Colorado State University Athletics
CSU to face UNLV, Fresno State this week
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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Match Notes #13 - 11-16-15 
| Season Stats | Roster
No. 13 Colorado State at UNLV
Wednesday, Nov. 18 | 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT | Las Vegas, Nev. | Cox Pavilion
Stats
No. 13 Colorado State vs. Fresno State
Saturday, Nov. 21 | 1 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena
Video: CSURams.com/Videos | Stats | Tickets
Promo: The first 500 fans in attendance on Saturday for CSU's match against Fresno State will receive Mountain West championship pennants.
RAMS CAN CLAIM OUTRIGHT MOUNTAIN WEST TITLE WITH ONE MORE WIN
With its sweep of San Jose State on Nov. 12, Colorado State clinched a share of its seventh straight Mountain West championship. With any combination of one more CSU win or one Boise State loss, the Rams will take the championship outright. With its two wins already this season over Boise State, CSU has already secured the league’s automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, marking their 21st straight appearance.
CSU is 15-0 in league play, and has three conference matches left including Wednesday’s tilt in Las Vegas against UNLV. The conference title is the 21st in program history, and clinches the Rams’ 27th NCAA Tournament appearance. CSU has won 16 matches in a row, last losing on Sept. 15 to now-No. 25 Texas A&M on the road. The run is tied for the fifth-longest active win streak in the NCAA. CSU is also the only team in the NCAA to have won its conference seven straight years.
MOUNTAIN WEST DOMINATION
CSU has won 57 of its last 59 Mountain West matches, and overall, the Rams have won more than 87 percent of their MW contests all-time (229-33, .874 winning percentage), far greater than any current or former opponent. CSU has also started league play with at least 10 wins three-straight years and six times since joining the Mountain West in 1999. The Rams have won their first 15 matches in Mountain West action this year, the second-longest stretch in school history (18-0 start in 2013). CSU, currently 15-0 in conference play, has run the table and gone undefeated once since joining the Mountain West, going 14-0 in 2003 and advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
20 ONCE AGAIN
With its four-set win at Air Force on Nov. 5, CSU reached the 20-win plateau for the 21st straight season, marking every year since 1995. Entering 2015, only Nebraska (39 entering 2014), Penn State (37), Florida (23) and Hawai’i (20) have longer streaks than CSU. In 18 complete seasons under Head Coach Tom Hilbert, CSU has averaged 25.67 wins per season.
RAMS NO. 13 IN AVCA DIVISION I COACHES POLL
The Rams checked in at No. 13 in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, and have now been ranked in 42 consecutive polls, the third-longest streak in program history. The Rams began the 2015 campaign ranked No. 12, and reached a season-best No. 9 national ranking after CSU closed the first week of the season with a 3-0 record. CSU has been ranked in 277 total polls, a figure which ranks 14th in the NCAA. CSU has been ranked in the top 10 for a total of 76 weeks in its history, which ranks 18th among all schools. CSU spent 12 weeks ranked in the top 10 last season, reaching No. 6 on Oct. 13 - the Rams’ highest national ranking since 2004.
STRONG START TO LEAGUE PLAY
The CSU Rams are unbeaten to open Mountain West play in 2015, including 12 sweeps. Offensively, the Rams have been led by senior Alex Reid, who has averaged 3.51 kills per set on .294 hitting in Mountain West play. Junior Acacia Andrews has maintained her efficient offense, converting 2.39 kills per set on .417 hitting. Sophomore Jasmine Hanna has been earning more attack opportunities, resulting in 2.44 kills per set. Alexandra Poletto is also averaging 2.00-plus kills with 2.22 on .394 hitting. As a team, CSU has been hitting at a .311 rate while holding opponents to .128. All Rams averaging 1.30-plus kills per set in league play are hitting at least .230. On the defensive side, Andrews has been a force at the net, averaging 1.59 blocks per set, leading the Rams to 3.12 blocks per set as a squad. Jaime Colaizzi has provided 4.20 digs per set, while Reid, Adrianna Culbert and Cassidy Denny each have 2.00-plus digs per set in league action.
SPREAD OFFENSE
The Rams have been able to attack opposing defenses from multiple areas this season, and that’s due in large part to CSU spreading the attacking opportunities around. Five Rams are averaging 2.25-plus kills per set - Alex Reid, Adrianna Culbert, Alexandra Poletto, Acacia Andrews and Jasmine Hanna. All five of those players have also reached the 10-kill plateau at least once in a match this season. Freshman Julia Cubbedge almost reached that mark at Utah State on Oct. 24, recording nine kills. CSU’s setters, Culbert (5.77 assists per set) and Crystal Young (6.41) have combined to help CSU rank second in the Mountain West in team assists.
RIGHT SIDE OF HITTING PERCENTAGE
CSU is ranked 12th in hitting percentage (.282) and second in opponent hitting percentage (.140), making them one of just two teams (Washington) in the nation that are ranked in the top-15 in hitting percentage and top-five in defensive hitting percentage. In Mountain West Play, CSU is hitting .311 while holding its opponents to .128. The Rams have held 11 opponents to sub-.100 hitting, including eight times in league play.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
With 20-consecutive berths in the NCAA tournament, CSU has established a winning tradition matched by few programs across the country. However, CSU is currently experiencing one of its best periods, going 81-8 (.910) since the start of the 2013 season. The Rams went 59-5 (.923) between 2013-14. The .923 mark is the best two-year winning percentage in program history, eclipsing the team’s stretch between 1999-2000, when the team went a combined 62-8 (.886) and when to consecutive NCAA Sweet 16’s.
CULBERT MAKES HISTORY WITH QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE
Senior Adrianna Culbert, who has totaled seven triple-doubles this season, had a legendary performance at San Jose State on Oct. 17, posting the first quadruple-double in the NCAA in five years. Culbert had 10 kills, 20 assists, 13 digs and 11 blocks in the four-set win for the Rams, marking the first four-set quadruple-double in the NCAA since the 25-point rally-scoring format was instituted.
ADRIANNA “LeBRON” CULBERT
Adrianna Culbert has played at a very high level in 2015, and has tallied seven triple-doubles in the process, earning her the nickname “LeBron” after the otherworldly NBA player. Culbert had two triple-doubles in one week, accomplishing the feat versus Wyoming (10/13) and recording the first quadruple-double in the NCAA in five years at San Jose State (10/17). Culbert has posted triple-doubles in each match against Boise State this season, including her most-recent triple-double on Oct. 22. She also recorded 15 kills, 20 assists and 10 digs in a five-set loss at Texas A&M on Sept. 15. She posted 10 kills, 13 assists and 11 digs against Northern Colorado on Sept. 8. Culbert also recorded 10 kills, 20 assists and 12 digs against UC Davis on Aug. 29, giving CSU its first triple-double since Ashley Fornstrom accomplished the feat versus Utah on Oct. 20, 2007. Culbert became the 10th different CSU player to record a triple-double. What’s more, Culbert now has four three-set triple-doubles, becoming the first CSU player to have multiple three-set triple-doubles. There have only been five total three-set triple-doubles in school history, with Culbert owning four of them.
ANDREWS LEADING UP THE MIDDLE
Acacia Andrews leads the Mountain West and ranks 12th nationally in hitting percentage at .419. She also ranks 25th in blocks (1.37), and is one of just three players to rank in the top-25 in blocking and the top-15 in hitting percentage in the NCAA. A national ranking of 12th in hitting percentage be the best in CSU history. Andrews has hit at least. 400 in 15 matches this season, including a season-best .800 (8-0-10) at Nevada on Oct. 1. In addition, only six CSU players have ever finished a season with a .400 or better hitting percentage (minimum 200 kills). Andrews had a career-high 18 kills in four sets at Air Force on Nov. 5. She also had a career-high 12 blocks to go along with 10 kills at San Jose State on Oct. 17, recording her first-ever double-double.
COLAIZZI CAN DIG IT
Jaime Colaizzi, who was named to the All-Mountain West Preseason team as its libero, has been one of the most productive defensive players in the history of the CSU volleyball program. Colaizzi is second in CSU history with 1,430 total digs, and ranks second in digs per set with 3.63 over her career. Colaizzi has led the Rams in digs each of the past two seasons, and could become the third Ram to lead the team in both digs and digs per set for three straight seasons (Katelin Batten, 2006-09 and Jill Johnson, 1988-90).
DOUBLE-DOUBLE STREAK
Adrianna Culbert rattled off five-straight double-doubles between Aug 29-Sept. 8, tying the third-longest streak in CSU history. Her streak was the longest in program history since 2006, when Katherine Whitney had a seven-match double-double streak. In total, Culbert has posted 14 double-doubles this season and 31 in her career. With one more double-double, Culbert would enter the top-five all-time in single-season double-doubles.
HILBERT’S HAPPY HOUR
For an even deeper look inside CSU volleyball, fans are encouraged to attend Hilbert’s Happy Hour, a weekly show at The Boot Grill from 5-6 each Tuesday. The hour-long get-together allows the veteran coach to review the week prior, preview the week ahead, answer questions and give a brief ‘chalk talk’ where he breaks down a certain aspect of the sport of volleyball to his fans. Each week, Hilbert also brings a player guest with him. The Boot is located at 130 W. Laurel St., Unit B. Food and drink specials will be available.
ROOT SPORTS COACHES SHOW
Head Coach Tom Hilbert will once again make weekly apperances during the season on ROOT Sports’ “Rams Report”, which will air at 6:30 p.m. MT every Thursday.
SOCIAL RAMS
Colorado State offers fans and media members several ways to follow the CSU volleyball team. In addition to CSURams.com, which is updated daily with all of the latest news on CSU athletics, fans can log onto www.RamVolleyball.colostate.edu for an inside look into all things Rams volleyball.
CSU has also expanded its volleyball coverage on social media. Like the team on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/CSUvolleyball) and follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@CSUvolleyball) for daily photos, videos and breaking news. Fans can also get insight from Coach Hilbert by following him on Twitter (@CoachHilbert). Those tweeting are encouraged to use the hashtags #PointRams, in addition to CSURams and NCAAvb.
For live, in-game updates for all 16 of CSU’s Division I programs, follow @CSURamsGameday on Twitter. The account provides up-to-date scores and insight for CSU athletic events.