Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Arizona
No. 18 Rams tame Wildcats in 3
11/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 9, 2007
TUCSON, Ariz. - After a dominating performance on the block, the No. 18 CSU volleyball team defeated the Arizona Wildcats in three games (30-28, 30-27,30-28) in front of a crowd of 747 at the McKale Center. Jaime Strauss had a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs, while Mekana Barnes hit .381 with 10 kills.
After the Rams got off to an early 7-2 lead in Game 1, the Wildcats came back to tie the game three times. The Rams led 25-22, but then saw Arizona storm back to tie the game at 27-27. After a CSU timeout, the Rams pulled away and finished off Game 1 with Tessa Nelson's fourth kill.
Strauss led all players in Game 1 with six kills, and Barnes chipped in with five. Each also hit without an error the first game. The Rams held a decisive advantage in the hitting category, out-swinging the Wildcats .235 to .130.
Game 2 started out similarly to Game 1, with the Rams taking an early 6-4 lead. Arizona then went on a 6-1 run spurred on by excellent defense, and led the Rams 10-7. The Wildcats would hold their three-point lead for the middle stages of the second game. Their lead did not last long, though, and a kill by Strauss gave the lead back to the Rams, 15-14. Arizona stayed close, and went on a three-point run to tie the game at 19-19. A block by Nelson and Strauss gave the Rams a 26-24 lead, which they would never relinquish for the rest of the game. After the Wildcats saved two game points by the Rams, a block by Tonya Mokelki and Nelson ended the game, 30-27.
Blocking was the difference through two games, as the Rams combined for 20 block assists compared to the Wildcats' six. CSU also continued to hold its nearly 100-point hitting advantage through two games. The Rams came out firing on all cylinders to start Game 3, taking leads of 4-1 and 8-3. CSU extended its lead after a Strauss ace gave the Rams a 15-8 advantage. Led by continued solid blocking, the Rams held a four-point lead for the middle stages of the third game. Nelson's eighth kill of the game gave the Rams a 24-21 lead. Arizona stayed resilient late, and tied the game at 26-26 after two Wildcats combined for a block. The game was again tied at 28-28. Nelson's eighth block then gave the Rams the lead, and a hitting error by the Wildcats ended the game in favor of the Rams, 30-28.
"A huge part of our win was blocking and our defense," said Mokelki. "We competed really well thoughout the first two matches. In the third game we struggled a bit, but we came out with a win because we competed well. It was really good to get a win over a Pac-10 school."
The Rams' next match will be Monday against Air Force in the friendly confines of Moby Arena. It will be Senior Night, as the team will be honoring its two seniors, Mokelki and Amanda Fahenstock, in its last home match in Fort Collins.
