Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, September 25
Fort Collins, CO
1:00 PM
Colorado State
6-5,2-0Mountain West
3
vs
0
Utah State
9-5,1-1Mountain West
1
2
3
F
Utah St.
17
21
8
0
Colorado St.
25
25
25
3
Rams Cruise Past Utah State Saturday
9/25/2021 3:18:00 PM | Volleyball
Colorado State picked up its second sweep in Mountain West play to remain undefeated.
By: Savvy Rafkin
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State volleyball had been working hard all season for moments like these.
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Conference play opened on Thursday, and the Rams took their first win of the season against Boise State. When Utah State showed up to Moby Arena on Saturday afternoon, it was time to take care of business.
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"We really just played clean," setter Ciera Pritchard said. "I really just have to give all the credit to our prep. We have a really great team, and everyone comes into prep just ready to play every day. That really showed today. We prepped harder than we played because we were struggling in prep, but we came out here and it was a really good game and we played really solid."
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And the team wasted no time. The first set was sharp, and the Rams took the first set 25-17, with a hitting percentage of .424 and two service aces. The first outing set the tone for the rest of the match, and Colorado State swept Utah State 3-0 (25-21, 25-8).
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The second set went similar to the first, with Colorado State coming out of the gate hot and ready to go. The Aggies never took the lead and the Rams held a healthy margin over their opponent for most of the set.
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While the Rams were struggling to close out the second set and held 24 points, the team allowed the Aggies to hold a 6-0 scoring run before sealing the contest at 25-21.
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"I was frustrated," coach Tom Hilbert said. "It's that same rotation that hurt us against Boise State. We have to figure out how to get out of that. We're going to go back into practice and practice it like crazy. We have three great players hitting, we shouldn't get stuck in it."
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By the time the second set rolled around, Kennedy Stanford had made it clear she was ready to go. The sophomore outside hitter held at least a .500 hitting percentage for most of the match and accounted for almost half of the team's total kills, holding 13 by the time the second set came to a close.
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"I just came in with some energy," Stanford said. "Conference is a new slate and I'm just coming out with a really aggressive mindset right now."
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To close the match, the Rams began the third set on an 11-point scoring run. And with such a substantial lead in tow, the team could loosen up and just play volleyball.
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"There are two definitions of relaxed in volleyball," Pritchard said. "If you relax, you let the team come back. I think we played composed and we were able to run our offense and keep some joy in the game."
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Overall, Hilbert was happy with what he saw on the court today, especially with Kennedy hitting .467 for the match and Karina Leber hitting .800.
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The preparation for conference play was finally starting to pay off, but it's not time to relax just yet, especially with a rivalry game just around the corner.
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"Wyoming is going to be good," Hilbert said. "Even though [Utah State] beat Wyoming, I don't think we got their best game. We'll get Wyoming's A-game when they're here. It's going to be fun, but people need to show up and have a good time, because it's the Border War."
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After a long pre-season and proof this team has the capability to do great things, the Rams feel as though this season is going to be a successful one.
Â
Colorado State is now undefeated in conference play and faces their rival on Tuesday. But with plenty of preparation, the team isn't nervous to face them, even though it's expected to be a high energy game.
Â
"They're not going to let that go by easy," Pritchard said. "We gotta prepare as hard as we do for every other team. I'm excited, I'm ready to prepare."
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State volleyball had been working hard all season for moments like these.
Â
Conference play opened on Thursday, and the Rams took their first win of the season against Boise State. When Utah State showed up to Moby Arena on Saturday afternoon, it was time to take care of business.
Â
"We really just played clean," setter Ciera Pritchard said. "I really just have to give all the credit to our prep. We have a really great team, and everyone comes into prep just ready to play every day. That really showed today. We prepped harder than we played because we were struggling in prep, but we came out here and it was a really good game and we played really solid."
Â
And the team wasted no time. The first set was sharp, and the Rams took the first set 25-17, with a hitting percentage of .424 and two service aces. The first outing set the tone for the rest of the match, and Colorado State swept Utah State 3-0 (25-21, 25-8).
Â
The second set went similar to the first, with Colorado State coming out of the gate hot and ready to go. The Aggies never took the lead and the Rams held a healthy margin over their opponent for most of the set.
Â
While the Rams were struggling to close out the second set and held 24 points, the team allowed the Aggies to hold a 6-0 scoring run before sealing the contest at 25-21.
Â
"I was frustrated," coach Tom Hilbert said. "It's that same rotation that hurt us against Boise State. We have to figure out how to get out of that. We're going to go back into practice and practice it like crazy. We have three great players hitting, we shouldn't get stuck in it."
Â
By the time the second set rolled around, Kennedy Stanford had made it clear she was ready to go. The sophomore outside hitter held at least a .500 hitting percentage for most of the match and accounted for almost half of the team's total kills, holding 13 by the time the second set came to a close.
Â
"I just came in with some energy," Stanford said. "Conference is a new slate and I'm just coming out with a really aggressive mindset right now."
Â
To close the match, the Rams began the third set on an 11-point scoring run. And with such a substantial lead in tow, the team could loosen up and just play volleyball.
Â
"There are two definitions of relaxed in volleyball," Pritchard said. "If you relax, you let the team come back. I think we played composed and we were able to run our offense and keep some joy in the game."
Â
Overall, Hilbert was happy with what he saw on the court today, especially with Kennedy hitting .467 for the match and Karina Leber hitting .800.
Â
The preparation for conference play was finally starting to pay off, but it's not time to relax just yet, especially with a rivalry game just around the corner.
Â
"Wyoming is going to be good," Hilbert said. "Even though [Utah State] beat Wyoming, I don't think we got their best game. We'll get Wyoming's A-game when they're here. It's going to be fun, but people need to show up and have a good time, because it's the Border War."
Â
After a long pre-season and proof this team has the capability to do great things, the Rams feel as though this season is going to be a successful one.
Â
Colorado State is now undefeated in conference play and faces their rival on Tuesday. But with plenty of preparation, the team isn't nervous to face them, even though it's expected to be a high energy game.
Â
"They're not going to let that go by easy," Pritchard said. "We gotta prepare as hard as we do for every other team. I'm excited, I'm ready to prepare."
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Team Stats
USU
CSU
Kills
24
44
Errors
18
8
Attempts
88
90
Hitting %
.068
.400
Points
28
54
Assists
23
38
Aces
4
5
Blocks
0
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
CSU Volleyball Players Press Conference - August 6
Thursday, August 07
Emily Kohan Press Conference - August 6
Thursday, August 07
Colorado State Volleyball: Building Champions to Win Championship
Monday, May 05
2024 Colorado State Volleyball
Thursday, February 13