Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
3-0
Northern Colorado
1-2
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Recap: No. 25 CSU led by defense as Rams beat Northern Colorado, 3-1
8/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. - The 25th ranked Colorado State Rams held the Northern Colorado Bears to .096 hitting and registered 13 team blocks on their way to a 3-1 victory in Greeley, Colorado, on Tuesday evening.
CSU (3-0) was led defensively by senior libero Cassidy Denny (25 digs) and redshirt freshman middle blocker Kirstie Hillyer (10 blocks), while junior Sanja Cizmic totaled a team-high 15 kills. The second set win for UNC (1-2) was their first set victory over CSU since 2012.
The Rams rode a 5-0 run with Kirstie Hillyer serving in the first set, punctuated by a service ace by the redshirt freshman to take a 9-4 lead. The run included back-to-back kills by Alexandra Poletto, who finished the first set with six on .750 hitting. Overall, the Rams outhit the Bears .364-.167 in the period, preventing a Bears rally to win the set 25-16.
CSU couldn't find the same early momentum it found in the first set in Set 2, falling behind 14-8 midway through the period. The Bears utilized another rally later in the period, taking a commanding 21-14 lead. Olivia Nicholson helped bring the Rams back into contention with consecutive kills to make the score 22-18, forcing a UNC timeout. The initial timeout did not prove fruitful for the Bears, however, and CSU used a 7-1 run to pull within one at 22-21. UNC regained control on its home floor, however, scoring the final three points of the set to win 25-21 and tie the match at 1-1.
The third set was the Sanja Cizmic show, as the junior tallied seven kills in the frame, including the final one, to propel CSU to another 25-16 set victory. The Rams defense also held the Bears to just .085 hitting in the period, allowing only nine kills on 47 attempts. CSU scored the first four points of the set, all while Amanda Young served.
CSU jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set and held a 12-9 advantage after four consecutive points by the Bears. The Rams would roll from there, scoring 13 of the final 16 combined points, including a four consecutive blocks by CSU. Hillyer accounted for three of those blocks, including two solos. Jasmine Hanna scored three of CSU's final four points and the Rams won the fourth and final set, 25-12.
STAT OF THE DAY…
10 - Redshirt freshman middle blocker Kirstie Hillyer had a career-best 10 blocks, including three solos. She had three blocks in a four-point stretch in the fourth set, including two solos.
NOTES…
• Olivia Nicholson (12 kills, 13 digs) and Katie Oleksak (44 assists, 12 digs) each recorded a double-double, marking the second consecutive match that they both had one and the third in which at least one freshman did so. Oleksak has opened her collegiate career with three in three matches.
• A number of career-highs were set in the match by Rams individuals. Sanja Cizmic set personal bests in kills (15), total attacks (44) and blocks (6). Cassidy Denny's 25 digs were a career-high, as were Kirstie Hillyer's 10 blocks.
• Both Mariah Green and Jessica Jackson made their CSU debuts in the match.
NEXT…
CSU will begin a four-match road trip by visiting Greeley to play Northern Colorado on Tuesday at 7 p.m. MT. The Rams will return to Moby Arena to host Wichita State (Sept. 8) and No. 2 Texas (Sept. 9).