Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
12-1 (0-0MW)
North Carolina Central
0-15 (0-0MEAC)
Volleyball recap: CSU defeats NCCU to win Residence Inn Invitational
9/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Final Stats | Residence Inn Invitational Match Notes
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 8 Colorado State volleyball team won the Residence Inn Invitational championship Saturday night following a sweep over North Carolina Central (25-15, 25-20, 25-12) at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Rams went 3-0 on the weekend – including wins over No. 18 Arizona State and Pepperdine – to finish the non-conference portion of their season 12-1.
"Our resiliency and our competitiveness has been really great," Head Coach Tom Hilbert said. "We've gotten past some pretty adverse situations and have hung with some good teams. I'm pretty excited about where we're at."
Senior outside hitter Marlee Reynolds was named the tournament MVP, while freshman middle blocker Jasmine Hanna and junior libero Jaime Colaizzi were named to the all-tournament team. CSU has now won 26-straight regular-season matches away from Moby Arena, a streak which dates back to Oct. 27, 2012.
Setter Crystal Young, a transfer from Blinn College, made her first CSU start, totaling 33 assists, three blocks and two kills. Freshmen Sanja Cizmic and Alexandra Poletto also made spot starts, allowing some regulars to rest.
"It was good to see a lineup out there that we haven't done before," Hilbert said. "We saw some new things, and I thought our setting accuracy was great and she (Young) made good decisions."
Cizmic finished with five kills on .571 hitting, three service aces and three blocks, while Poletto had five kills on .500 hitting and two blocks.
CSU hit a season-best .493, while out-blocking NCCU, 8.0 to 1.0. Hanna had 12 kills on .500 hitting while Reynolds was also in double figures for kills (10 kills, .562 efficiency). Senior middle blocker Kelsey Snider added eight kills on .583 hitting in addition to three blocks and two aces.
The Rams had a season-high eight service aces, including three from junior Kaitlind Bestgen. The defensive specialist also had a team-most nine digs.
Trailing 5-4 in Set 1, CSU used a 7-1 run to take an 11-6 lead. The two teams were tied at 15-15 in Set 2 before CSU strung together four-straight points – including two blocks and a kill from Cizmic – to take control of the set. The Rams scored the first seven points of Set 3 and never trailed.
“I’m really impressed with our balance on offense and how cleanly we play,” Hilbert said. “That allows us to compete in every set.”
CSU will now turn its attention to Mountain West play, where the Rams will look to win their sixth-consecutive conference title. CSU travels to Utah State on Thursday followed by a match at Boise State Saturday. The Aggies were picked to finish third in the MW, behind CSU and New Mexico.
“Our goal, as always, is to win the Mountain West,” Hilbert said. “That’s our way into the NCAA tournament.”
