Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
21-1, 9-0MW
Boise State
12-9, 5-4MW
Volleyball recap: No. 6 CSU sweeps Boise State
10/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – No. 6 Colorado State volleyball swept Boise State Thursday night at Moby Arena (25-18, 30-28, 25-15), winning its 16th-straight match and 20th set in a row. Senior outside hitter Marlee Reynolds led the Rams' offense with 14 kills on .423 hitting. Three other players were in double figures for kills, while CSU (21-1, 9-0 MW) totaled a season-most nine team aces.
The win not only extends CSU’s season streaks, but also improves the Rams to 10-0 all-time against Boise State (12-9, 5-4 MW), winning all 30 sets.
“We were serving tougher, being more aggressive and creating some opportunities,” Head Coach Tom Hilbert said. “We’re winning games because we’re defending well and converting digs into kills.”
Led by Reynolds, CSU totaled 51 kills – including 19 each in sets 1 and 2. Senior setter Deedra Foss had 40 assists, helping the Rams hit .319 for the night. Junior opposite hitter Adrianna Culbert had a double-double for the fifth time this season, finishing with 12 digs and 10 kills on .562 efficiency. She also had a team-high-tying four blocks.
“I’m definitely seeing the court better,” Reynolds said about her fourth-straight match in double figures for kills. “I’m a little more comfortable with hitting different shots. Our legs are feeling a lot fresher, so I’m feeling really springy, and I’m able to get up and hit over the blocker and hit it high off their hands.”
In addition to Foss’ 40 assists, the senior added nine digs and two service aces. CSU as a team had nine aces, including three from junior Kaitlind Bestgen, and two each from Kelsey Snider (wo also had 10 kills) and Jaime Colaizzi (who added 10 digs).
The nine aces were the most by a Rams team since Sept. 6, 2013 vs. Virginia. Bestgen leads the Mountain West for aces per set, and has eight in her past nine sets played.
While CSU swept the match, neither of the first two frames would come easy. Boise State led the opener by as many as five – 9-4 – and held a 12-8 advantage before a Snider kill got the Rams going. With Culbert serving, CSU took five points in a row – all on CSU kills – giving the Rams their first lead of the set, 13-12.
The two teams were tied from 13-13 to 15-15, but a Reynolds kill at 16-15 put CSU on top for good. The kill was the first during a 5-0 CSU run. Overall, the Rams closed the set on a 17-6 run.
The Broncos also led the second set, including late at 20-18. Again, though, the Rams were able to rally, and again, it came behind the serving of Culbert. A 5-0 run put CSU on top, 23-20, its largest lead of the set, before Boise State would come back to tie the score at 23-23.
The Rams held set point following a Snider kill, but Boise State fought it off and held its own set points at 26-25 and 28-27. A Broncos attack error tied the score at 28-28, and Culbert gave the Rams the lead with her fifth kill of the set. Another long attack by the Broncos ended it, giving CSU a 30-28 Set-2 victory, the highest-scoring set since Sept. 17, 2010 vs. Long Beach State.
“We’ve been in that close situation so many times that it’s second nature to us,” Culbert said.
CSU never trailed in the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead on back-to-back aces from Foss and limiting the Broncos to .033 hitting.
“That was a really competitive test for my team,” Hilbert said. “To battle through that second set and win, that was really good. This team has been winning close sets, and I’m proud of them. I’m proud of them as people and who they are. They’re competitors, and it’s really nice to see.”
The Rams will play their annual Pink Out match Saturday at noon vs. Utah State. Fans are encouraged to join the team in wearing pink in order to raise awareness for breast cancer prevention. Also during the match, CSU will welcome back more than 40 former players as part of Alumni Weekend.
“We were really tired after the first third of the year, and we’re just starting to get our legs back,” Hilbert said. “We’re starting to see these guys play really nice and physical, and it’s really good.”
