The Colorado volleyball team acquitted itself fairly well during the demanding road trip that marked the program's competitive return to the Big 12 Conference.
Yet the Buffaloes nonetheless will return to Boulder winless after the first weekend of league play.
CU dropped a five-set decision at Utah on Sunday afternoon, with the Utes posting a 25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 18-25, 15-9 win in a reunion of former Pac-12 rivals at the Huntsman Center. The Buffaloes (7-7, 0-2 Big 12) opened conference play on Thursday with a 3-1 loss at No. 17 BYU.
The Buffs have lost three consecutive matches for the first time this season.
Utah was poised for a sweep after winning the first two sets, and the teams were locked in a 23-23 tie in the third set before CU's Ana Burilovic kept the Buffs alive with a pair of kills. CU controlled the fourth set, using runs of 4-0 and 5-1 to steadily pull away and force a decisive fifth set.
The final frame was tied 3-3 when the Utes took over, reeling off a 10-4 run before holding off the Buffs' rally attempts down the stretch.
Burilovic paced CU's offense with 18 kills, with Sydney Jordan adding 12 and Kendall Meller recording 11. Jordan added 15 digs and Burilovic recorded 14, as did Sarah Morton. Cayla Payne and Bella Simkus posted five blocks apiece.
CU faces another tough challenge when it hosts its first Big 12 match in 14 years when the Buffs take on No. 7 Kansas on Thursday at the CU Events Center (7 p.m., ESPN+).
Kills -- Colorado: Burilovic 18, Jordan 12, Meller 11, Payne 9. Utah: Gibadlo 16, Bailey 12, Olsen 11, Jardine 10.
Assists -- Colorado: Simpson 46. Utah: Hammond 25, Marco 24, Fechter 10.
Aces -- Colorado: Burilovic 3. Utah: Hammond 3.
Blocks -- Colorado: Payne 5, Simkus 5, Burilovic 3, Meller 3. Utah: Satuala 9, West 6.
Digs -- Colorado: Jordan 15, Morton 14, Burilovic 14. Utah: Fechter 19, Bailey 17, Marco 17.