Colorado State University Athletics
Volleyball Plays Three in Five Days
10/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 20, 2005
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Long Road Trip: Colorado State begins a four-match road trip this week. The Rams will play at Air Force on Friday, at New Mexico on Saturday then at TCU on Tuesday before returning to Fort Collins on Wed. The time at home is short-lived however, as the Rams play the second installment of the Border War at Wyoming on Friday, Oct. 28.
Texas Tech Recap: Hitting a season-high .347 as a team and behind a season-high nine service aces, Colorado State swept Texas Tech in Moby Arena 30-22, 30-17, 30-20. Freshman middle blocker Mekana Barnes tied her career-high with a match-leading 12 kills and hit .474 for the match. She also led the team with six blocks. The three seniors on the team, Casey Bauer, Dre Downs and Tess Rogers all recorded nine kills and Rogers had no hitting errors in 20 swings for a .450 hitting efficiency. Freshman setter Ashley Fornstrom recorded a career-high three aces and had two solo blocks and four total on the afternoon. Junior libero Katherine Whitney also led the team with 11 digs.
Aceless: The match against Texas Tech on Saturday marked the first time this season the Rams did not allow an opponent to have an ace serve and the first time since Nov. 20, 2004 against Idaho. The Rams, on the flip side, recorded a season-high nine aces against the Red Raiders.
How Grand: The second point of the first game against Texas Tech was a kill for Dre Downs, marking her 1,000th career kill. She becomes the 17th player in school history to pass the one grand mark and is now 16th on the career charts with 1,008 kills. She also becomes the third player in the Mountain West this season to surpass 1,000 kills and the 17th player in league history, with six being Rams.
Brick Wall: Colorado State is now averaging 4.45 blocks per game in conference matches, which would be a new Mountain West Conference record, breaking the former record of 4.12 held by the 1999 BYU team. The 3.81 per game average against all opponents would also break the school record of 3.53 per game from the 2001 season. Through matches on Oct. 9, the Rams ranked third in blocks in the NCAA, with a 3.79 per game average.
Dinner Time: Ashley Fornstrom served seven straight points for the Rams in game one against Texas Tech, marking the longest serving stretch this season. In game three, she served six straight, which ties for the second longest stretch this season with her sister, junior defensive specialist Brittany Fornstrom. There are also six who have served five straight this year.
Taking The Handoff: Colorado State starts three seniors in Casey Bauer, Dre Downs and Tess Rogers. The seniors are accounting for 64.8 percent of the team's kills, along with 32.8 of the team's aces, 30.0 percent of the digs and 52.3 percent of the blocks. On the flip side, the trio of freshmen (Mekana Barnes, Ashley Fornstrom and Jaime Strauss) are averaging 17.4 percent of the kills, 25.0 percent of the aces, 27.3 percent of the digs and 33.3 percent of the blocks.
Passing Fancy: Katherine Whitney has passed 302 serves in the first 15 matches this season and has been aced just eight times for a 97.4 reception percentage. The junior has also passed 97 straight serves without an error, dating back to game three against Wyoming on Sept. 30.
Building Blocks: In conference play, Dre Downs is averaging 2.35 blocks per game to lead the league. Ashley Fornstrom ranks third with 1.50 per game and Mekana Barnes is averaging 1.30 to rank fifth. Downs is averaging 1.03 more blocks per game in conference matches than non-conference, while Fornstrom has increased her blocks from 0.77 in non-conference.
Leaps and Bounds: Tess Rogers and Dre Downs have already climbed up the career charts quite a bit in the first half of the season. Rogers has moved up six spots on the solo blocks chart from 14th to eighth with 64 solo stops. She has climbed five spots in the career attacks chart to sixth with 3,278 and has moved up four spots on the career kills chart to eighth with 1,381. Downs has moved up eight spots on the block assists chart to eighth with 321, up six spots to 12th in blocks per game with 0.98, up five in total blocks to 12th with 363 and up three spots in career kills to 16th with 1,008.
Kat-Like Reflexes: Katherine Whitney is averaging 3.76 digs per game this season which is the third highest single-season average in school history and the second highest average by a libero. The school record is 3.90 digs per game held by libero Lindsey Kerr from 2002. Whitney has now tallied double figure digs in the last five matches and in 11 of the last 12 and ranks fourth in the Mountain West both against all opponents and in conference matches.
Home Sweet Home: Colorado State is currently 8-1 in the friendly confines of Moby Arena and have enjoyed great success at home, posting an all-time record of 243-66 (.786). With Tom Hilbert at the helm, the Rams are an amazing 126-15 (.894) in Moby Arena.
Getting It Done: When taking a 2-0 lead in a match, Colorado State has won 72 straight matches. The Rams are 148-1 since the beginning of the 1999 season (and the Mountain West), losing only the Mountain West Championship to Utah in 2001.
Back In Action: Junior defensive specialist Brittany Fornstrom returned to play against Texas Tech on Saturday. She missed two matches after injuring her left hamstring against Wyoming on Sept. 30. Fornstrom recorded five digs and one ace in two games against the Red Raiders.
Setting The Table: Ashley Fornstrom ranks fourth on the freshman assists chart with 540 this season and is just 155 away from third. The freshman record for assists in a season is 1,334 by Analisa Saylor in 1994. Fornstrom also ranks fifth in blocks per game (1.06) and ninth in digs per game (1.88) on the freshman charts, while her 10.80 assists per game ranks third. On the career charts, Fornstrom ranks seventh in assists per game at 10.80 and 11th in total assists with her 540.
The Barnes Supremacy: Mekana Barnes already ranks seventh on the freshman block assists record with 62 and is eighth in total blocks with 68. Her 1.28 blocks per game ranks second and she is on pace to end the season with 128 blocks, which would put her third on the all-time freshman lists and would give her more than current school career leader Angela Knopf (1998-2001), who tallied 120 as a freshman.
Swinging Away: Twice this season, Colorado State has had less than 10 unforced hitting errors in a match. Against Texas Tech, the Rams committed just three hitting errors, while at San Diego State (Sept. 22), the Rams had five unforced hitting errors.
Snapped: Tess Rogers had her streak of consecutive double figure kill matches stopped at 11 against Texas Tech. Two other times in her career the senior has had streaks of 12 straight.
Honored: Casey Bauer was named the Mountain West Player of the Week after leading the Rams to a pair of victories at San Diego State and UNLV. For the week, Bauer averaged 5.57 kills and 2.71 digs per game, while hitting .360 (39-8-86). She also totaled six blocks and three aces, earning her first career award.
Conference Career Leaders: With her last kill against Texas Tech, Tess Rogers moved into fourth all-time in career kills in the Mountain West Conference. She now has 1,381, passing BYU's Nina Puikkonen (1999-01). Rogers is 45 shy of passing former Ram standout Courtney Cox, who had 1,425 in the MWC (1999-01). In conference only matches, Rogers is the only active player ranked in the top 10, ranking fifth with 577 kills.
League Leaders: Colorado State continues to lead the Mountain West in kills (16.20), assists (15.09) and blocks (3.81) per game. The Rams also rank second in hitting percentage (.230). Individually, Dre Downs leads the conference with 1.70 blocks per game and Casey Bauer is second in kills per game with 3.94. In conference matches only, the Rams lead in blocks (4.45) and are third in opponent hitting percentage (.136) and assists (13.90). Downs leads the league with 2.35 blocks per game, while Ashley Fornstrom ranks third in both blocks (1.50) and assists (12.05) and Bauer is third in kills (3.90).
News & Notes:
* Mekana Barnes recorded her 100th kill against Texas Tech and now has 109.
* Casey Bauer needs 19 kills for the 600th in her career and 17 digs for her 300th.
* Dre Downs is 37 blocks shy of 400 for her career.
* Ashley Fornstrom needs just six digs for the 100th of her career and is 60 assists shy of 600.
* Junior right-side hitter Tonya Mokelki is 15 kills shy of her 200th career kill.
* Katherine Whitney notched her 350th dig at CSU and now has 351 and she also tallied her 700th career dig against Texas Tech.
* Whitney's next ace will be the 100th of her career (has 31 at CSU).
* Jaime Strauss is 26 digs shy of her 100th.
* Tess Rogers needs 19 kills for the 1,400th of her career and she is 42 kills shy of moving into seventh on the CSU career charts.
* Downs needs 59 kills to move into 15th on the career charts, two solo blocks to move into 18th, 11 blocks assists to move into 7th, 13th total blocks to move into 11th and 15 total blocks to crack the top 10.
* Fornstrom is 155 assists shy of moving into 10th on the CSU career charts.
* Colorado State is a perfect 15-0 against Air Force, 14-0 against New Mexico, 14-0 against UNLV and 13-0 against Wyoming since the inception of the Mountain West.
Nationally Ranked: In the NCAA statistics through Oct. 9, Colorado State ranks 3rd in blocks per game (3.79), 13th in assists per game (15.16) and 25th in kills per game (16.27). Individually, Dre Downs ranks 8th in blocks per game with 1.76.
Going The Distance: Colorado State is 2-1 in five-game matches this season, and a perfect 2-0 at home. Since head coach Tom Hilbert joined the team in 1997, the Rams are 12-5(.706) in Moby in five-game matches with three of those losses coming either in the Mountain West or NCAA Tournament. Overall, the Rams are 23-11 in five-game matches in Hilbert's tenure (.676).
Streaks: Colorado State has won nine straight matches when recording more kills than the opponent, dating back to the loss at Denver on Sept. 6. The Rams have also won 10 straight matches where they have recorded a higher hitting percentage. The last time the Rams hit better than an opponent and lost was against Northern Iowa in the Pepperdine Classic on Sept. 3.
Picked Third: CSU was chosen by the Mountain West coaches and selected media to finish third in the regular season race in the preseason poll. CSU has won at least a share of the last five regular season titles in the Mountain West Conference, with the first year of the league, 1999, being the only season the Rams have not had their hands on a regular season title. The Rams have also won the last two Mountain West Conference Tournament titles.
Tuesdays With Tom: Join head coach Tom Hilbert, along with a player or two, every Tuesday morning at 7:00 a.m. at the Hilton. Learn the inside scoop on the previous week, the upcoming matches and obscure statistics and strategies.
Scouting The Opposition:
Air Force: The Falcons are 4-18 on the year and 0-8 in Mountain West Conference play. Air Force has lost 10 consecutive matches and 13 of its last 14.
Senior middle blocker Kristin Hamlett leads Air Force with 3.22 kills per game, while middle blocker Brooke Akers is hitting a team-best .240. Hamlett also leads the team with 0.88 blocks per game. Setter Carly Siefken leads the team with 9.67 assists and 2.32 digs per game, while defensive specialist Kim Kallabis leads with 0.35 aces per game.
Air Force is hitting .125 as a team with 12.14 kills, 10.96 assists, 1.57 aces, 13.01 digs and 1.85 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .222 with 15.04 kills, 13.64 assists, 1.89 aces, 14.93 digs and 2.34 blocks per game.
In conference matches, Akers leads the squad in kills per game with 3.52, hitting percentage at .264 and blocks per game at 0.90. Siefken is averaging 8.77 assists and 2.16 digs per game, while Kristina Steward has 16 aces (0.52 per game) to lead the club.
The Falcons are hitting just .096 in league play, with 10.71 kills, 9.84 assists, 1.42 aces, 10.87 digs and 1.58 blocks per game. Conference foes are hitting .270 with 15.94 kills, 14.58 assists, 2.23 aces, 14.42 digs and 2.32 blocks per game.
Penny Lucas-White is in her 10th season with the Falcons and sports a record of 73-198. She is in her 15th season as a head coach with a career record of 168-270. Lucas-White is 0-21 against Colorado State in her career.
New Mexico: The Lobos are currently in sixth place in the Mountain West standings with an 11-7 overall record and a 3-5 mark in league play. New Mexico dropped both matches to Utah and BYU last weekend.
Senior outside hitter Nicole Ryan is averaging a team-best 3.46 kills per game, while senior middle blocker Chelsea Sondrup leads with a .265 hitting percentage and 1.30 blocks per game. Freshman setter Sarah Kwasigroch leads with 11.07 assists per game and sophomore defensive specialist Kim Cox has a team-best 0.32 aces and 2.55 digs per game.
New Mexico is hitting .205 on the year, with 13.01 kills, 11.97 assists, 1.86 aces, 11.80 digs and 2.57 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .189 with 14.15 kills, 12.76 assists, 1.77 aces, 12.34 digs and 2.11 blocks per game.
In conference play, New Mexico has played just eight student-athletes. Ryan leads the team with 3.39 kills per game, while Sondrup is hitting .253 and averaging 1.19 blocks per game. Freshman libero Gayle Tripp leads with 2.81 digs and 0.45 aces per game and Kwasigroch is averaging 10.53 assists per game.
The Lobos are hitting .175 in league action with 12.11 kills, 11.33 assists, 1.72 aces, 11.00 digs and 2.47 blocks per game, while opponents are hitting .232 with 14.22 kills, 13.11 assists, 1.83 aces, 11.69 digs and 2.60 blocks per game.
Kelley McKee is in her fourth season at New Mexico with a record of 34-70. For her career, she is in her 13th season and sports a record of 177-174. McKee is 0-9 against CSU in her career.
TCU: In their first season in the Mountain West, the Horned Frogs are 12-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play. They are 2-1 at home and 0-3 on the road in league action.
Junior middle blocker Anna Vaughn leads the team with 3.96 kills per game, a .313 hitting percentage, 0.49 aces and 1.03 blocks per game. Freshman setter Nirelle Hampton leads with 10.24 assists per game, while Talaya Whitfield is averaging 4.17 digs a contest.
TCU is hitting .215 on the year with 14.21 kills, 13.05 assists, 2.41 aces, 14.16 digs and 2.12 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .180 with 12.64 kills, 11.16 assists, 1.56 aces, 13.07 digs and 2.35 blocks per game.
Prentice Lewis is in her fourth season with the Horned Frogs and has obtained a career record of 65-51. She has never faced Colorado State in her career.