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Recap: No. 25 CSU volleyball drops pair in Santa Barbara
9/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The 25th-ranked Colorado State Rams dropped two tough matches on Saturday at the Thunderdome Classic, falling to Pittsburgh and tournament host UC Santa Barbara.
CSU lost to Pittsburgh in five sets after opening the match with a dominant first frame, and was swept by the host Gauchos to close the weekend.
Pittsburgh - 3
No. 25 Colorado State - 2
Box Score
CSU and Pittsburgh used every set possible to determine a winner, with the Panthers walking away with a 3-2 win early Saturday.
The Rams took an 11-8 lead in the fifth set, utilizing three blocks over their first nine points to take the lead. Pittsburgh called timeout trailing by three, and then took control of the set, going on a 7-0 run to seal the fifth set at 15-11 and win the match 3-2.
CSU began the match by putting on an offensive showcase in the first set, registering 16 kills on 18 attempts as a team with no errors, resulting in an .889 hitting percentage. Jasmine Hanna went 5-for-5 and Sanja Cizmic was 4-for-4 to lead CSU, and Alexandra Poletto had four blocks as the Rams rolled to a 25-12 win in Set 1.
Even after CSU's first set onslaught, Pittsburgh was able to rebound to take Sets 2 and 3 to push the Rams to a must-win scenario in Set 4.
The Rams appeared up to the challenge in the fourth set, jumping out to several five-point leads, including a 16-11 edge after a combo block by Kirstie Hillyer and Olivia Nicholson. Pittsburgh answered with four straight points, and the score differential would be no larger than three the rest of the way. McKenna Thornlow entered to serve with CSU up 22-21 and the Rams scored four of the final five points of the frame to win, 25-22 to force the fifth set.
No. 25 Colorado State - 0
UC Santa Barbara - 3
Box Score
CSU closed out its appearance at the Thunderdome Classic by playing the tournament host, UC Santa Barbara. The Rams and Gauchos fought hard for three sets, but CSU ultimately succumbed to too many service errors and a below average hitting percentage in a 3-0 loss on Saturday evening.
CSU led 15-12 in the first set, but an 8-1 run by the home side put the Rams in a hole they could not get out of, with UCSB leading by multiple points the rest of the way.
The second frame featured 10 tied scores by only one lead change, with UCSB leading from 2-1 onward. CSU had the match tied at 23-23 after a block by Olivia Nicholson and Kirstie Hillyer, but UCSB would take the final two points to head into the intermission with a 2-0 lead.
UCSB led the entire third set, starting on a 5-0 run and winning the set by five, 25-20.
NOTES…
• Three Rams posted double-doubles against Pittsburgh - Olivia Nicholson (15 kills, 10 digs), Alexandra Poletto (first career) (13 kills, 11 blocks) and Katie Oleksak (46 assists, 14 digs)
• CSU hit a staggering .889 in the first set against Pittsburgh, registering 16 kills on 18 attempts with zero errors collectively.
• Freshman Paulina Hougaard-Jensen made her first collegiate start against UCSB.
• With the loss to Pittsburgh, CSU is now 24-4 all-time against current ACC members.
NEXT…
CSU will return to Moby Arena to host Wichita State (Thursday) and No. 3 Texas (Friday) for the Rams Volleyball Classic.
