Squad's Progress Turning into Real Results

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- There is a difference between improving as a team and developing into one which can win.

Victories in college athletics is always the bottom line, and most certainly is for the Colorado State volleyball program. The quarter-century run of making the NCAA Tournament is coming to an end for Tom Hilbert's program, which has undergone a rare developmental season in the midst of the global pandemic.

While Hilbert has seen his team improve, the second part of the equation is starting to take shape. The Rams will take a three-match win streak into the final weekend of the season as they make road trips to New Mexico (Thursday, 6:30 p.m.) and San Diego State (Saturday, 2 p.m.). Win those – and both squads sit behind CSU in the standings – and the program carries a winning streak into the offseason.

Which will feel a whole lot better than any of the available alternatives.

"I think it's great. I think it's important," Hilbert said. "There's still a mathematical chance we could be second, and it's not even a stretch; it's things that may happen. I told the team, let's set a goal to finish second. I think that would be a great way to finish. I think finishing with five straight wins would be awesome."

The past two victories for the Rams came with top attacker Breana Runnels – the modern-era kills record holder at the school -- out of the lineup due to contract tracing from COVID-19. The first win came against Boise State, a team which entered Moby Arena in second place and with only three losses.

The day before, defensive specialist Brooke Hudson said two very important things transpired. One, Hilbert scolded the crew for a lackluster walkthrough. Second, senior libero Alexa Roumeliotis reassured the freshmen they were getting better.

Hudson said both occurrences were absolutely necessary.

"Beating Boise, it was a very emotional game, because we didn't know how we were going to play without Breana," Hudson said. "Breana is the senior record holder, so to really come together – and it was a team effort; it wasn't put on the back of one person –everybody played amazing and we had two freshmen who didn't think they were going to play at all that match and played great at the times they needed to play great.

"We definitely needed both of those. Having a big freshman class, I think Tom is a little apprehensive of yelling, because he's not sure how they're going to handle it and they're so young, but when you have him yelling, then a senior saying, 'you're all great, we just need to step it up one notch,' then actually coming together and having it transpire on the court, it was amazing."

Getting better is something a team can see when watching film or even being present and observant in practice. Having that translate into wins is a very important step, not just for confidence but conviction.

Putting in work comes naturally for a competitive athlete, but an added drive comes from seeing real, tangible results.

Learning how to do that isn't always easy.

"I think they're figuring that out. There are two things I think are really important," Hilbert said. "One is the state of mind that goes into particularly end-game situations. And the second thing is something you learn over time: Why are you winning? They don't always know. They'll go into a huddle and say we were so much more intense and we talked more, and I'll say, 'yeah you did, but you also played very cleanly.'

"I'd like to see a situation where you make the other team earn 20 or more points. That's not an easy thing to do. If we play at a level where we make the other team earn 20 or more, we're going to be in every single set we play. I want them to understand that so they understand why we train in certain ways. Why are we so particular about blocking? We are figuring those things out slowly."

The tricky part will be going on the road and actually earning the victories. Being better in the standings currently is one thing, but as the Rams proved to Boise State, it guarantees nothing. For a young and still developing team, hitting the road confident and with a purpose is another big step.

End-game situations aren't much different than trying to close out a season strong. To Hudson, who in her last season was part of a team which ran through the Mountain West unscathed, she knows the truth. She's encouraged by what has taken place with all the roster turnover, and she knows wins in the final two match can do wonders as the team heads into the offseason.

"The biggest thing our coaches harp on us is playing the best volleyball at the end of the season, and we've been playing our best volleyball," she said. "I know our record doesn't reflect how much work we've put in and how well we've been playing, but beating Boise with Kennedy Stanford and Jacqi Van Liefde on the outside and Jacqi having 20 kills, and the only upperclassmen are Sasha Colombo and Alexa in our lineup and beating the second-ranked team with only three losses was huge for us. We're putting that in our memory bank going into next season, for sure.

"We've been getting better, and you can now actually see that unfold in real matches and reflect in the win column That's huge for us as a team, but also the freshman class to gain that confidence."

All season, Hilbert has seen his team take important steps. Win, and the Rams don't have to tell people they're getting better because the standings will do that for them.

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