Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
10-5 (4-0MW)
New Mexico
10-8 (1-4MW)
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Recap: Hanna leads Rams attack as CSU sweeps New Mexico
10/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Colorado State Rams swept New Mexico on Thursday night at the Johnson Center.
Jasmine Hanna led the Rams (10-5, 4-0 MW) with 12 kills, and five CSU attackers had at least seven kills on better than .350 hitting. CSU also held New Mexicl (10-8, 1-4 MW) to just .074 hitting as a team for the match.
The Rams fell behind 5-2 early in the first set to the Lobos, including a pair of service aces by the home team. CSU tied the match at 6-6 after a pair of kills by Kirstie Hillyer, and the two squads would swap points back and forth for a large portion of the middle of the set. CSU began to take control after a solo stuff block by Katie Oleksak gave the Rams a 17-16 lead, an advantage that would ultimately grow to 19-16. The Lobos responded with three consecutive points, forcing a CSU timeout. Head Coach Tom Hilbert and his staff worked their magic, and the Rams would score the next six points of the set, including a pair of kills by Alexandra Poletto, to win 25-19 and take a 1-0 lead.
The second set was quite competitive early, with each team only owning one lead of more than one point before the 11-11 mark. CSU began to open things up shortly after, going on a 4-0 run to take an 18-14 lead, featuring consecutive blocks followed by kills by Jasmine Hanna and Olivia Nicholson. The Rams weren't done blocking, with Hillyer and Sanja Cizmic teaming up to stuff the Lobos to gain a 22-17 lead, the team's largest of the set. CSU would hold on to take the set 25-21 following kills by Cizmic and Hillyer.
CSU jumped out to a three-point lead at 6-3 early in the third set, and Hanna really took over offensively as the Rams led nearly the whole way. Hanna registered her 12th kill of the match to give CSU a 20-13 lead, and the Rams looked to cruise in the third set. New Mexico responded with a 5-0 run to cut the Rams lead to 20-18, getting to within two points for the first time since CSU's lead was just 5-3. CSU again held on, and a combo block by Oleksak and Hillyer finished off the sweep with a 25-21 win.
STAT OF THE DAY…
.652 - CSU hit .652 as a team in the first set. Conversely, the Lobos hit just .067 as the Rams rolled to a 25-19 win.
NOTES…
• Every Rams attacker that had at least seven kills and hit at least .350.
• Jasmine Hanna led the team with 12 kills, marking the eighth time she's reached double-digits in kills.
• CSU outhit New Mexico .389-.074 for the match. The Rams hit .652 in the first set with only one attack error (16-1-23). Three Rams hit .400 or better - Hanna, Alexandra Poletto and Kirstie Hillyer
• The Rams entered the match averaging 3.25 blocks per set as a team, and will leave Albuquerque with a better number than that. CSU had 12 teams blocks (4 per set) against New Mexico, with Poletto leading with seven block assists. Katie Oleksak had four total, including a pair of solos.
NEXT…
CSU and UNLV will match up in a meeting of the top two teams in the Mountain West. Both teams are unbeaten in league play. The match in Las Vegas will take place at 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT and can be viewed at CSURams.com/videos.