Colorado bounces back against Colorado State in Volleyball Rocky Mountain Showdown in reverse sweep

After a slow start to Friday night’s matches against the CSU Rams, the CU Buffs clawed their way to victory in five sets, taking home the Golden Spike trophy. This win also marked Head Coach Jesse Mahoney’s 100th win with Colorado, with the team now having an 8-2 record for the season. 

The fans showed up and showed out, with an attendance of 3,695 people.  

“I’ve been here a little while and am happy for the milestone, but mostly just happy for our players for rebounding, and it was like I mentioned, a fantastic atmosphere,” Mahoney shared during the press conference after the match.

The Buffs struggled to get their momentum in the first two sets, losing 25-21 in the first set and 25-10 in the second. That all changed once junior Maya Taborn had a kill that sent a message that the Buffs weren’t going down without a fight, in the beginning of the third set fans got on their feet as Colorado extended their lead by six, ending the third set at 25-20. Taborn finished with 19 kills and 4 blocks, which the Rams had no answer for. 

“I know the PAC 12 is probably the biggest focus in the season for players but you get into this rivalry,” Taborn said in the press conference. “We all feed off each other. So one person’s down, you got to go up to them and pick them up a little bit. Then, the next ball you could be the one who’s down.” 

CU played CSU Thursday night before losing in the fourth set after winning the third. The Buffs, however, made the right adjustments for Friday’s game, coming up with their reverse sweep after losing the first two sets and winning the last three in a row. 

Graduate student Meegan Hart, the middle blocker for the Buffs, followed suit with 17 kills and 8 blocks for the Buffs. As Hart and Taborn came up with some pivotal points during the final sets, CU was able to gain its footing, finding the gaps and forcing errors against CSU. 

As the players entered the fourth set, the Event Center was electric as the student section remained on their feet the entire match cheering in support. By the end of the fourth set, the Buffs had found their composure as they continued to battle for every point, ending the set at 25-19. At this point, it was anyone’s match. 

“We just needed to keep it simple,” Hart said during the press conference. 

Keeping it simple was exactly what the team did as they jumped out in the lead in the fifth set 5-0, forcing the Rams to call a timeout. Sophomore Taylor Simpson contributed 41 assists, and the Buffs came out on top with a 15-8 final score. 

Not only did the Buffs pull off a major comeback to win their match against one of their biggest rivals, but they did so in front of the largest crowd in 15 years for a volleyball match and the third biggest crowd of all time. Players were moved by the amount of support the student body demonstrated at Friday night’s game. 

“We really just wanted to fight for our fans and fight for everybody who came there and even fight for each other and ourselves. So I think that once we really realized that and kind of fed off the energy that was in the gym that really helped us turn it around,” Hart said in an interview.

Up next, the Buffs will play against Utah at Utah Thursday at 7 p.m. and will return home to play against Arizona State Sunday at 1 p.m. 

Friday’s nail-biting match against CSU has captured the attention of Colorado fans as the Buffs continue their season. Entering the regular season in the PAC 12 conference will put the Buffs to the test, but pulling off one of the biggest wins in program history sets the team up for an exciting rest of the season.