Colorado State University Athletics
Five Rams receive All-Mountain West honors
11/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Five Colorado State Rams volleyball players received all-conference honors, the Mountain West announced today.
True freshman setter Katie Oleksak was named the league's Freshman of the Year, while redshirt freshman middle blocker Kirstie Hillyer received Newcomer of the Year distinction. Sanja Čizmic, Jasmine Hanna and Alexandra Poletto also earned all-conference recognition.
Oleksak is CSU's first MW Freshman of the Year since Tess Rogers earned the honor in 2002. Hillyer gives the Rams their second consecutive Newcomer of the Year, following Alex Reid last season.
Poletto earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive season. CSU has had five players earn at least honorable mention all-conference honors for three years in a row.
Sanja Čizmic | Junior | Outside Hitter | Split, Croatia
Cizmic finished the regular season as CSU's leader in kills (3.06 per set), having posted double-figure kill totals in 19-of-29 matches. She was a standout performer in the Rams' final match of the year, registering 27 kills on .436 hitting in a five-set win over Wyoming. She led the team in kills on 11 occasions, and her 27 kills against the Cowgirls was the most by any Ram this year. Cizmic had 10-plus kills in six consecutive matches from Sept. 16-29, the longest such streak by any CSU player this season.
Jasmine Hanna | Junior | Outside Hitter | Queen Creek, Arizona
Hanna ranks second on the team in kills (2.96 per set), including a pair of matches where she tallied 20 (at Boise State, vs. Wyoming). Hanna, who won MW Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10, has led the team in kills 11 times and reached double-digits in 18 matches. Hanna hit over .400 five times (minimum 8 kills), and added 0.61 blocks per set, including 15 solo blocks (second on the team).
Kirstie Hillyer | RS Freshman | Middle Blocker | Bayfield, Colorado
Hillyer leads the team and the conference in blocks per set (1.58), pacing the second-ranked blocking team in the nation. She ranks fifth overall and first among freshman in the statistic. She has led the team in blocking 13 times, and posted a season-high 11 blocks twice. She also recorded her first double-double against Wyoming to close out the regular season, contributing 13 kills and 10 blocks in the five-set victory. Hillyer received MW Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 14 after posting a combined 19 blocks in a pair of road wins at San Diego State and Nevada. Hillyer also ranked third on the team in kills (2.52 per set) and second in hitting percentage (.344).
Katie Oleksak | Freshman | Setter | Phoenix, Arizona
Oleksak leads all freshmen in the NCAA in assists (11.36 per set), ranking second in the MW and 13th in the NCAA. Oleksak has also guided the Rams to the top hitting percentage in the MW (ninth NCAA) at .286. Oleksak is the only player in the nation to average 11-plus assists, 2-plus digs and 0.90-plus blocks per set. She ranks second among all setters in blocking, posting 0.93 per set. She also set a pair of CSU records for the 25-point rally scoring era, tallying 59 assists in four sets against Fresno State (Sept. 22) and 71 in five sets against Wyoming (Nov. 22). Oleksak won MW Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 26.
Alexandra Poletto | Junior | Middle Blocker | Toronto, Ontario
Poletto earned All-MW honors for the second consecutive season following another strong campaign, leading the team in hitting percentage (.349) and ranking second in blocking (1.30 per set), helping guide CSU to the ninth-best team hitting percentage and second-best blocking figures in the NCAA. Poletto hit over .700 on four occasions (minimum 8 kills), including 9 kills on .818 hitting at Nevada (Nov. 12). She posted double-digit kill totals 12 times and posted a double-double against Pittsburgh (Sept. 3), registering 13 kills with a season-high 11 blocks.
