Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, September 12
Las Cruces, N.M.
11:00 AM
Colorado State
7-1
3
vs
1
BYU
5-2
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado State
23
25
25
28
3
BYU
25
23
20
26
1
Volleyball recap: CSU upsets No. 9 BYU
9/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 12, 2014
"Jasmine was really good early on," Hilbert said. "Marlee was really good late. It was one of Marlee's best matches. Acacia Andrews (nine kills) really grew up and learned a lot as a volleyball player. It was good for everybody."
CSU won’t have much time to celebrate its signature win as it now turns its attention towards New Mexico State tonight at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3 and Altitude TV.
By Craig Buchanan
Athletic Media Relations
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – In search of a marquee victory early on in the season, No. 14 Colorado State (7-1) got just that with an impressive four-set victory over No. 9 BYU (5-2) Friday morning on a neutral court.
The win marks CSU's 11th win over a top-10 opponent under Head Coach Tom Hilbert, and is the first away from home since Nov. 25, 2006, when the Rams knocked off No. 9 Utah in the Mountain West tournament.
"Coming off Wisconsin, where I don't necessarily think we played to our potential, we stayed calm and composed," senior Kelsey Snider said. "This is a really good win. Just the way we competed, we know we can hold our own."
"Coming off Wisconsin, where I don't necessarily think we played to our potential, we stayed calm and composed," senior Kelsey Snider said. "This is a really good win. Just the way we competed, we know we can hold our own."
For the third match in a row, freshman outside hitter Jasmine Hanna led the Rams with 16 kills, marking the fourth-straight match that a true freshman has led the team in that category. Hanna was particularly effective early, while Snider (13 kills) and senior outside hitter Marlee Reynolds (12 kills) helped guide CSU late in the match.
Along with those three players, Culbert also reached double digits with 10 kills and 14 digs, her second-consecutive double-double. This was the first time this season that CSU has had four players reach double digits for kills.
While CSU was out-blocked, 14-6, by a very lengthy BYU squad which leads the nation in blocking, the Rams tested the Cougars’ patience with impressive back-line play that extended rallies into second and third swings. CSU out-dug BYU, 60-49, led by junior libero Jaime Colaizzi’s 16.
“If you look at the stats, you’ll see that we really out-dug them,” Head Coach Tom Hilbert said. “I think that really frustrated their attackers and led to some errors.”
Those errors were hard to come by in the first set when BYU hit .438 (17-3-32). The Cougars used an 8-2 run to propel them into an early 12-5 lead in the opening set, but the Rams remained persistent in their defensive effort. CSU tightened up the set, getting as close as two points, before BYU took the opener, 25-23.
Using the momentum gained by the inspiring play at the end of the first set, CSU came out locked in Set 2. The set began and finished in see-saw fashion with 11 tie scores and five lead changes, as CSU's defense started to limit BYU’s potent offensive attack. The Cougars were held to just .179 hitting, unable to get easy kills past CSU’s defense. Colaizzi racked up nine digs alone in the set as CSU won it, 25-23, and went into the locker room all squared away 1-1.
Coming out of the intermission, the seniors began to put their imprint on the match. CSU trailed early in the set but used a 10-2 run to take a comfortable lead. The Rams led by as many as six points in the frame, but things started to tighten up late in the crucial third set. With CSU leading 21-19, Snider put things in her own hands, accounting for the next four points via three kills and a block to guide the Rams to a 25-20 win in the set and a 2-1 lead in the match.
"We were certainly the more mature team at the end of those sets," Hilbert said. "We had people stepping up, and I think BYU had people kind of getting scared. They had way more giveaways then we did. We test people's patience right now."
CSU could sense that the upset-win was within its grasp, but it would not come easy in a set that featured eight ties and two lead changes. The Rams jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set, but BYU came right back to take a lead of its own at 11-10. From that point, the Cougars maintained the lead and had the Rams trailing 24-22 and looking to head into a decisive fifth set.
CSU could sense that the upset-win was within its grasp, but it would not come easy in a set that featured eight ties and two lead changes. The Rams jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set, but BYU came right back to take a lead of its own at 11-10. From that point, the Cougars maintained the lead and had the Rams trailing 24-22 and looking to head into a decisive fifth set.
Again, the seniors made their mark. Snider tallied a kill to stave off the first set point, and Reynolds followed it up with a kill of her own to stave off a second and tie the score at 24-24. Reynolds added another kill just after to put CSU ahead, as the Rams took the final set, 28-26. Reynolds finished the set with five kills and zero errors on 11 attacks.
"Jasmine was really good early on," Hilbert said. "Marlee was really good late. It was one of Marlee's best matches. Acacia Andrews (nine kills) really grew up and learned a lot as a volleyball player. It was good for everybody."
CSU won’t have much time to celebrate its signature win as it now turns its attention towards New Mexico State tonight at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3 and Altitude TV.
Team Stats
CS
BYU
Kills
62
60
Errors
23
18
Attempts
155
153
Hitting %
.252
.275
Points
69.0
75.0
Assists
61
53
Aces
1
1
Blocks
6.0
14.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
Libero
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