Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Announce 2021 Schedule
6/14/2021 1:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Colorado State will host 15 matches inside Moby Area with full capacity.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Ready to resume a full workload – one which will see the return of the Mountain West tournament – Colorado State's volleyball team assembled a challenging 10-game set for non-conference matches, six of which pit the Rams against Power Five programs.
The Rams will play 28 matches this season, including 15 at home. Having a full season back to work with is exactly what head coach Tom Hilbert feels the program needs. When the season begins, the Rams will have one starter – All-Mountain West libero Alexa Roumeliotis – who has played a full schedule.
"I feel like we need to get back to what our season really is," Hilbert said. "Our entire framework of what we do has to be recaptured. It's quite a challenge for us young as we are."
The Rams are coming off a 9-6 season, all conference matches, closing by winning four of their final five matches. They return eight players who played in at least 43 sets in 2021, including additional all-conference performers Ciera Zimmerman and Sasha Colombo.
The Rams will open the 2021 slate with a pair of home matches at Moby Arena, hosting South Dakota (Aug. 27, 7 p.m.) and Northwestern (Aug. 28, 2 p.m.) A few days later they head just a bit west to face Northern Colorado, before embarking on an East Coast trip with matches against ACC teams North Carolina (Sept. 3) and North Carolina State (Sept. 4). North Carolina will make a return trip to Fort Collins in 2022.
The Rams return home to host a tournament featuring SIUE, Alabama-Birmingham and Oregon State. Then the Golden Spike series with Colorado gets a reboot after a pandemic pause, with the Rams traveling to Boulder on Sept. 16, the rematch taking place at Moby Arena on Sept. 18
The loss of non-conference matches is what Hilbert missed most, and he knows the team did, too. Not just for where and who they play, but in terms of team development.
"It wasn't even close to the same sort of chemistry and energy as you'd have. I think non-conference matches, especially against good teams, are really fun experiences for our players," Hilbert said. "There's nothing wrong with the Mountain West, but it has it's own framework. The non-conference stuff, you go out and play hard and do your best against the Power Five and hope you come away with some wins, but really, it's about experiences."
Colorado State will begin Mountain West play in September, with the first three matches at home, starting with Boise State on Sept. 23. There are eight home-and-home matches with other teams, with single matchups against San Diego State (road) and defending conference champion UNLV (home). The Rebels are the only NCAA Tournament team on the schedule.
The Mountain West Tournament will take place Nov. 24-26 in Las Vegas. It started with the inception of the conference in 1999 and ran through 2007, then was reinstated for one year, in 2011. It was set to resume last year until the pandemic hit. The Rams won five of the 10 tournaments contested.
The Rams will play 28 matches this season, including 15 at home. Having a full season back to work with is exactly what head coach Tom Hilbert feels the program needs. When the season begins, the Rams will have one starter – All-Mountain West libero Alexa Roumeliotis – who has played a full schedule.
"I feel like we need to get back to what our season really is," Hilbert said. "Our entire framework of what we do has to be recaptured. It's quite a challenge for us young as we are."
The Rams are coming off a 9-6 season, all conference matches, closing by winning four of their final five matches. They return eight players who played in at least 43 sets in 2021, including additional all-conference performers Ciera Zimmerman and Sasha Colombo.
The Rams will open the 2021 slate with a pair of home matches at Moby Arena, hosting South Dakota (Aug. 27, 7 p.m.) and Northwestern (Aug. 28, 2 p.m.) A few days later they head just a bit west to face Northern Colorado, before embarking on an East Coast trip with matches against ACC teams North Carolina (Sept. 3) and North Carolina State (Sept. 4). North Carolina will make a return trip to Fort Collins in 2022.
The Rams return home to host a tournament featuring SIUE, Alabama-Birmingham and Oregon State. Then the Golden Spike series with Colorado gets a reboot after a pandemic pause, with the Rams traveling to Boulder on Sept. 16, the rematch taking place at Moby Arena on Sept. 18
The loss of non-conference matches is what Hilbert missed most, and he knows the team did, too. Not just for where and who they play, but in terms of team development.
"It wasn't even close to the same sort of chemistry and energy as you'd have. I think non-conference matches, especially against good teams, are really fun experiences for our players," Hilbert said. "There's nothing wrong with the Mountain West, but it has it's own framework. The non-conference stuff, you go out and play hard and do your best against the Power Five and hope you come away with some wins, but really, it's about experiences."
Colorado State will begin Mountain West play in September, with the first three matches at home, starting with Boise State on Sept. 23. There are eight home-and-home matches with other teams, with single matchups against San Diego State (road) and defending conference champion UNLV (home). The Rebels are the only NCAA Tournament team on the schedule.
The Mountain West Tournament will take place Nov. 24-26 in Las Vegas. It started with the inception of the conference in 1999 and ran through 2007, then was reinstated for one year, in 2011. It was set to resume last year until the pandemic hit. The Rams won five of the 10 tournaments contested.
Players Mentioned
Monday, November 17
Monday, September 22
Thursday, August 07
Thursday, August 07