Match notes: Rams close regular season at New Mexico State

Nov. 24, 2011

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Match 28: (RV) Colorado State at New Mexico State
Saturday, 12 p.m. MT

Series vs. the Aggies . . .
• CSU holds an 18-10 advantage over New Mexico State.
• NMSU was CSU’s sixth-ever opponent, as the rivalry dates back to 1976, a 2-0 NMSU win.
• Although the teams competed in the same conference during the 1970s and 1980s, the Rams and Aggies have met just three times since 1990.
• Tom Hilbert is 2-1 against NMSU, but lost in the most recent meeting, a 3-1 setback during the final regular-season match of the 2009 season.
• CSU is 5-4 all-time in Las Cruces, last sweeping the Aggies in 1989.
• Angie Knox recorded 31 kills against NMSU in 1986, the most kills ever in a three-set match.
• CSU tallied 27.5 total blocks—including 18 solo stuffs—in a match against NMSU in 1983, the fourth-most in program history.

With a win . . .
• The Rams will reach 23 wins for the fifth consecutive season.
• It will be CSU’s fifth consecutive win.
• It will be the third time this season CSU has had a winning streak of five or more matches.
• All five wins will have come in the state of New Mexico.
• It will be CSU’s longest win streak entering the NCAA tournament since 2004, when the Rams won their final six matches entering the tournament; CSU has dropped a match in the last weekend of the regular season each of the past five seasons and lost in the MW tournament in 2005.

Mountain West champions
The Rams swept their way through the 2011 Mountain West Volleyball Championship, earning the program’s fifth tournament championship in 10 years. On Nov. 18, CSU swept Air Force in the quarterfinals, hitting .405 and putting up 10 service aces in the win. In the semifinals, CSU took on Wyoming, with the Rams getting revenge for their loss to the Cowgirls in October, sweeping Wyoming and advancing to the finals against No. 7 UNLV. From there, CSU rolled to its fifth tournament championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

Championship highlights
• CSU has now won five MW tournament championships, more than any other team.
• The Rams joined Utah’s 2001 championship team as the only two programs to not drop a set in the tournament, going 9-0.
• The No. 1 seed has advanced to the finals eight times in the championship’s 10-year history, but CSU became just the second No. 1 seed to win it all. The Rams also did it in 2003.
• Senior Katelyn Steffan was named the tournament’s MVP (her third tournament MVP honor of the season), while teammates Dana Cranston and Brieon Paige were named to the all-tournament team, and Izzy Gaulia was selected as the tournament’s outstanding libero.
• With the win, CSU claimed the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. The Rams will play in the tournament for the 17th consecutive season in 2011.
• The tournament title was CSU volleyball’s 16th overall conference championship, more than any other sport at CSU. Volleyball was previously tied with football at 15.

Individual recognitions
At the Mountain West awards dinner on Nov. 17, Head Coach Tom Hilbert and five players were honored for their performance throughout the 2011 season. Dana Cranston, Brieon Paige and Katelyn Steffan were each named to the all-Mountain West team for the first time, while junior Megan Plourde earned her third honor. Redshirt freshman Deedra Foss was named the league’s newcomer of the year while Steffan took home the top honor, being named the 2011 player of the year. It marks the eighth time in the league’s 13-year history that a CSU player has been named as the player of the year.

Hilbert was also recognized, winning his eighth coach of the year trophy. All selections were decided by the league’s eight coaches.

Selection Show
There’s no question on whether or not the Rams will be in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The only question now is who the Rams will play and when. Be the first to know by attending the Beach House on Sunday, Nov. 27, to watch the Selection Show. Fans can arrive at 3:15 to hear Coach Hilbert talk prior to the selection. Then, at 4 p.m. MT, the broadcast will be shown on ESPNU. The upper level of the Beach House will be reserved for Ram fans to watch the announcement, and find out who and where the Rams will be playing.

Back to back to back
Two weeks prior to the Rams’ tournament championship, CSU earned a three-set win over Wyoming, and less than 24 hours later TCU fell on the road, giving the Rams their third straight MW regular-season title. Since the conference formed in 1999, CSU has won nine regular-season championships and five tournament titles. It marks the third straight season that the Rams have led the conference wire-to-wire. In all, CSU has won 16 conference championships (including 1985 HCAC and 1998 WAC), more conference championships than any sport at the university.

Sweet 17
With CSU’s tournament championship, the Rams will play in their 17th consecutive NCAA tournament. In 2010, CSU beat Cal State Fullerton in a memorable come-from-behind rally in the opening round before falling to host and No. 3 Stanford the following night. In the 16 years, CSU has gone 17-16 in the tournament, advancing to the Regional Semifinal five times.

About New Mexico State
The Aggies enter Saturday’s matchup against the Rams 22-8, falling to No. 3 Hawaii on Wednesday in the WAC finals. New Mexico State finished the regular season tied for second in the WAC, and is led by Meredith Hays’ 4.29 kills per set. Kelsey Brennan also is an offensive force, hitting .360 and averaging 2.75 kills per set. Hays’ average ranks 24th nationally, while Brennan’s ranks 33rd.

Top in the nation
Junior middle blocker Megan Plourde has already established herself as one of the best blockers in program history. She finished 2010 ranked No. 2 in the country with an average of 1.62 blocks per set, and set a conference record with 19 total blocks in a NCAA tournament win over Cal State Fullerton last December.

But after outstanding blocking in the MW tournament, Plourde moved into the top spot, becoming the nation’s best blocker in 2011, averaging 1.66 blocks per set. She has led the Rams in blocking on 19 occasions this season, and her current average would be the highest ever among CSU players (currently Angela Knopf with 1.66 blocks per set in 2000).

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