Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
BYU
Rams upset No. 17 Cougars in Provo
9/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 22, 2007
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PROVO, Utah - Volleyball fans in Provo got more than their money's worth as the Colorado State volleyball team upset the No. 17 Cougars in exciting fashion with four of the games going longer than regulation in the Rams 3-2 (34-32, 33-31, 29-31, 22-30, 15-9) win. Jaime Strauss had a career night with 30 kills and a season-high 21 digs. Ashley Fornstrom set a new career high with the fourth best performance in assists in a five-game match in CSU history with 80 assists.
CSU(8-4, 3-1 MWC) opened the match ready to play with a strong kill by the fiery Tonya Mokelki. From there the match was the predicted battle with the serve changing sides every play. Mokelki was a key factor for CSU as she scored seven of the first eight points. BYU took a two-point lead on a pair of long rallies but it was short-lived as Mekana Barnes got them back to even at 11 with a pair of blocks. The Cougars again clawed out a lead 16-13 after three straight kills. The Rams chipped away at the lead cutting it to one on a kill by Jaime Strauss before the serve again traded sides for the next several points. CSU made a three-point swing happen with the assistance of Katelin Batten's coverage which allowed the Rams to take multiple swings for the 27-25 lead. BYU answered with a sideout and a block to bring the score back to even.
Match-point one for the Cougars ended with the block by Barnes and setter Ashley Fornstrom. The second match-point was thwarted by a Strauss kill before the block by Tessa Nelson and Fornstrom gave CSU their first match-point opportunity. The second chance for the Rams was ended by a BYU block. CSU grabbed their third match point on a block, setting up the failed dump by the Cougars for the Game 1 win 34-32.
The game featured 17 ties and six lead changes. The Rams were led by Strauss who had nine kills on .368 hitting. Barnes added six kills and three blocks for CSU. Batten had eight digs while Strauss added seven.
The Rams pulled momentum from the previous rallies to build a 4-1 lead and force an early Cougar timeout. CSU went for the power, drilling balls from every front row position. Nelson had back-to-back kills from the right to give the Rams a seven-point margin. Defense continued to lead to offense as CSU took control in Game 2. The Cougars were able to battle back, cutting the advantage to two points before tying the game at 11 with a pair of blocks. The Rams quickly found themselves at a three-point disadvantage and the Cougars were able to extend the lead to five. The run was broken on a missed serve by BYU. The Rams began to get back into rhythm behind the service of Barnes and hitting by Strauss. CSU retied the game at 27 points.
The Cougars again got the first chance at a game point but the kill by freshman Danielle Minch followed by the ace by Batten brought the game back even. Barnes killed the ball on a slide to give CSU a game point of its own. BYU battled back to a second shot at game point with a pair of left-side kills. Minch again tied the score, setting up the kill by Barnes for another game point for the Rams. Barnes sealed the deal in Game 2 with a decisive down-ball over three blockers.
Strauss continued to be the key factor for CSU as she added eight digs and four kills.
Game 3 found the Rams again establishing an early lead (5-2) and the Cougars responding with a short run. CSU was able to fend off the initial onslaught and keep a one-point advantage. Fornstrom began setting the very efficient left-side hitters, notching four straight points. The Cougars rattled off a string of kills off the CSU block to take a two-point lead 13-11. The Rams broke the BYU service and tied the game with two more kills by Strauss. With Fornstrom serving, CSU scored three more points, including an ace, to force a Cougar timeout.
The teams traded points with the Rams holding the tentative one-point lead. BYU took a timeout to settle things down which only benefited the Rams who went on a 4-1 run. The Cougars answered with four points of their own to tie the score at 27. The Cougars were again the first team to 29 points and CSU got the needed pair of points to tie the game at 29. BYU got to 30 first and were able to finish on a controversial call at the net.
CSU had 21 team kills in Game 4 led by Minch. Strauss had a game-leading eight digs and four kills.
Momentum was in the Cougars direction as the fourth game opened and they took an early lead, 12-6. The Rams looked flat as BYU extended the lead to ten points. CSU was unable to pull closer and finished the game hitting .259 with just 12 kills.
After faltering in Game 4, the Rams came out on the attack in the deciding game opening up a 2-0 lead to start things. BYU was not about to give in tying the score at three then taking the lead. CSU answered with the fire from Mokelki and a well timed block to tie the score. Barnes sent the ball straight down in the middle of BYU's side and Batten followed it up with a service ace for a CSU 8-6 lead at the side change. Barnes didn't change styles as she changed sides as she killed the ball hard again. The Rams held a six-point advantage before the Cougars rallied to within four at 9-13. Strauss proved they really wanted it as she won the game and the match with back-to-back kills.
The Rams return to the friendly confines of Moby Arena to face San Diego State Thursday at 7 p.m.
