No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes take beating against No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks
- Mattie Nunez
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
It was all gas, no brakes for the No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks (18-8, 9-3 Big 12) against the No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes (20-4, 10-2 Big 12). Momentum was nonexistent for the Buffaloes throughout the match. They seemed to merely survive rather than battle with the Jayhawks in a four-set match Thursday night (20-25, 15-25, 28-26, 19-25).
The Jayhawks picked up 57 kills, 50 set attempts, 12 service aces, 56 digs and managed a .211 hitting percentage. The Buffaloes, however, did not perform like a No. 20 ranked team as they wished they had. The Buffaloes collected 38 kills (roughly an average for Ana Burilović, who only had nine total kills), 35 set attempts, seven service aces, 46 digs and a muted .123 hitting percentage.
The Buffs were picked apart defensively in the first set. The Jayhawks attacked the backcourt behind uber-powerful kills and serves from players Reese Ptacek and Grace Nelson, making it impossible for any Buff in the backcourt to return the ball.
Buffaloes libero Sarah Morton was continuously dazed by the Jayhawks' offense, but did record 12 digs. Morton especially struggled against KU’s 6-foot-7 freshman, Jovana Zelenovic, who picked up her 300th kill against the Buffs.
The Jayhawks’ Aisha Aiono and Zelenovic shut down Burilović, a key cornerstone for this Buffs’ offense. CU gave over four service aces to the Jayhawks in the first set alone. Through the set, the Buffs appeared to be piecing the plays as the set continued and couldn’t find the rhythm and flow that they usually can in the first set.
"We lost the serve-pass battle,” head coach Jesse Mahoney said. “[We] couldn't manage their jump server very well, and struggled with the short serve. We never got into a rhythm offensively."
As KU continued to pull away with a seven-point lead, Burilović finally had an opportunity to hammer the ball in the second set, hoping to get the Buffs on a roll (5-12). However, the Jayhawks’ defense put an end to her reign rather quickly. She expressed major frustration on the court due to the lack of consistency she has shown in comparison to past matches.
The Jayhawks continued to sever the Buffs with an 11-point lead (8-19) until blocking duo Maria Splawska and Gwen Schiff finally gave the Buffaloes some useful defense. On the bright side for CU, a powerful and much more poised serve from Ines Losada, combined with a stiff block from Lilly Dwinell and Cayla Payne, slowed the Jayhawks' avalanche of points. However, the momentum did not stop for KU as they secured the second set (15-25).
Things looked desolate for the Buffs heading into the third set. Fortunately for them, they started the third strong with a 3-1 lead. Towards mid-set, CU finally started to put some pressure on KU due to improvements in blocks, tips, and crucial digs. The Buffaloes were still willing to put up a fight. The Jayhawks and Buffaloes ended the third set with a deuce that was finally finished off with a service ace from Payne to secure the set (28-26).
What looked like a potential comeback for the Buffs ended sooner rather than later. The Jayhawks kept a consistent and comfortable lead, averaging a four-point lead throughout the fourth, which eventually helped them take the set 19-25.
The Buffaloes’ next game takes place on Nov. 8 in Manhattan, Kansas, against the Kansas State Wildcats at 12 p.m. MT (ESPN+).