Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
5-0 (0-0MW)
Florida A&M
0-4 (0-0MEAC)
Volleyball recap: Rams rock Rattlers to remain undefeated
9/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – With a big match looming, the 13th-ranked Colorado State volleyball team made sure not to look past Florida A&M, sweeping the Rattlers Friday night at Moby Arena (25-13, 25-16, 25-11).
The victory improves CSU’s mark to 5-0 on the season – tied for the sixth-best start in program history – and extends the Rams’ set winning streak to begin the season to 15 sets – second-best and most since 1986.
"I thought we played cleanly," Head Coach Tom Hilbert said. "We should win this match, but I thought Florida A&M had some good kids who swung hard and forced us to really close our blocks. We played a few different scenarios and got to rest some people."
The story of the night, however, was the play of the freshmen. Sanja Cizmic and Alexandra Poletto combined for 23 kills on .700 hitting. Poletto, making her first career start, connected on her first 10 swings and finished the night with 12 kills and zero errors. Her .857 hitting percentage was the second-best in CSU history, and the highest since 2001. It also marks the best-ever percentage by a CSU freshman.
"It was a good experience," Poletto said. "It has been challenging coming off the bench in the past few matches, halfway through the second set. You put a lot of pressure on yourself to try and play really well in that situation. Being able to start right off the bat and play automatically is a lot easier."
As a team, CSU hit a season-best .469, while limiting Florida A&M (0-4, 0-0 MEAC) to .051. It marks the third time in five matches that CSU has limited its opponent to under .100 hitting. On the year, the Rams’ defense is holding teams to .081 hitting, while CSU’s offense is hitting .321.
In addition to Poletto’s 12 kills, Cizmic hit in double figures for the first time, tallying 11 kills on .562 hitting. It was the first time this season that multiple Rams have tallied double figures for kills.
"This is a great freshman class," Hilbert said. "We've had good freshman classes before, but these girls are all game ready. They know the game of volleyball. These two (Poletto and Cizmic) are very skilled and can play the position. We've got a lot of options and a lot of depth."
Seniors Marlee Reynolds and Kelsey Snider had nine kills apiece, followed by Adrianna Culbert’s seven. Snider also led the Rams with five blocks – she’s led the team in blocks all five matches this season and is averaging 1.61 per set on the season – as the Rams out-blocked the Rattlers, 9.0 to 6.0.
CSU never trailed in the first or third sets. In the second set, Hilbert called timeout leading by just one, 10-9. Following the timeout, Culbert and the Rams went on a 5-0 run to build a cushion, eventually extending their lead to nine points. CSU hit a season-high .556 in the set.
The Rams now will focus on one of the biggest matches in program history, facing the fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers Saturday at 7 p.m. in a White Out. Wisconsin improved to 3-0 on the season Friday with a 3-1 decision at Northern Colorado.
"We'll turn it up," Hilbert said. "Wisconsin is going to play a much faster tempo than what we saw tonight. It it shocks them and they can't play (with Wisconsin) then I would be shocked, because I think they can. Am I saying that we're better than Wisconsin? It depends on the match, the night and the situation. We will come out and compete well tomorrow night. It's about playing one point at a time and seeing where that takes you."
The White Out is the first top-15 matchup at Moby Arena since 2011. A win would be the highest-ranked team Hilbert has ever beaten at Moby Arena. A welcome back BBQ for students will take place prior to the match and 1,500 commemorative posters will be distributed. Tickets can be purchased here.
