Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, October 27
Fort Collins, Colo.
1 PM MT
Colorado State
18-6, 10-2MW
3
vs
0
Fresno State
17-7, 9-2MW
1
2
3
F
Fresno State
23
13
17
0
Colorado State
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Nick Monaghan
Rams sweep Bulldogs, move into first place
10/27/2018 3:46:00 PM | Volleyball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State volleyball team made its return to the top of the Mountain West standings after sweeping conference leader, Fresno State Saturday afternoon in Moby Arena. With the victory, the Rams move ahead of the Bulldogs in the standings by a half a match.
In the opening set, the Rams sprung out to a 10-4 lead, but Fresno State responded with a 5-0 run to cause Colorado State to call a timeout. After the short break, CSU continued to lead, but not by more than two the rest of the set. The Bulldogs tied the frame late at 21-21, but the Rams scored back-to-back points to hold a slight lead before finishing the close set, 25-23.
Colorado State used big scoring runs in the second set to earn a 2-0 match lead on Fresno State. The Rams recorded a 6-0 run early in the set to lead 8-2 and a 3-0 tear to increase their lead to 16-10. CSU finished the set on a 9-1 run, including scoring the last seven points of the set.
In the final frame, Fresno State led 13-8 and looked to extend the match, but the Rams fought back scoring the next seven of nine points to take a 15-14 advantage. Colorado State didn't stop there, as it surged forward with another six-point run to lead 21-15 before finishing the match, 25-17 – scoring 10 of the last 12 points of the match.
QUOTES
Head Coach Tom Hilbert's opening statement…
"One of the big keys here was our blocking again and then forcing Fresno State into some unforced errors. That, frankly, is not normal for that team. If you get in these long rallies and we continue to block, they get impatient and that's what happens. We did a fantastic job offensively. The distribution of sets was good, we just played with great maturity and I think everybody played great. The third thing, and what we've been working on all year and it is paying off for us, is our service pressure. Those long point runs occur because they're in a weaker rotation and we're serving them hard. We did a lot of the things right today and we wanted disrupt another team. We passed the ball well, which is what we did not do in Fresno, so it's really a complete turnaround for us. I'm very proud of these ladies and now we have to move on and try to win this league."
Hilbert on the maturity of the team…
"We were in these sort of uncomfortable situations earlier in the season with injuries and playing different back row people and trying to settle on a lineup. Now, we're kind of doing what we want to do with all of our players healthy. I think that we've got a pretty nice combination of players on the court, so they're playing with good maturity."
Breana Runnels on her developing versatility as a player…
"I'm definitely working to be great at every aspect of the game: passing, serving, blocking. So, in practice, I'm trying to be intense but intentional at the same time. Today, it felt really good, really comfortable when I was back there serving and getting some block touches."
Runnels on the atmosphere of Moby and the crowd factor…
"I think we all play off that. We had a great crowd today and it really energized us, which is what we needed for this pink out. We were looking forward to playing a great match against Fresno State. I think all of us kind of played off of it and were more intense. We just excel with the crowd."
Kirstie Hillyer on keeping a strong net presence and increasing blocks…
"I think it was the determination that we want to get some blocks. That's something we've definitely been working on in practice. So, each game both of us middles go into it wanting to do our job and get as many blocks as we can. We want to keep that going and keep that determination."
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Rams had three different players recorded double-figure kills with Kirstie Hillyer and Breana Runnels tallying 12, while Jessica Jackson added 10.
NOTES
- Rams started the match controlling the net, recording six blocks in the first frame.
- CSU posted a .552 hitting percentage in the second set, led by Runnels who floored six kills.
- Paulina Hougaard-Jensen and Kirstie Hillyer each had four blocks in the match, including Paulina Hougaard-Jensen who added two solo blocks and seven kills.
- Katie Oleksak distributed 36 assists in the sweep, while adding seven digs and three blocks.
- Runnels also led the team from the service line, recording two aces.
- Colorado State's offense recorded a .323 hitting mark, while keeping Fresno State to a .043 clip, including .000 in the final set.
NEXT
Colorado State will stay in Moby Arena and host Wyoming on Tuesday at 7 p.m., for the Border War 2.0.
In the opening set, the Rams sprung out to a 10-4 lead, but Fresno State responded with a 5-0 run to cause Colorado State to call a timeout. After the short break, CSU continued to lead, but not by more than two the rest of the set. The Bulldogs tied the frame late at 21-21, but the Rams scored back-to-back points to hold a slight lead before finishing the close set, 25-23.
Colorado State used big scoring runs in the second set to earn a 2-0 match lead on Fresno State. The Rams recorded a 6-0 run early in the set to lead 8-2 and a 3-0 tear to increase their lead to 16-10. CSU finished the set on a 9-1 run, including scoring the last seven points of the set.
In the final frame, Fresno State led 13-8 and looked to extend the match, but the Rams fought back scoring the next seven of nine points to take a 15-14 advantage. Colorado State didn't stop there, as it surged forward with another six-point run to lead 21-15 before finishing the match, 25-17 – scoring 10 of the last 12 points of the match.
QUOTES
Head Coach Tom Hilbert's opening statement…
"One of the big keys here was our blocking again and then forcing Fresno State into some unforced errors. That, frankly, is not normal for that team. If you get in these long rallies and we continue to block, they get impatient and that's what happens. We did a fantastic job offensively. The distribution of sets was good, we just played with great maturity and I think everybody played great. The third thing, and what we've been working on all year and it is paying off for us, is our service pressure. Those long point runs occur because they're in a weaker rotation and we're serving them hard. We did a lot of the things right today and we wanted disrupt another team. We passed the ball well, which is what we did not do in Fresno, so it's really a complete turnaround for us. I'm very proud of these ladies and now we have to move on and try to win this league."
Hilbert on the maturity of the team…
"We were in these sort of uncomfortable situations earlier in the season with injuries and playing different back row people and trying to settle on a lineup. Now, we're kind of doing what we want to do with all of our players healthy. I think that we've got a pretty nice combination of players on the court, so they're playing with good maturity."
Breana Runnels on her developing versatility as a player…
"I'm definitely working to be great at every aspect of the game: passing, serving, blocking. So, in practice, I'm trying to be intense but intentional at the same time. Today, it felt really good, really comfortable when I was back there serving and getting some block touches."
Runnels on the atmosphere of Moby and the crowd factor…
"I think we all play off that. We had a great crowd today and it really energized us, which is what we needed for this pink out. We were looking forward to playing a great match against Fresno State. I think all of us kind of played off of it and were more intense. We just excel with the crowd."
Kirstie Hillyer on keeping a strong net presence and increasing blocks…
"I think it was the determination that we want to get some blocks. That's something we've definitely been working on in practice. So, each game both of us middles go into it wanting to do our job and get as many blocks as we can. We want to keep that going and keep that determination."
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Rams had three different players recorded double-figure kills with Kirstie Hillyer and Breana Runnels tallying 12, while Jessica Jackson added 10.
NOTES
- Rams started the match controlling the net, recording six blocks in the first frame.
- CSU posted a .552 hitting percentage in the second set, led by Runnels who floored six kills.
- Paulina Hougaard-Jensen and Kirstie Hillyer each had four blocks in the match, including Paulina Hougaard-Jensen who added two solo blocks and seven kills.
- Katie Oleksak distributed 36 assists in the sweep, while adding seven digs and three blocks.
- Runnels also led the team from the service line, recording two aces.
- Colorado State's offense recorded a .323 hitting mark, while keeping Fresno State to a .043 clip, including .000 in the final set.
NEXT
Colorado State will stay in Moby Arena and host Wyoming on Tuesday at 7 p.m., for the Border War 2.0.
#PointRams
Team Stats
FSU
CSU
Kills
28
43
Errors
24
13
Attempts
93
93
Hitting %
.043
.323
Points
34.0
56.0
Assists
28
39
Aces
2
4
Blocks
4.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
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