,” Mahoney said. “There’s a lot of good and a lot of bad. Unfortunately, whenever you win these things, you also lose.”
Burilović, meanwhile, continued to show the powerful attacking ability that made her one of Colorado’s top players last season. After earning first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025, the senior enters the new season with an opportunity to add to her list of accolades and continue climbing Colorado’s record books.
For a team coming off what Mahoney described as a “big bounce-back season,” Saturday provided the first opportunity to see what the next step could look like.
“We competed really well,” said Mahoney of last season. “There wasn't a match we couldn’t win. I feel the same this year. I think we’re a little bit more confident and comfortable with what we do and how we do it. So we're looking forward to it.”
The Buffs start their regular season on Friday in the Buffs Classic, taking on the CSUN Matadors at 6 p.m. MT (ESPN+).
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