Colorado State University Athletics
Match Notes: 18th-ranked Rams open 2014 volleyball season Saturday
8/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2014
Match 1: No. 18 Colorado State vs. VCU
Saturday, Aug. 30 | 1 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena
Match 2: No. 18 Colorado State vs. UC Santa Barbara (RV)
Saturday, Aug. 30 | 7:30 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena
SCOUTING VCU
VCU is coming off a 26-8 season under first-year head coach Jody Rogers. The Rams finished one win away from an NCAA tournament berth, coming in second in the Atlantic 10 to Duquesne. VCU led the league for aces per set, and ranked second for blocks, and third for assists, kills and hitting percentage. VCU's 2.68 blocks-per-set average ranked 29th nationally in 2013, and individually, Janelle Sykes - now a senior - ranked 27th (1.33), posting a school-record 172 blocks.
VCU returns the majority of last year's production, but did lose Romana Kriskova, who ranked in the top five nationally for kills and points per set, and in the top 40 for service aces. The native of Slovakia transferred to Wisconsin after spending two years in Richmond, Va.
With Sykes leading the defense, junior Kalah Jones is expected to be the team's offensive weapon. She averaged 3.05 kills per set in 2013 and was named to the Atlantic 10 all-conference team. Senior setter Cecilia Aragao will also return to the court after missing half of last season with a torn ACL. Even with a veteran presence, VCU brings in eight newcomers.
VCU was picked to finish sixth in the 2014 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, and will challenge themselves greatly, playing nine 2013 NCAA tournament qualifiers, including five conference champions.
SERIES VS. THE RAMS
Saturday will mark the second meeting between the VCU Rams and CSU Rams. CSU defeated VCU in five sets in 2010 at Moby Arena. All-time, CSU is 3-0 in Rams-vs.-Rams matchups, also holding a 2-0 record against Rhode Island. Additionally, CSU is 3-0 against the North Carolina Tar Heels, which use a bighorn sheep as a mascot.
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
Along with Hawai'i and Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara won a share of the Big West title in 2013, and held the tiebreaker to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. The Gauchos finished the year 18-11 under new coach Nicole Lantange Welch, the 2013 Big West Coach of the Year.
UCSB returns five starters and 12 letterwinners, and looks to maintain the momentum gained from a year ago. The Gauchos were picked to finish third in the Big West preseason poll, behind Hawai'i and Long Beach State. The Gauchos earned two of eight first-place votes, and begin the year receiving top-25 votes in the AVCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll.
At the net, Phoebe Grunt and Allie Sullberg help make up a team which ranked in the top 50 nationally for blocking a year ago. Grunt - an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection - registered a league-best 1.28 blocks per set, while Sullberg - an All-Big West Freshman Team selection - placed fifth with 1.10.
On offense, UCSB welcomes back 2013 Big West Freshman of the Year Ali Spindt, who posted a 2.81 kills-per-set average. Spindt and junior Ali Barbeau were both first-team All-Big West selections last season.
While the Gauchos return the majority of last year's starters, they will need to replace libero Leah Sully, who graduated with a school-record 1,742 career digs.
SERIES VS. THE GAUCHOS
UCSB holds a 3-2 edge over CSU, but the Rams have won the two most-recent matchups, including a 3-1 decision in the Pepperdine Invitational in Malibu, Calif., last September. In that match, four players had at least nine kills, and two Rams had double-doubles (Adrianna Culbert, 13 kills and 10 digs; Deedra Foss, 53 assists and 13 digs). In the opening set, CSU fought off three set points and eventually won, 28-26. The Gauchos won the blocking game, 7.0 to 3.5, but the Rams led every other statistical category, including hitting at a .318 clip. The only meeting between the two teams in Fort Collins came in 2000, with No. 7 CSU coming away with a sweep over No. 13 UCSB.
SCOUTING MARQUETTE
Marquette boasted a record-setting season in 2013, going 26-6, including winning the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles. The Golden Eagles will face some uncertainty in 2014, however, playing under new head coach Ryan Theis, formerly of Ohio.
A year ago, Marquette's high-powered offense ranked fifth nationally for assists, eighth for kills and 11th for hitting percentage. The team returns five starters - including 93 percent of its kills - but will need to replace its libero and setter.
Sophomore Autumn Bailey was named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, averaging more than 4.00 kills per set plus 3.00 digs per set as a true freshman. She also ranked third in the conference for service aces, and was named the BIG EAST and AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year, in addition to earning AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors.
Joining Bailey is a trio of attackers, including sophomore middle blocker Meghan Niemann (2013 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, 2014 BIG EAST preseason team), senior right-side attacker Lindsey Gosh (2014 BIG EAST preseason team) and sophomore Nele Barber (2013 All-BIG EAST Championship team).
Theis will be tasked with finding a replacement for graduated setter Elizabeth Koberstein, who ranked third in the nation for assists per set and was named a 2013 AVCA All-American.
Marquette begins the season receiving top-25 votes in the AVCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll and was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST, narrowly edged by Creighton.
SERIES VS. THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Sunday will be the first meeting between Colorado State and Marquette. All-time, CSU is 6-0 against teams from the BIG EAST, most recently sweeping Seton Hall in 2003. Marquette Head Coach Ryan Theis was an assistant coach at Florida in 2008 when the Rams and Gators met twice. CSU swept No. 8 Florida during the regular season before falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Gainesville, Fla.
HILBERT IN HOME OPENERS
CSU will look to continue its success of starting the season in the `W' column. The Rams have won their home opener 13 out of 17 tries under Head Coach Tom Hilbert, including six of the past seven years. In last year's home opener, CSU swept the Baylor Bears of the Big 12, hitting .529 - the fifth-best hitting percentage in program history and highest since 2001.
Dating back to 2010, the past four season openers - regardless of location - have come via sweep.
TOP OF THE TOURNAMENT
Aside from a 0-3 showing at the 2012 Shocker Volleyball Classic in Wichita, Kan., CSU has been dominant in regular-season tournaments. Since 2009, the Rams are 27-5 (.844), winning nine tournaments in 11 tries, including last season's Pepperdine Invitational in Malibu, Calif.
At home under Head Coach Tom Hilbert - since 1997 - CSU is 69-13 (.841), and has won its six most-recent home tourneys.
STARTING STRONG
The Rams aren't expecting to win their first 27 matches of the season again, but they do hope to get off on the right foot. Each of the past three seasons, CSU has started the year 3-0, sweeping all three matches.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
If the past is any indication, CSU should like its chances on Saturday. All-time, the Rams are 12-0 while playing at Moby Arena on Aug. 30.
On this date:
- 12-1 overall
- 9-1 under Hilbert; 9-0 at home under Hilbert
- 5-0 in season openers, including against Baylor in 2013
The next day hasn't been too shabby, either. The Rams are 9-2 all-time on Aug. 31, including 9-0 at home.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
After surprised success in 2013, the Rams are primed to make another run through the Mountain West and into the NCAA tournament. CSU returns five of its six starters, in addition to libero Jaime Colaizzi. The Rams will also bring back to the court a handful of key reserves and an incoming recruiting class which includes five talented players.
In total, the Rams' top three attackers will be back in uniform this fall, in addition to the team's starting setter, libero, top five back-row defensive players and top six servers.
PERFECT IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
CSU went a perfect 10-0 in non-conference action during the regular season in 2013, capped with a sweep over Texas A&M. It was just the second time in CSU's 38-year history that the Rams had gone through the regular season undefeated in non-conference play (1999).
Dating back to 2012, CSU has won 11-straight regular-season non-conference matches, last losing to No. 2 UCLA in five sets.
BEEFED-UP SCHEDULE
In order to prepare the Rams for what they're hoping is a sixth-straight conference title and a deeper run in the NCAA tournament, Head Coach Tom Hilbert and the Rams have beefed up their non-conference schedule, which includes 2013 national runner-up Wisconsin.
"This is one of the tougher schedules that we've ever had," Hilbert said. "All of our preseason teams are very good and challenging, and I think five or six of them are better than every team we played last year. We could be a .500 team in non-conference and be better than last year."
In total, five non-conference opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Division I Preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll, highlighted by No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 9 BYU.
- Six of CSU's 13 non-conference opponents played in last year's NCAA tournament, with three advancing at least one round and two competing in the Sweet 16 or further.
- Four teams won their conference championship in 2013: UC Santa Barbara (Big West regular season), Florida A&M (MEAC regular season), Marquette (BIG EAST regular season and tournament) and New Mexico State (WAC tournament).
- Four teams were predicted to win their conference title in 2014 based off of preseason polls: BYU (West Coast), Denver (The Summit League), Florida A&M (MEAC) and New Mexico State (WAC). Additionally, Marquette is expected to finish second in the BIG EAST, UC Santa Barbara and Wisconsin are picked to finish third in the Big West and Big Ten, respectively and Arizona State is picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12. The three teams ahead of the Sun Devils are currently ranked No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 nationally.
- Three teams finished 2013 in the top 25 in the RPI, and seven ranked in the top 75.
- Three opponents finished 2013 ranked in the final AVCA top-25 poll, and seven were ranked or received votes throughout the season.
- CSU will play 31 matches overall, the most since 2003. That year, the Rams went 28-4 during the regular season en route to a 30-5 finish and a berth in the Sweet 16.
ALL WE DO IS WIN
Since 2009, CSU holds an .821 winning percentage, winning 124 of 151 matches. The winning percentage is the sixth-highest in the NCAA during that span, trailing only Penn State, Hawai'i, Texas, Florida and UNI.
ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
The goal in 2014 will remain the same: to be the team hoisting the Mountain West trophy at the end of the season. CSU has won five-consecutive MW regular-season titles, and led the league wire-to-wire from 2009-11 and in 2013.
On just one other occasion (2000-04) has CSU won five-straight regular-season conference championships. Entering 2014, CSU and Hawai'i are the only two teams to win their conference title each of the past five seasons.
The Rams were picked as favorites to win the league in 2014, earning 97 points and seven of 11 first-place votes in the MW preseason poll. It marked the fourth time in the past five seasons that CSU has been picked to win the league.
Earning the other first-place votes was New Mexico - which begins the year also receiving top-25 votes - followed by Utah State, San Diego State, Wyoming and Boise State.
CSU has won 26 of its last 27 MW matches, and overall, the Rams have won more than 86 percent of their MW matches all-time (198-32, .861 winning percentage), far greater than any current or former opponent.
NATIONAL RESPECT
The Rams are again considered one of the top teams in the nation, being voted on by head coaches as the No. 18 team in the country in the AVCA Division I Preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll.
CSU has begun each season under Head Coach Tom Hilbert ranked or receiving votes. In total, the Rams have been ranked 250 total weeks, a figure which ranks 14th nationally.
CSU began the 2013 season receiving votes before moving into the top 25 three weeks in. The Rams were ranked in the top 10 for five weeks - peaking at No. 9 - and finished the year ranked No. 21.
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