Colorado State University Athletics
Culbert named Mountain West Player of the Year
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - For the seventh straight season, a Colorado State student-athlete has been named the Mountain West Women's Volleyball Player of the Year. Senior Adrianna Culbert earned the honor on Monday, one of five Rams to be recognized by the conference.
Culbert is joined on the All-Mountain West team by senior Alex Reid, junior Acacia Andrews, sophomore Alexandra Poletto and senior Jaime Colaizzi. Culbert, Reid, Andrews and Poletto were named to the 18-player all-conference team, while Colaizzi was one of six named honorable mention. Reid was also named the league's Newcomer of the Year, in her first and only season at CSU after transferring from Long Beach State.
In the league's 17-year history, a CSU player has earned the top honor 11 times: Angela Knopf (2000, 2001), Melissa Courtney (2003, 2004), Mekana Barnes(2007), Danielle Minch (2009, 2010), Katelyn Steffan (2011), Dana Cranston (2012), Samantha Peters (2013), Deedra Foss (2014) and Culbert (2015). Culbert is the first unanimous Mountain West Player of the Year since Steffan in 2011.
Culbert also became the 15th player in CSU history to earn all-conference honors three times throughout her career. Reid became the first CSU player since Foss (2011) to earn Newcomer of the Year.
Adrianna Culbert | Senior | Setter/Opposite Hitter | Delton, Mich.
Culbert was the league's best all-around player this season, playing all six rotations and splitting her time between hitting and setting in CSU's new 6-2 offense. Culbert's versatility led to eight triple-doubles this season, blowing away the previous school and Mountain West records for season and career triple-doubles. She also recorded the first quadruple-double in the NCAA in over five years at San Jose State on Oct. 17, leading to a pair of national player of the week awards (AVCA and espnW). Culbert was named Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year in August.
Alex Reid | Senior | Outside Hitter | Aurora, Colo.
Reid, in her first and only season at CSU after playing three years at Long Beach State, led the Rams in kills (3.18, fifth in MW), points (3.71, sixth in MW) and was second on the team in digs (2.89). Reid also recorded eight double-doubles this season, and was named the league's offensive player of the week on Sept. 28.
Acacia Andrews | Redshirt Junior | Middle Blocker | Norman, Okla.
Andrews led the Mountain West and ranks 21st nationally in hitting percentage (.403), and eclipsed the .400 hitting mark in 15 matches this season. Andrews was regularly one of CSU's biggest offensive weapons, including a career-best 18-kill performance in four sets at Air Force on Nov. 5. She also recorded her first career double-double at San Jose State on Oct. 17, tallying 10 kills and a career-best 12 blocks. Andrews received one weekly honor from the league this year, getting defensive player of the week recognition on Oct. 5.
Alexandra Poletto | Sophomore | Middle Blocker | Toronto, Ontario
Poletto led the team and ranked third in the league (29th NCAA) in blocks, averaging 1.33 per set. Poletto was also an efficient attacker, ranking second on the team and fourth in the conference with a .341 hitting percentage. Poletto earned three weekly league awards this season, receiving the defensive honor twice and the offensive award once. Poletto tallied 12 blocks in three sets against Fresno State on Nov. 21, tying the school record for most blocks in a three-set match.
Jaime Colaizzi | Senior | Libero | Windsor, Colo.
Colaizzi will finish her CSU career ranking second in total digs and digs per set in program history. Colaizzi will also lead the team in digs for the third year in a row, becoming only the third player in program history to do so. Colaizzi is averaging 4.12 digs per set this season, and was the key cog in leading the Rams defense to a .137 opponent hitting percentage, which ranks second in the NCAA.
The Rams won their seventh straight Mountain West title this season, going a perfect 18-0 in league play. CSU is the only school in the country to win their conference each of the last seven seasons. The Rams are No. 13 in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, and will play Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. PT at No. 8 seed Stanford.