Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
UNLV
Volleyball downs Rebels in four
9/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2007
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Ram volleyball team continues to lead the Mountain West Conference after a 3-1 (30-25, 30-27, 23-30, 30-28) victory over UNLV Saturday afternoon. Colorado State felt right at home in Moby Arena, winning its ninth-straight home match. Jaime Strauss led the Rams with 23 kills and eight digs.
Hitting was the story as the Rams hit .500, while holding UNLV to -.083, through the 14-7 mark of the first game. CSU extended their lead to seven points, holding that margin to the 20-12 mark. The Rebels went on a four-point run but got no closer than 25-20. The Rams won Game 1 on a kill by Tessa Nelson, 30-25.
CSU hit .255 lead by Strauss with five kills in the game. The Rams held the advantage on the block 5-1. Danielle Minch added four kills for CSU.
The Rebels used the momentum from the first game to keep things close in Game 2, staying within one point at 11-10. The Rams rattled off three straight points, forcing the UNLV timeout at 14-10. The Rebels closed the gap out of the timeout, getting to within one-point and staying there. UNLV tied the game at 18 despite hitting just .167 to that point. Strauss put the Rams up one with a vicious cross-court kill. The Rebels bounced back, tying the game again. Smart hitting and blocking put CSU up two. Strauss again lit up the court with two kills on hard swings followed up but a gentle dump behind the block to get the Rams a three-point lead. The Rebels battled back, getting to within two-points, before calling a timeout as the Rams prepared for game-point with the score 29-27. Mekana Barnes punctuated the game with a kill off the block for the 30-27 win.
The Rams hit .400 in Game 2 with just four team errors. Strauss notched six kills, putting her in double-figures for the match. Tonya Mokelki matched the effort by Strauss with six kills of her own. CSU again controlled the net with five blocks.
Out of the break, the Rebels made adjustments that put the Rams behind in Game 3. CSU got within three points at 10-13 but UNLV took off, extending its lead to as many as nine points. The Rams made a late run, scoring four points on the Rebels game-point, but UNLV won the third game on a kill by Brittani Lumsden.
Service errors plagued both sides to begin the fourth game. The game stayed close before the Rams put together a string of three points for the 10-7 lead. UNLV cut the lead to one and tied it with a pair of service aces. The Rebels took the lead but Mokelki killed the ball from the right to tie the game once more. CSU pulled ahead by four points but the Rebels again closed the gap, tying the game at 17. The teams continued to play it close, trading points. The Rams scored two points of kills by Barnes to take a 23-21 lead and force the UNLV timeout. The Rebels dug in to tie the game. Strauss came through for CSU again, hitting an off-speed set for the kill. UNLV had an error making the score 27-25. The Rebels got a kill off the block to get within one. Minch, who had been quiet through much of games three and four, killed the ball from the left for two-point Ram lead. UNLV had a kill then a lucky serve that rolled down the net to tie the game. CSU won the game and the match on a kill by Barnes.
CSU finished the match hitting .297 with 75 kills. Joining Strauss in double-figure kills were Barnes and Minch with 13 each. Mokelki added 12 kills and five blocks. Ashley Fornstrom finished the night with 60 assists and 10 digs, her seventh double-double of the season. Fornstrom also added six kills, tying a season high, on .600 hitting. Katelin Batten led the Rams with 17 digs.
