Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Look to Bounce Back at Home
11/3/2021 12:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Learning from set back part of moving forward
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Tom Hilbert's team is looking to do something this week it hasn't had to do in quite a while.
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Bounce back.
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Colorado State volleyball nearly made it through the month of October unscathed, winning seven consecutive matches to put the Rams atop the Mountain West standings, but on the next-to-last day, the Rams were tripped up by New Mexico in a 3-1 loss.
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How they treat the loss and how they respond will be important, as six matches remain before the conference tournament – the next two at Moby Arena – as they hold a one-game lead on Utah State and San Jose State.
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The first step, Hilbert said, was to keep the setback in perspective.
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"I think you have to tell them that they're good, and that the loss was a reflection of us playing poorly," Hilbert said as his team prepares to host Nevada on Thursday. "I think that's the biggest thing. We go in and look at everything and say, we may play those guys again, and when we do, what are we going to have to do?
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"We don't have to tell them this loss is going to help us. It just will. It makes them practice with more of a sense of urgency."
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Perspective is key, because even in the seven-match win streak, one couldn't say the Rams were in cruise control, even with five sweeps. They went four at San Jose State in a win, and they also had to rally back from a 2-0 hole on the road against San Diego State.
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Offensively, they haven't been consistent all year, but behind a strong service game, they found a way to compete and keep the opponent off balance. That didn't happen at New Mexico, not with 16 service errors, which makes it easier for the team to approach.
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"Losing isn't a bad thing if you play your best game, but we all knew that wasn't our best game, and I think in some ways that made us feel a little bit better about it since we know we can go out there and play so much better than we did," libero Alexa Roumeliotis said. "It was definitely, 'let's go, let's learn from this.' What did they do well, what did they beat us on, what was their strategy?' and let's go work on this the next day."
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Hilbert believes his team has built up a bit of a resiliency this year, with most of the lessons coming early on when his team started 0-3 on the year, then lost a pair to Colorado heading into conference play. During those stretches, he and his staff kept delivering the same message: Learn from each and every situation to avoid it the next time out.
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They've even bounced back in certain matches as they're taking place. Fresno State surprised them a bit at the start, and San Diego State definitely did. With a lead built up, Roumeliotis feels the team has to understand the rest of the league is gunning for them.
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"We know that being a one or two seed in the conference is really important for us," Roumeliotis said, noting those teams get first-round byes in the season-ending tournament. "As we look at the second half of the season, people are preparing for us differently than they did the first time, and we know that everybody is out to get us. Keeping that first or second seed for the end of the season is really our goal."
Â
To achieve it, they have to be prepared for anything, but also very in tune for what improvements they need to make. As they seek consistency in their overall play, recognizing what others are attempting to do to them is going to be important.
Â
So, too, is keeping their strengths a strength. They served poorly at New Mexico, and it created a ripple effect. The key is to not let those wave spill over into this week.
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Â
Bounce back.
Â
Colorado State volleyball nearly made it through the month of October unscathed, winning seven consecutive matches to put the Rams atop the Mountain West standings, but on the next-to-last day, the Rams were tripped up by New Mexico in a 3-1 loss.
Â
How they treat the loss and how they respond will be important, as six matches remain before the conference tournament – the next two at Moby Arena – as they hold a one-game lead on Utah State and San Jose State.
Â
The first step, Hilbert said, was to keep the setback in perspective.
Â
"I think you have to tell them that they're good, and that the loss was a reflection of us playing poorly," Hilbert said as his team prepares to host Nevada on Thursday. "I think that's the biggest thing. We go in and look at everything and say, we may play those guys again, and when we do, what are we going to have to do?
Â
"We don't have to tell them this loss is going to help us. It just will. It makes them practice with more of a sense of urgency."
Â
Perspective is key, because even in the seven-match win streak, one couldn't say the Rams were in cruise control, even with five sweeps. They went four at San Jose State in a win, and they also had to rally back from a 2-0 hole on the road against San Diego State.
Â
Offensively, they haven't been consistent all year, but behind a strong service game, they found a way to compete and keep the opponent off balance. That didn't happen at New Mexico, not with 16 service errors, which makes it easier for the team to approach.
Â
"Losing isn't a bad thing if you play your best game, but we all knew that wasn't our best game, and I think in some ways that made us feel a little bit better about it since we know we can go out there and play so much better than we did," libero Alexa Roumeliotis said. "It was definitely, 'let's go, let's learn from this.' What did they do well, what did they beat us on, what was their strategy?' and let's go work on this the next day."
Â
Hilbert believes his team has built up a bit of a resiliency this year, with most of the lessons coming early on when his team started 0-3 on the year, then lost a pair to Colorado heading into conference play. During those stretches, he and his staff kept delivering the same message: Learn from each and every situation to avoid it the next time out.
Â
They've even bounced back in certain matches as they're taking place. Fresno State surprised them a bit at the start, and San Diego State definitely did. With a lead built up, Roumeliotis feels the team has to understand the rest of the league is gunning for them.
Â
"We know that being a one or two seed in the conference is really important for us," Roumeliotis said, noting those teams get first-round byes in the season-ending tournament. "As we look at the second half of the season, people are preparing for us differently than they did the first time, and we know that everybody is out to get us. Keeping that first or second seed for the end of the season is really our goal."
Â
To achieve it, they have to be prepared for anything, but also very in tune for what improvements they need to make. As they seek consistency in their overall play, recognizing what others are attempting to do to them is going to be important.
Â
So, too, is keeping their strengths a strength. They served poorly at New Mexico, and it created a ripple effect. The key is to not let those wave spill over into this week.
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