Colorado Volleyball Opens 2025 Season with Rumble within the Rockies Invite

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball group (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) opens the 2025 season towards the Cleveland State Vikings (0-0, 0-0 Horizon League) on the highway at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo., within the Rumble within the Rockies invite on Aug. 29. The Buffs can even go head-to-head with Tulsa (0-0, 0-0 American) on Aug. 30 and host college Wyoming (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West) on Aug. 31.
 
First serve for all three matches can be at 1 p.m. MT, and they are going to be streamed on Mountain West Network. All three Colorado volleyball coaches are coming into their Tenth season, together with head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffaloes to a 141-126 (.528) general report.
 
The Buffs gained 13 matches in 2025 and completed Tenth within the Big 12 standings. Colorado cut up the final two matches of the common season, falling to Houston, 3-0, within the ultimate match after sweeping Kansas State on Senior Day earlier within the week.
 
 
THIS WEEK
MATCH #1 • Friday, August 29 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) vs. Cleveland St. (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CSUVikings.com
 
MATCH #2 • Saturday, August 30 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) vs. Tulsa (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: Tulsa Leads, 0-1 (.000)
LAST MEETING: L 0-3 (October 24, 1986 • Wichita, Kan.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 0-1
OPPONENT WEBSITE: TulsaHurricane.com
 
MATCH #3 • Sunday, August 30 • 1 p.m. MT
Colorado (0-0) at Wyoming (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: CU Leads, 15-9 (.625)
LAST MEETING: L 1-3 (September 15, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoWyo.com
 
 
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

• CU is led by Tenth-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, who has led the Buffs to a 141-126 (.528) report as CU’s fifth head volleyball coach. Coach Mahoney has been prolonged by means of 2027 and has led the Buffs to a few NCAA appearances.
• In its second yr again within the Big 12, Colorado was picked to complete Tenth within the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
• The Buffs return 5 of their seven starters from the 2024 season in Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic, Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan, Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell, Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton and Jr. MB Cayla Payne.
• Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic began and performed in 29 video games in 2024, totaling 401 kills, 38 aces, 197 digs, 46.0 blocks and 465.5 factors. She was named to the 2024 All-Big 12 Team and the 2025 Big 12 Preseason Team, having completed final season seventh within the Big 12 for factors per set (4.12) and eighth for kills per set (3.55). She additionally had 4 double-doubles in 2024.
• Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton began and performed in 28 video games in 2024, ending the season with 350 digs, 30 aces and 91 assists. Morton has 1,123 profession digs, surpassing 1,000 towards Arizona (Oct. 16).
• Jr. MB Cayla Payne led CU in blocks within the 2024 season with 128.0. She set a profession excessive in blocks with 11.0 on Nov. 9 towards Cincinnati and attained a double-double with 10 kills to complement. Payne completed the season with 241 kills and hit .283 general.
• Jr. PIN Sydney Jordan had the second most kills and digs on the group with 279 and 234, respectively. She additionally had 19 aces and 26.0 blocks on the season, and noticed double-doubles in six matches.
• Colorado welcomes 4 freshmen to the 2025 squad: MB Olivia Grenadier (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Detroit Country Day), S Audrey Asleson (La Grange, Ill./Benet Academy), PIN Inés Losada (Coruña, Spain/IES Eusebio da Guarda) and DS/L Nikki Ott (Valley, Neb./Skutt Catholic HS).
• Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal (Nolensville, Tenn./Nolensville HS) is Colorado’s solely incoming switch. She performed her first two years at Marshall University in West Virginia. At Marshall, Neal recorded 741 digs, 175 assists and 59 aces. During each seasons, Neal led the group in digs.
• So. MB Maria Splawska spent the top of the summer season (Aug. 7-17) competing for Team Poland within the FIVB Women’s U21 World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia. Splawska led the entire match in blocks, ending with 40 (4.44 per match).

 
MEET THE VIKINGS: This would be the inaugural assembly between the Buffs and the Cleveland State Vikings. This is the primary of thrice this season Colorado will meet an opponent for the primary time, and that is the Buffs’ solely Horizon League opponent this season.
 
AYE, THE GOLDEN HURRICANE: Colorado will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for simply the second time in program historical past. The final time CU confronted Tulsa was in a impartial match in 1986 in Wichita, Kan., the place the Hurricane swept the Buffs (Oct. 24, 1986).
 
COWGIRLS LIKE ME: Though the Buffs have gained seven of the final 10 conferences with the Cowgirls, CU goes into the packages’ twenty fifth (15-9) matchup with a chip on its shoulder (no pun supposed). Colorado hosted Wyoming in Buffs Invitational final fall, with the Cowgirls popping out on prime, 3-1, at CU Events Center (Sept. 15, 2024).
 
MILESTONE WATCH: Jr. MB Cayla Payne has 199, one away from 200. Sr. DS/L Sarah Morton has 283 assists, 17 away from 300. Jr. PIN Lily Dwinell has 459 kills, 41 away from 500, and 93 digs, seven away from 100. Jr. PIN Ana Burilovic has 496 kills, 4 away from 500. Jr. DS/L Avery Bolles has 87 aces, 13 away from 100, and 192 digs, eight away from 200.
 
#1 OLIVIA OF ALL TRADES: Fr. MB Olivia Grenadier’s dad performed basketball at St. Mary’s. Grenadier has at all times beloved sports activities and performed a bunch of various ones rising up. Outside of volleyball, she’s dabbled in soccer, basketball, flag soccer, baseball, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, observe and softball.
 
#4 FAMILY ASLESON: Fr. S Audrey Asleson’s dad performed golf at Western Illinois for 2 years; her older sister performed volleyball at Stetson for 2 years; her older brother performed basketball at Denison for 2 years earlier than switching to soccer for his ultimate two years; her cousin performed volleyball at Northwestern for 4 years; and her cousin ran observe at USC for 4 years. Asleson’s enjoyable information embrace having a twin sister, has visited 10 nations and used to return to Colorado yearly to ski as a child.
 
#8 OVERSEAS LOSADA: As one among three CU worldwide volleyball gamers, Fr. PIN Inés Losada spends time competing for youth nationwide groups within the low season. Losada has been representing Team Spain since she was simply 13 years outdated!
 
#14 HOUSE OF OTT: Fr. DS/L Nikki Ott’s dad was a two-time National Champion for the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football group in ’94 and ’95 (1991-1996). Ott’s enjoyable reality is that she likes to wake surf!
 
#20 NEALVILLE: Transfer Jr. DS/L Peyton Neal names her most thrilling sports activities second as successful the Tennessee state championship together with her highschool volleyball group after coming again within the losers bracket (2022). Neal additionally takes aspirations from Morgan Hentz, a former Stanford volleyball athlete and a present member of Team USA. Neal says, “I watched her play a lot growing up, and I knew I wanted to compete just like her someday.”
 
For extra data on the Colorado volleyball group, please go to cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can comply with @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.