Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
19-1, 7-0MW
New Mexico
11-8, 4-3MW
Volleyball recap: No. 6 Rams sweep 2nd-place Lobos
10/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – No. 6 Colorado State won its 14th-straight match with a three-set sweep over second-place New Mexico Thursday night at the Johnson Center (25-17, 25-23, 25-22). The win streak is the fourth-longest in the NCAA, while CSU’s 25-match road winning streak leads the nation.
"I'm just proud of my players, because I think we competed really, really well at critical times," Head Coach Tom Hilbert said.
Junior opposite hitter Adrianna Culbert, the reigning espnW National Player of the Week, had 12 kills on .409 hitting, also adding nine digs. Senior outside hitter Marlee Reynolds led all players with 13 kills.
“This was as well as Dri has ever played," Hilbert said. "She’s great when she’s moving around and really into it. She was flying around, getting kills, digging balls and doing all the things we wanted her to do. I was super pleased.”
In the three-set win, senior setter Deedra Foss had a double-double with 38 assists and 10 digs, junior libero Jaime Colaizzi had 15 digs and junior defensive specialist Kaitlind Bestgen had three service aces.
New Mexico (11-8, 4-3 MW) entered the match holding opponents to .138 hitting – eighth in the nation – but CSU (19-1, 7-0 MW) hit .208. The Lobos hit .066, with Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year being limited to nine kills on .080 efficiency.
“We did a good job against Chantale," Hilbert said. "I thought she was put in some precarious situations and made some more errors than you would think. We were also digging her pretty well. Our defense played great all night."
The Rams took a 6-2 lead behind the serving of Bestgen, which turned to 13-7 midway through the first set, forcing New Mexico’s second timeout. At that point, the Lobos had just two kills and were being out-hit, .333 to -.087. They would get to within three, 17-14, but the Rams would close on an 8-3 run to win Set 1, 25-17.
The match would tighten up after the first frame, with sets 2 and 3 being decided by five total points.
New Mexico jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set and led by as many as six, 11-5, but CSU chipped away to tie the score (16-16), take its first lead (17-16) and go up by four (20-16) using a 7-0 run. The Lobos would tie the score at 20-20 before sophomore middle blocker Acacia Andrews gave the Rams the lead for good with a kill. New Mexico stayed close, but CSU remained one step ahead, winning the set, 25-23, on Culbert’s 10th kill of the match.
The run again came behind the serving of Bestgen, who had back-to-back aces. Of the seven points, Andrews had the only kill. The first four points came on New Mexico attack errors. The Lobos had nine in the set, hitting just .067, and 24 for the match.
The final frame saw 14 ties and four lead changes. A 4-0 run gave the Rams a 16-12 lead – including their first multi-point advantage – but New Mexico responded with four-straight of its own to tie the score at 16-16.
The set was tied at the next three points, as well, but back-to-back Lobos errors gave CSU a 21-19 lead. Moments later, leading 23-22, the Rams closed the match with kills from Reynolds and freshman outside hitter Jasmine Hanna.
“It was a great, competitive effort by our team to win tight sets at the end," Hilbert said. "You saw a lot of people making great plays. Our team has incredible composure."
CSU has now won 14-straight sets, one shy of tying its season high. The loss is just New Mexico’s second of the season on its home court (7-2), the other coming to No. 2 Texas.
“This is a team (New Mexico) who’s going to win a lot of its matches at home,” Hilbert said. “You get a road win here and it sets you apart from people. We’re staying consistent, and I’m super happy about it.”
The Rams have a quick turnaround, immediately bussing to Colorado Springs, Colo. CSU will play Air Force (9-12, 3-4 MW) Friday evening at 6 p.m. MT.
