Colorado volleyball surges to No. 20 in nation

Colorado Buffaloes volleyball has continued to ride high, reaching No. 20 in national ranks down the season's homestretch. (Photo by Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team’s second year in the Big 12 has been nothing short of spectacular. After a disappointing 2024-25 season with a record of 13-17( 6-12 Big 12, it has improved to a 20-3 (9-1 Big 12) record at the start of November. 

The Buffs currently sit at No. 20 in the NCAA rankings.

They have taken down strong teams like No. 14 BYU and No. 20 Utah on the road and, most recently, beat No. 18 Baylor at home in four sets.

This season has been anchored by 10 returning players, namely pin hitter Ana Burilović from Croatia, setter Rian Finley from Reno, Nevada, and middle blocker Cayla Payne from Carlsbad, California.

Burilović leads the Big 12 in kills per set at 4.86, points per set at 5.66 and is second in service aces per set at 0.45. 

These stats have earned her Big 12 Player of the week for the second time this season. She has become the second player to notch two games of 30 kills in one season for Colorado.

Finley has been due for a big season, and she is stepping into the void left by now Washington Huskie Taylor Simpson. The transfer left her mark on CU with a total of 1081 assists over the 24-25 season. 

Finley is on pace to surpass that mark and potentially set new career and program records. She currently has 851 assists with just seven games left in the season.

Payne has also been making her mark on this season with the third-most kills at 189 and leading the team in blocks at 19. 

The Buffs’ remaining schedule is difficult, with four of their last seven opponents being ranked in the top 25. Those teams are No. 13 Kansas, No. 16 TCU, No. 8 ASU, and No. 21 BYU.

Even with their stellar record, the Buffs haven't looked entirely convincing, dropping the first set in four of their previous seven games. The Buffaloes have a gauntlet coming up, and if they can win at least three of those four games, they should be able to secure a top 8-seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Buffaloes’ next game is against Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, on Thursday at 5 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.