Colorado State University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts #16 BYU, Utah
10/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 5, 2005
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Series History: BYU
Colorado State and BYU is the longest rivalry in CSU history. This will be the 62nd meeting between the two teams with the Cougars holding a 42-18-1 advantage. The Rams have won the last five meetings between the two teams, including all three last season and have won eight of the last 10. The Rams are 11-16 in Fort Collins and have won the last three at home.
Series History: Utah
Sunday marks the 60th meeting between Colorado State and Utah, with the Rams holding the marked 41-18 advantage in the series. The Rams are also 20-2 in Fort Collins, with one of the losses coming last season at Moby Arena. The Rams have also won eight of the last nine meetings between the two squads and were 1-1 in Moby last season, winning the Mountain West Championship against the Utes in three games. This will also be the third straight match between the two teams to be broadcast on CSTV.
Homecoming: Colorado State will celebrate Homecoming this weekend with matches against BYU and Utah on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Rams face the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday to kick off the athletic events for Homecoming week, then will face Utah in front of a national television audience at 4:00 p.m. Sunday on CSTV.
Wyoming Recap: Colorado State battled back against rival Wyoming, to win the match in five-games, 30-24, 27-30, 19-30, 30-22, 15-12 in front of a season-high 2,112 fans. Senior outside hitter Tess Rogers led the team with 14 kills and senior outside hitter Casey Bauer added 13, while both senior middle blocker Dre Downs and sophomore right-side hitter Tonya Mokelki chipped in 11 kills each. Bauer tied her career-high with 16 digs to lead the match, while junior libero Katherine Whitney tallied 13 and freshman setter Ashley Fornstrom notched a career-high 11 digs. Downs also tallied a match and career-high 12 blocks on the night.
Dre Downs, Straight Down: Dre Downs recorded a career-high 12 blocks against Wyoming, which ties for the sixth-most in a five-game match and the 12th most in school history. She becomes the first Rams since 2001 to tally 12 blocks in a match (Angela Knopf at Utah, 11/3/01). Downs 11 block assists also tie for the third-most in a five-game match and the sixth-most in school history.
For Starters: Colorado State has started Mountain West Conference play 3-0 all seven years of the league's existence. Twice the Rams have started 4-0, once 5-0, once 9-0, once 10-0 and in 2003 the Rams won all 14 conference matches.
Kat-Like Reflexes: Katherine Whitney is averaging 3.63 digs per game this season which is the fourth 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 is on pace to end the season with 320 digs, which would rank her 17th on the single-season CSU charts.
Injury Bug: Junior defensive specialist Brittany Fornstrom is listed as day-to-day with a left hamstring injury.
Block Party: All six starters for the Rams (Dre Downs, freshman middle blocker Mekana Barnes, Ashley Fornstrom, Tess Rogers, Casey Bauer and Tonya Mokelki) rank among the top 25 in the Mountain West Conference in blocks. The Rams are the only team in the league to have all six ranked. Downs leads the league with 1.65 blocks per game, while Barnes is fifth at 1.21, Fornstrom is 16th with 0.90, Rogers is 17th with 0.88, Bauer is 23rd with 0.81 and Mokelki is 24th at 0.77. The Rams lead the Mountain West with 3.65 blocks per game.
Streak of Streaks: 2005 marks the 11th straight year the Rams have had at least a five-match winning streak. In seven of the last eight years the winning streak has reached double figures and twice the streaks have been at least 20 matches long (2001-20, 2003-23). This season, the Rams have won eight straight matches.
Queen of the Block: In four of the last five matches, Dre Downs has recorded at least seven blocks. The senior -- playing in the middle for the first time in her career -- tallied eight blocks against New Mexico State, nine at San Diego State, seven at UNLV and a career-high 12 against Wyoming on Friday.
The Last Five: Over the last five matches, five of the six starters have increased their blocks per game total from their season averages. Dre Downs is blocking 2.28 per game over the last five (1.65), while Ashley Fornstrom is second on the team with 1.44 (0.90), Mekana Barnes is at 1.39 (1.21), Tess Rogers is at an even 1.00 per game (0.88) and Tonya Mokelki is at 0.94 (0.77). Season averages are in parentheses. The lone player to not have increased her blocks per game, Casey Bauer, is the only starter to have increased her kills per game from 4.14 for the season to 4.22 over the last five matches and her hitting percentage has increased from .222 to .245.
Double Time: Both senior outside hitters have recorded double figure kill totals in 11 of the 12 matches this year. Casey Bauer leads the team and the Mountain West Conference with 4.14 kills per game, while Tess Rogers is averaging 3.67 kills per game for second-best on the team and fifth in the league. Rogers now has recorded double figures in kills in 82 career matches, which is fifth most in school history and she is just eight shy of tying the school record of 90 held by Jill Johnson (1987-90). Rogers has also been in double figures in nine straight matches, while Bauer had hit double figures in six straight.
Holding Them Off: In three matches this year, the Rams have staved off game point. The Rams trailed UC Irvine in game three 29-30 and 30-31 before winning 35-33. They were also down 28-29 against New Mexico State in game one before winning 33-31. Against UNLV, the Rams faced four game points in game two, 29-30, 32-33, 33-34 and 34-35 before scoring three straight to win 37-35.
Getting It Done: When taking a 2-0 lead in a match, Colorado State has won 71 straight matches. The Rams are 147-1 since the beginning of the 1999 season (and the Mountain West), losing only the Mountain West Championship to Utah in 2001.
Helping Hands: Ashley Fornstrom now ranks fourth on the freshman assists chart with 407 this season. The freshman record for assists in a season is 1,334 by Analisa Saylor in 1994. Since Fornstrom took over the starting setting position, she has averaged 13.36 assists per game. Fornstrom also ranks fifth in blocks per game (0.90) and ninth in digs per game (1.92) on the freshman charts.
Home Sweet Home: Colorado State is currently 6-0 in the friendly confines of Moby Arena and have enjoyed great success at home, posting an all-time record of 241-65 (.788). With Tom Hilbert at the helm, the Rams are an amazing 124-14 (.899) in Moby Arena.
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.
League Leaders: Colorado State continues to lead the Mountain West in kills (16.53), assists (15.44) and blocks (3.65) per game and this week, took over the lead in digs (14.58). The Rams also rank second in hitting percentage at .238 and opponent hitting percentage (.163). Individually, Dre Downs leads the conference with 1.65 blocks per game, while Casey Bauer leads in kills per game with 4.14. Downs is also second in hitting percentage at .340. In conference matches only, the Rams lead in blocks (4.38) and opponent hitting percentage (.117) and are second in assists (14.08) and digs (13.00). Downs leads the league with 2.33 blocks per game, while Bauer leads with 4.33 kills per game. Ashley Fornstrom is second with 12.25 assists per game.
A Lot of Wins: Colorado State won the program's 600th victory against San Diego State on Sept. 22. The Rams are 602-327 in the 30th year of volleyball. The team has been through four coaches in the 30 years, with the majority of wins coming from Rich Feller (299-167) and Tom Hilbert (229-48). Since the turn of the century, the Rams have posted a 149-33 record (.819).
News & Notes:
* Colorado State has won 14 straight matches against Mountain West opponents.
* The Rams have now won eight straight matches.
* CSU has won 14 straight non-NCAA matches in Moby Arena.
* Mekana Barnes is 14 kills shy of her 100th career.
* Casey Bauer is 54 kills shy of the 600th of her career.
* Dre Downs needs just 21 kills for the 1,000th of her career. With 22 kills she will move into 16th on the CSU career charts.
* Downs is also just eight blocks shy of her 350th.
* Ashley Fornstrom is 93 assists shy of 500.
* Tonya Mokelki is 40 kills shy of her 200th.
* Mokelki needs three blocks for her 50th.
* Tess Rogers needs 85 kills to move into seventh on the career charts.
* Downs needs three solo blocks to move into 18th in school history.
* Downs is 14 block assists shy of ninth on the CSU career list.
* Downs is 36 total blocks shy of cracking the top 10 career charts.
* The 30 block assists against Wyoming ties for 19th in school history and 11th in a five-game match.
* The 20.0 total team blocks against Wyoming ties for 16th in school history and ties for seventh-most in a five-game match.
* Bauer's 10.88 attacks per game ranks fourth in school history in a single-season and her 4.14 kills per game is currently 13th.
* 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 Sept. 25, Colorado State ranks 6th in both assists per game (15.76) and blocks per game (3.61) and 8th in kills per game (16.95). Individually, Dre Downs ranks 21st in blocks per game with 1.55.
PreSeason All-Conference: Tess Rogers was named the Mountain West Conference Preseason Co-Player of the Year along with Lindsy Hartsock of BYU and Dre Downs was also named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
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. The Rams were also chosen to finish third in 2002, a year they won the regular season title. 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.
Sisters, Sisters: Ashley and Brittany Fornstrom are one of 25 sets of sisters playing volleyball at the same Division I school, and the Rams are one of 23 teams to sport at least one pair of sisters. Colorado State and Utah (Amy Tingey and Emillie Toone) are the two schools in the Mountain West Conference with sisters on the same team and Utah is the only opponent of the Rams this season to have siblings on the squad together.
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:
BYU: The Cougars come to Fort Collins with a perfect 11-0 record and a #16 national ranking. BYU is also tied for first-place in the Mountain West with the Rams, so the match is for sole possession of first. So far this season, the two teams have not had any common opponents.
The Rams have won the last five meetings between the two teams, including a 2-0 record last season in Moby Arena.
Sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Goodman leads the Cougars with 3.87 kills per game, while junior middle blocker Lindsy Hartsock is hitting a league-best .471. Senior setter Lauren Evans is averaging 12.73 assists and 0.47 aces to lead the squad in both categories, and she and Hartsock are tied for the team-lead with 1.02 blocks per game. Sophomore libero Lindsey Evans averages a team-high 3.09 digs per contest.
The Cougars are hitting .280 this season while averaging 15.30 kills, 13.85 assists, 1.57 aces, 12.96 digs and 2.35 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .171 with 12.52 kills, 11.57 assists, 1.11 aces, 11.78 digs and 1.85 blocks per game.
In conference play, Goodman leads the team with 3.76 kills per game, while Hartsock is hitting .531 and is averaging 1.18 blocks per game. Lauren Evans leads the team with 12.20 assists and 0.60 aces, while Lindsey Evans is getting 3.33 digs per game.
As a team, the Cougars are hitting .281 with 14.47 kills, 13.12 assists, 1.47 aces, 11.35 digs and 2.59 blocks per game versus conference foes. Opponents are hitting .154 with 12.12 kills, 11.24 assists, 1.06 aces, 9.18 digs and 2.24 blocks.
Head Coach Jason Watson is in his first year as head coach of the Cougars, though he was an assistant at BYU prior to taking over the head coaching duties.
Utah: Utah sports a 10-5 overall record and is 2-2 in Mountain West Conference action. They will face Wyoming before playing in Moby Arena on Sunday. The Rams and Utes have not faced any common competition this season.
Colorado State has won the last two meetings between the two teams and this will be the third straight match between the two to appear on CSTV.
Senior outside hitter Shelly Sommerfeldt leads the club with 3.53 kills per game, while freshman middle blocker Lori Baird is hitting .314 to pace the team. Freshman setter Shannon Krug is averaging 11.23 assists per game and freshman right-side hitter Airial Salvo and senior outside hitter Danielle Leichliter are both averaging 0.29 aces a contest. Sophomore libero/outside hitter Kate Robison leads with 3.10 digs per game and sophomore middle blocker Emillie Toone leads with 1.28 blocks per game.
The Utes are hitting .222 on the year, while averaging 14.95 kills, 13.56 assists, 1.25 aces, 14.36 digs and 3.26 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .154 with 13.66 kills, 12.58 assists, 1.22 aces, 15.12 digs and 2.25 blocks.
In conference matches, Sommerfeldt is getting 3.75 kills per game, while Baird is hitting .367 to lead the team. Krug is averaging 12.12 assists and both Sommerfeldt and Leichliter have four aces (0.25 per game). Robison leads the team with 3.45 digs per game and Baird is averaging a team-best 1.50 blocks per game.
Utah is hitting .242 against league foes, with 15.38 kills, 13.94 assists, 0.94 aces, 12.56 digs and 3.44 blocks per game, while opponents are hitting .134 with 12.44 kills, 11.31 assists, 1.56 aces, 12.75 digs and 2.53 blocks per game.
Beth Launiere is in her 16th season as the head coach at Utah. She has a 309-183 career record and is 3-13 against Colorado State since the beginning of the Mountain West Conference in 1999.