Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, November 14
Fort Collins, Colo.
7 PM MT
Colorado State
25-1, 15-0MW
3
vs
0
Utah State
2-25, 2-13MW
1
2
3
F
Utah State
15
22
13
0
Colorado State
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Cris Tiller
Oleksak Becomes All-Time Assist Leader as No. 12 Rams Sweep Aggies
11/14/2019 11:12:00 PM | Volleyball
Senior setter Katie Oleksak became the all-time assist leader in modern scoring in the first set
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Katie Oleksak's first assist as a Colorado State volleyball player came in 2016 against North Dakota State. The recipient of the pass was Jasmine Hanna – the program's all-time leader in kills in the modern scoring era.
For the Rams' first point against Utah State in a 25-15, 25-22, 25-13 win Thursday night at Moby Arena, Oleksak set the all-time modern scoring assist record, passing Deedra Foss. On the receiving end this time was Breana Runnels, the team's leading hitter who's on pace to break Hanna's record by early next season.
Things have come full circle for Oleskak, whose days as a Ram are numbered.
"I never thought that, four years ago, coming here, that I'd be breaking records," said Oleksak, now with 4,876 assists to her credit. "It's really cool and awesome to be a part of that experience."
As the third set came to a close, Hilbert sent in Ciera Zimmerman to relieve Oleksak for the match's final three points. The back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Year received yet another standing ovation and a hug from both head coach Tom Hilbert and Kirstie Hillyer.
Hilbert mentored both Foss and Oleskak, as the two enjoyed their careers in Fort Collins a mere two years apart. There's a reason the former has set a new bar for the program moving forward.
"She plays better at the tape of the net than anybody I've ever seen," Hilbert said.
Setting records is something Oleksak has never focused on. Her ability to break new ground stems from a desire to push the team to wins. In her career, the four-year starter has started every single match.
Playing through bumps and bruises has set Oleksak up to lead the team's constant drive for more.
"Think about how durable this young lady is," Hilbert said. "She never misses matches. That is pretty rare. I think that's one of the reason's that she has contributed what she has to the Ram program."
The Rams' offense is first in kills per set, hitting percentage and has posted four of the conference's 10 most efficient hitting matches of the year. It's not an accident. Alongside Oleksak have been some of the best hitters in program history.
Runnels, who registered 16 kills in the match. has benefitted the most from Oleksak in her career.
"She is such a great player," Runnels said. "I knew (that) when I (was) recruited here, so I think it's just been a great four years with her… I'm just really happy to be a part of something great like this."
Success has bred upon itself for Hilbert's various rosters. The team seeing Runnels and Hillyer both bypass the 1,000-kill mark this year, as well as Oleksak's latest milestone, is motivation for future accomplishments.
"I think the quality of people we have in this program builds upon itself," Hilbert said. "The people who come in here, if they're not nice people or quality people, they're not attracted to our program… We have down-to-earth, strong students – strong kids who attract other kids like that."
The final day for the Rams' roster to make history at home comes Saturday against Boise State. It's also one of the last opportunities this year for the team to push higher in the nation's RPI rankings – a large factor in hosting the NCAA Tournament's early rounds.
After giving the Aggies 25 of their 50 points on errors, the Rams will need a quick reboot.
"We have to play cleaner in the terms of service game and keeping errors down," Hilbert said. "If we do that, we're going to play great against them."
MATCH NOTES
- Colorado State won its 24th consecutive match of the season, including its 15th in the MW to stay perfect against league foes
- The Rams also recorded their 14th win of the season in Moby Arena
- CSU finished hitting .311 – its 13th time of this year hitting over .300
- Utah State was held in check, hitting .054, including -.091 in the first set and .038 in the third
- Katie Oleksak broke the all-time assist record in modern scoring with the first assist of the match and finished the sweep with 43 assists
- Oleksak also added three kills, two aces, two digs and three blocks
- Breana Runnels led the Rams with 16 kills, while hitting .257 in the sweep
- Kirstie Hillyer added 12 kills and hit .444, while also controlling the net with a team-high four blocks
- Alexa Roumeliotis led the backrow with 11 digs
UP NEXT
Colorado State will host its final match of the regular season against Boise State on Saturday starting at 12 p.m., MT. The Broncos were swept at Wyoming Thursday night. The Rams will also honor its five seniors prior to the match.
For the Rams' first point against Utah State in a 25-15, 25-22, 25-13 win Thursday night at Moby Arena, Oleksak set the all-time modern scoring assist record, passing Deedra Foss. On the receiving end this time was Breana Runnels, the team's leading hitter who's on pace to break Hanna's record by early next season.
Things have come full circle for Oleskak, whose days as a Ram are numbered.
"I never thought that, four years ago, coming here, that I'd be breaking records," said Oleksak, now with 4,876 assists to her credit. "It's really cool and awesome to be a part of that experience."
As the third set came to a close, Hilbert sent in Ciera Zimmerman to relieve Oleksak for the match's final three points. The back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Year received yet another standing ovation and a hug from both head coach Tom Hilbert and Kirstie Hillyer.
Hilbert mentored both Foss and Oleskak, as the two enjoyed their careers in Fort Collins a mere two years apart. There's a reason the former has set a new bar for the program moving forward.
"She plays better at the tape of the net than anybody I've ever seen," Hilbert said.
Setting records is something Oleksak has never focused on. Her ability to break new ground stems from a desire to push the team to wins. In her career, the four-year starter has started every single match.
Playing through bumps and bruises has set Oleksak up to lead the team's constant drive for more.
"Think about how durable this young lady is," Hilbert said. "She never misses matches. That is pretty rare. I think that's one of the reason's that she has contributed what she has to the Ram program."
The Rams' offense is first in kills per set, hitting percentage and has posted four of the conference's 10 most efficient hitting matches of the year. It's not an accident. Alongside Oleksak have been some of the best hitters in program history.
Runnels, who registered 16 kills in the match. has benefitted the most from Oleksak in her career.
"She is such a great player," Runnels said. "I knew (that) when I (was) recruited here, so I think it's just been a great four years with her… I'm just really happy to be a part of something great like this."
Success has bred upon itself for Hilbert's various rosters. The team seeing Runnels and Hillyer both bypass the 1,000-kill mark this year, as well as Oleksak's latest milestone, is motivation for future accomplishments.
"I think the quality of people we have in this program builds upon itself," Hilbert said. "The people who come in here, if they're not nice people or quality people, they're not attracted to our program… We have down-to-earth, strong students – strong kids who attract other kids like that."
The final day for the Rams' roster to make history at home comes Saturday against Boise State. It's also one of the last opportunities this year for the team to push higher in the nation's RPI rankings – a large factor in hosting the NCAA Tournament's early rounds.
After giving the Aggies 25 of their 50 points on errors, the Rams will need a quick reboot.
"We have to play cleaner in the terms of service game and keeping errors down," Hilbert said. "If we do that, we're going to play great against them."
MATCH NOTES
- Colorado State won its 24th consecutive match of the season, including its 15th in the MW to stay perfect against league foes
- The Rams also recorded their 14th win of the season in Moby Arena
- CSU finished hitting .311 – its 13th time of this year hitting over .300
- Utah State was held in check, hitting .054, including -.091 in the first set and .038 in the third
- Katie Oleksak broke the all-time assist record in modern scoring with the first assist of the match and finished the sweep with 43 assists
- Oleksak also added three kills, two aces, two digs and three blocks
- Breana Runnels led the Rams with 16 kills, while hitting .257 in the sweep
- Kirstie Hillyer added 12 kills and hit .444, while also controlling the net with a team-high four blocks
- Alexa Roumeliotis led the backrow with 11 digs
UP NEXT
Colorado State will host its final match of the regular season against Boise State on Saturday starting at 12 p.m., MT. The Broncos were swept at Wyoming Thursday night. The Rams will also honor its five seniors prior to the match.
#PointRams
Team Stats
US
CSU
Kills
18
50
Errors
14
18
Attempts
74
103
Hitting %
.054
.311
Points
26.0
58.0
Assists
17
48
Aces
2
2
Blocks
6.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
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