Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Arizona
Rams top No. 25 Arizona for 10th consecutive win
10/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 4, 2008
By John Manuszak
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State Head Coach Tom Hilbert makes a point each season to schedule some of the best teams in the country. Saturday night, No. 25 Arizona traveled out of conference to take its shot at the Rams, and just like each of the previous 22 teams to enter Moby Arena, went home with a loss.
The No. 12 Rams (13-1, 4-0 MWC), in front of 3,252 fans at Moby Arena, extended their home winning streak to 23 matches with a 3-1 win (25-20, 29-31, 25-22, 25-19) over the Wildcats (12-3) in Fort Collins. The win gave CSU its third win in as many matches against ranked opponents this season.
“These non-conference games give us the chance to play against some of the best teams in the country, which will be a big help for us,” said Hilbert. “We can only get better by playing teams like this. It was also a treat for our fans to see such a high-level match.”
In the win, Jacque Davisson tallied a career-high with 14 kills, while Jaime Strauss (14) and Mekana Barnes (11) also tallied double-digit kills. Tessa Nelson posted nine kills while hitting .368, and Katelyn Steffan also tallied nine kills. The Rams combined for 12.5 blocks with Nelson’s six leading the way.
“Our outside hitters outplayed theirs and that is a critical thing to happen when you have a match with a lot of long rallies,” said Hilbert. “I felt this was one of Jacque’s best matches as a Ram. She stayed very consistent and only had three errors. She was very athletic and didn’t get rattled and that was really key for us.”
The two teams put on arguably the most entertaining match of the year as they went back and forth in each of the four sets.
“I can’t say enough great things about the support we’ve been getting this season and the fact that the crowd is playing a significant role in our matches,” said Hilbert. “This is one of the best environments in collegiate volleyball in the United States right now.”
After a dramatic second set that saw the Rams fight off six set points before dropping the set, the Rams took control of the match in the third set. CSU scored four of the final five points in the set and then put it away after a pair of kills by Steffan and Strauss.
CSU finished off the Wildcats for good in the fourth set thanks to a 6-1 run midway through the set. With the set tied at 12, Strauss and Davisson led the Rams offensive attack and they took an 18-13 lead. A brief Arizona run made things interesting but the Rams were just too much. Fornstrom, in addition to posting 49 assists, added a key dump and a service ace that gave the Rams 24 points, and then Steffan finished off the match with a tip that fell in between four Wildcats.
The second set featured everything but a Rams win. In that set, the Rams fought off six set points before falling 31-29. CSU gave itself life after it survived a 12-attack rally that was highlighted by a block from Nelson and Steffan. That tied the set at 23 and the two teams would battle back and forth before the Wildcats prevailed.
The Rams and Wildcats were like two heavyweight fighters in the early going as they felt each other out early in the first set. CSU, however, landed the first punch in the match as it used a 4-0 run to take a 19-16 lead in the first set. Arizona battled back but would never get any closer than two points the rest of the set and Davisson sealed the win with the final two points on emphatic kills.
Next up for the Rams is a three-match week that includes a road trip to Northern Colorado on Tuesday night followed by home MWC tilts on Thursday night (TCU) and Sunday afternoon (New Mexico). Sunday’s showdown with the Lobos will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports with first serve set for 1 p.m. MT.
Match Notes
- The win pushed the Rams’ overall winning streak to 10 matches, which is their longest winning streak since the 2006 season when CSU won 12 matches in a row from Sept. 22 - Nov. 10.
- Entering the week, the Rams ranked eighth in the country in overall attendance. Tonight’s crowd of 3,252 marked the sixth time this season that the Rams had a crowd of over 2,500.
- Hilbert moved within three wins of reaching CSU career win No. 300, which will give him the most wins in school history.
- The Rams were ranked fourth in the NCAA’s Volleyball RPI, which was released on Sept. 28. Only No. 2 Nebraska, No. 6 Stanford and No. 1 Penn State were ahead of the Rams.
