Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, September 30
Fresno, CA
7:00 PM
Colorado State
7-6, 3-1MW
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at
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Fresno State
5-6, 1-2MW
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Colorado State
19
14
25
24
1
Fresno State
25
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26
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Rams Suffer First Conference Loss at Fresno State
9/30/2021 10:36:00 PM | Volleyball
Colorado State’s offense was slow to start the match as rally falls short.
FRESNO, Calif. – After playing four Mountain West matches in the last eight days, the Colorado State volleyball team was tired, as would be anyone. The Rams suffered their first loss in Mountain West play on Thursday night at Fresno State, 3-1. CSU started league play last Thursday with a sweep against Boise State, followed by a sweep against Utah State on Saturday, before capping the 3-0 start with a sweep versus rival Wyoming in the Border War.
Talk about a gauntlet to start Mountain West action.
Fresno State's plan was to serve Colorado State tough, and that's what the Bulldogs did. Fresno State recorded 11 aces to 12 errors – the third time this season Fresno State had double-figure aces. The Rams also served tough, as usual, putting in seven aces to six errors, including five aces in the third set.
However, what really was the thorn in Colorado State's side was the season-high 14 blocks Fresno State had. The Bulldogs seemed to get a touch on nearly every attack from the Rams, especially in the second set where they slammed down six. Fresno State reached double-figure blocks in the third frame, hitting the mark for just the second time this season.
So, combine the tough serving, which pushed the Rams out of system, with the best blocking performance of the season for the Bulldogs and that's a tough combination for Colorado State to deal with on the road.
The first two sets were all Fresno State as the Bulldogs took the lead and ran with it, never looking back. Colorado State hit a brutal .000 in the first and -.107 in the second, combining for 12 kills in the first two frames.
In the third set, Colorado State look to be a different team. Something during intermission sparked the Rams' offense into start the frame on a 5-0 run before taking a 7-1 lead early. Fresno State looked to charge back as it tied the set 13-13, but a 3-0 run push CSU to the lead before extending it and taking seven of the last 10 points to avoid the sweep. Colorado State hit .286 in the third with 14 kills and five service aces.
The final set was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams were tied at 9. Fresno State strung together five rallies to take a lead, but the Rams wouldn't go down that easy. Colorado State put together a few points here and there and capped it off with a 3-0 run to tie the set late after Fresno State reached match point at 24-21. But the Bulldogs finished the match, scoring the last two points to hand the Rams their first loss in conference play.
Colorado State had two players reach double-figure kills as Jacqi Van Liefde had her sixth match of the season with 10-plus kills and Maddy McCormick made her collegiate debut, flooring 10 kills and hitting .300. Ciera Pritchard dished out 35 assists, while Alexa Roumeliotis tallied 18 digs. CSU finished the match hitting at .133 with 27 errors.
Colorado State will have some much needed time off as they enter the bye weekend. The Rams will return to action next Thursday at Nevada.
Talk about a gauntlet to start Mountain West action.
Fresno State's plan was to serve Colorado State tough, and that's what the Bulldogs did. Fresno State recorded 11 aces to 12 errors – the third time this season Fresno State had double-figure aces. The Rams also served tough, as usual, putting in seven aces to six errors, including five aces in the third set.
However, what really was the thorn in Colorado State's side was the season-high 14 blocks Fresno State had. The Bulldogs seemed to get a touch on nearly every attack from the Rams, especially in the second set where they slammed down six. Fresno State reached double-figure blocks in the third frame, hitting the mark for just the second time this season.
So, combine the tough serving, which pushed the Rams out of system, with the best blocking performance of the season for the Bulldogs and that's a tough combination for Colorado State to deal with on the road.
The first two sets were all Fresno State as the Bulldogs took the lead and ran with it, never looking back. Colorado State hit a brutal .000 in the first and -.107 in the second, combining for 12 kills in the first two frames.
In the third set, Colorado State look to be a different team. Something during intermission sparked the Rams' offense into start the frame on a 5-0 run before taking a 7-1 lead early. Fresno State looked to charge back as it tied the set 13-13, but a 3-0 run push CSU to the lead before extending it and taking seven of the last 10 points to avoid the sweep. Colorado State hit .286 in the third with 14 kills and five service aces.
The final set was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams were tied at 9. Fresno State strung together five rallies to take a lead, but the Rams wouldn't go down that easy. Colorado State put together a few points here and there and capped it off with a 3-0 run to tie the set late after Fresno State reached match point at 24-21. But the Bulldogs finished the match, scoring the last two points to hand the Rams their first loss in conference play.
Colorado State had two players reach double-figure kills as Jacqi Van Liefde had her sixth match of the season with 10-plus kills and Maddy McCormick made her collegiate debut, flooring 10 kills and hitting .300. Ciera Pritchard dished out 35 assists, while Alexa Roumeliotis tallied 18 digs. CSU finished the match hitting at .133 with 27 errors.
Colorado State will have some much needed time off as they enter the bye weekend. The Rams will return to action next Thursday at Nevada.
Team Stats
CSU
FS
Kills
42
49
Errors
27
20
Attempts
113
116
Hitting %
.133
.250
Points
54.0
74.0
Assists
39
47
Aces
7
11
Blocks
5.0
14.0
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballOH
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