Colorado volleyball poised to repeat success

The Colorado volleyball team set out to prove something in 2025.

The Buffaloes did just that, getting picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll before finishing third and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

As successful as the 2025 campaign was — CU’s 23 wins tied the fourth-most in program history — getting swept at Indiana in the NCAA Tournament left a bitter taste. And the Buffaloes are ready to return and prove themselves all over again.

Head coach Jesse Mahoney confirmed his program is not expecting to lose any of the array of juniors that helped power CU’s 23-9 campaign. The Buffs lose to graduation two starting seniors in setter Rian Finley and libero Sarah Morton, but CU is set to return essentially its entire offense as well as the starting middle blockers.

“As of my exit interviews, we don’t have anybody leaving the program,” Mahoney said. “Barring anything unexpected, but as of now we’re expecting the entire group back.

“It’s really exciting to have all your point-scorers return. There’s some questions in some ball-handling issues in terms of setting and libero, but we think we have those answers in-house right now. Unless you’re the last team standing, you never end where you want to be, so there’s still some things to play for. And I think our players, having tasted a little success, I think they’ll set their sights a little higher next year as well, and we’ll work towards that this spring.”

Highlighting the list of scheduled returnees is Ana Burilovic, a third-team AVCA All-American selection and CU’s first All-American honoree since 2018. Burilovic also earned first-team AVCA All-West Region honors and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection after leading the conference in points per set (5.47) and kills per set (4.71), ranking in the top 10 nationally in both categories.

Beyond Burilovic, the Buffs expect to return experience across the rotation. Middle blockers Maria Splawska and Cayla Payne were a formidable defensive duo, with Splawska leading the team with 1.21 blocks per set. Payne posted a hitting percentage of .338 and averaged 2.13 kills per set.

CU also is set to return its other two outside hitters in Sydney Jordan, who led the team in digs (2.41 per set) and was second in kills per set (2.42), and Lily Dwinell (1.70 kills per set).

Morton was a key part of the defense, but Peyton Neal is expected to return after playing a backup role at libero, and the Buffs also are expecting the return of libero Avery Bolles, who missed most of the 2025 season due to an injury.

“The biggest thing is the motivation piece, and I think they all have that,” Mahoney said. “Everyone talked about in our exit interviews what they want to accomplish next season. The work towards that is finding a way to squeeze out a little bit more from a physical standpoint, obviously from a skill standpoint, a mentality standpoint. This team, I think we can schedule a little bit tougher in the (nonconference). I think we understand if we want to take the next step — and our goal is to finish where we can host the first weekend (of the NCAA Tournament) — is understanding the steps it takes to get there and working towards it.”