Colorado State University Athletics
Five NCAA tournament teams on 2008 CSU volleyball slate
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
May 2, 2008
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Five NCAA tournament teams, three of which were ranked in the final 2007 polls, highlight the 2008 Colorado State volleyball schedule, announced Friday by Head Coach Tom Hilbert.
"This year's schedule is one of the most exciting in recent years," said Hilbert, whose Rams bid for a 14th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance in 2008. "I have felt for a while that 2008 will be a peak year for us and this schedule reflects that. We have several high-level opponents both on the road and at home, and the Mountain West will be stingier than last year."
That stingy conference slate includes an early season home battle against BYU, Sept. 20 at Moby Arena, one of the nation's most exciting volleyball venues. Despite being swept by the Rams in a pair of 2007 matches, the Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual national champion Penn State and earning a No. 12 ranking in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
Colorado State, who has won six of the nine regular-season championships in the history of the Mountain West, also faces a steep non-conference schedule. The Rams have signed home-and-home deals with several top opponents, including Florida, the No. 8 team in last year's final AVCA poll after an appearance in the Sweet 16. The Gators, led by honorable-mention All-American libero Elyse Cusack, travel to Fort Collins for a Sept. 13 tilt.
"We wanted to create a great home schedule for this year," Hilbert said. "I think it's important to play top-quality, out-of-conference competition to test your team and keep them at the top of their game. This particular group wants great competition, especially at home."
The Rams will need that home-court advantage early, when they host Arkansas (Aug. 29), North Carolina (Sept. 12), Utah (Sept. 18) and Arizona (Oct. 4), in addition to Florida and BYU - all in the season's first five weeks.
"The first half will have several really challenging home matches," Hilbert said. "But that leaves the second half of the season with more road trips requiring a lot of mental toughness to finish in strong fashion."
One of those late-season road matches is a Nov. 28 date with New Mexico State, another NCAA tournament team, which finished No. 21 in the nation after a 26-6 campaign last year. Hilbert said that non-conference contest, the day after Thanksgiving in Albuquerque, N.M., was necessary because the Mountain West will no longer hold a postseason tournament.
"We needed an away trip on Thanksgiving weekend," he said. "That will give us an exciting match on a neutral court just prior to the NCAA tournament."
The Rams (23-8, 13-3 MWC last year) will close the regular season with a second game in Albuquerque, against Virginia Commonwealth Nov. 29.
Earlier in the year, the Rams will travel to Corvallis, Ore., to participate in the Asics Classic, a four-team tournament that includes a Sept. 5 contest against Pepperdine, another NCAA tournament qualifier. The Rams will host the Asics competition, a three-year event, in 2009.
"There are several perennial powers in the event," Hilbert said, "so it will be fun and difficult."
