Wichita State Athletics

BOULDER, Colo. – Wichita State volleyball dropped its first road test of the season, falling to No. 23-ranked Colorado, 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19), in its first match of the Buffs Invitational Friday evening at the CU Events Center.
 
The Shockers (2-2) battled throughout the match, but Colorado (4-0), used a strong offensive performance to remain unbeaten on the season. The Buffaloes hit .312 as a team and finished with 10 total blocks, compared to a .108 hitting percentage and three blocks for Wichita State.
 
McKenzie Jones led the Shockers with nine kills on 28 attacks, while Allie Paulsen delivered an efficient performance with seven kills on 10 swings without an error, hitting .700. Maddie Wilson added five kills and seven points, while Olivia Cohee chipped in four kills.
 
Addie Oeth and Jordan Heatherly directed the Wichita State offense with 14 and 13 assists, respectively, while Gabi Maas paced the back row with 11 digs. Oeth also tied for a match-high three service aces.
 
Colorado's Ana Burilović led all players with 16 kills on 35 attacks while hitting .400.
 
Colorado jumped out to an early lead in the opening set before the Shockers mounted a comeback. Wichita State used a strong serving stretch from Addie Oeth to pull even at 13-13 after trailing by as many as four. The Buffaloes answered with a 4-0 run and eventually closed the set, 25-18.
 
The Shockers came out aggressively in the second set, taking an early 5-1 advantage behind kills from Wilson, Cohee and Paulsen, again while Oeth was serving. Colorado worked its way back into the set, going on a 7-1 run to take an 11-8 lead. Wichita State tied it up at 12-all, but the Buffs went on another run, scoring six-straight, including back-to-back aces by Tinons Munar Galmes. The Shockers again battled back to within three at 24-21 following a successful challenge, but Colorado closed out the set on the next point.
 
Wichita State grabbed an early advantage in the third, racing to a 3-0 lead while freshman Brea Martin served. Colorado responded with seven-straight points and maintained control the rest of the way to remain undefeated through all 12 sets of its 2026 season.
 
Wichita State returns to action Saturday against Northern Colorado at 2 p.m. CT in Boulder.