Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, October 13
Fresno, CA
7:00 PM
Colorado State
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at
2
Fresno State
Rams beat Bulldogs behind career night from Stanford
10/13/2022 11:21:00 PM | Volleyball
Totaling 28 kills on the night, Fresno State had no answer to the Colorado State hitter
FRESNO, Calif. – Looking to bounce back from their first conference loss last weekend, the Colorado State volleyball team, now 6-1 in the Mountain West, beat the Fresno State Bulldogs in five sets Thursday night in the Save Mart Center thanks to a 28 kills performance by outside hitter Kennedy Stanford.
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Stanford has been the go-to player nearly all season for the Rams, but Thursday night against the Bulldogs, the junior stepped up even further for a Colorado State team that was facing all they could handle across the net in Fresno State. The 28 kills from Stanford is a career-high and the second highest number posted by any player in the Mountain West this season. She also added 15 digs in the back row, good for her sixth career double-double and fifth of the season.
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The match itself got out to a bit of a slow start for the Rams as Fresno State took the opening set 25-18, taking advantage of Colorado State only hitting a .118 as a team during set one. The second set turned heavily into the Rams' favor as that is when Stanford truly came to light. The first five out of six points for Colorado State in the second set came off of Stanford kills, and by the end of the set, she already had 12 kills.
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Stanford, who finished hitting a .370 hitting percentage on the night was apart of a 45-second back-and-forth rally in the second set where the junior was set five different times before she earned the point off of a kill for the Rams. Colorado State took the second set to tie it up at one all, 25-15.
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While the Rams fell in a long third set that ended by a score or 26-24 in favor of the Bulldogs, a fourth set win for Colorado State meant that the Rams were facing their second five-set match in a row. Last weekend, Colorado State hosted San Jose State in a battle of the final two unbeaten teams within the Mountain West, but the Ram inevitably fell to the Spartans in the fifth set. This time, Colorado State was able to learn and grow from its past experiences to avoid dropping back-to-back conference games.
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Getting out to a quick start in the fifth, the Rams were able to take the opening point on a side-out and never looked back. Fresno State was able to force five tie scores, but Colorado State was unwilling to relinquish the lead at any point in the fifth, leading them to a 15-10 fifth set and match win.
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Other key contributors for the Rams include Annie Sullivan who finished the night with 13 kills and three blocks. Alyssa Groves also played important points for the Rams Thursday night as the junior was subbed in during the second set and ended the night hitting .875 with seven kills. Defensive specialist Helena Perez put up a new career-high in digs with 15 on the night as well as Libero Kate Yoshimoto going a perfect 11-11 on serve receptions. Lastly, Karina Leber hit for 11 kills and assisted on six blocks.
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The Rams will continue their road-stand in California as they head to San Diego State to face the Aztecs Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. MT.
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Stanford has been the go-to player nearly all season for the Rams, but Thursday night against the Bulldogs, the junior stepped up even further for a Colorado State team that was facing all they could handle across the net in Fresno State. The 28 kills from Stanford is a career-high and the second highest number posted by any player in the Mountain West this season. She also added 15 digs in the back row, good for her sixth career double-double and fifth of the season.
Â
The match itself got out to a bit of a slow start for the Rams as Fresno State took the opening set 25-18, taking advantage of Colorado State only hitting a .118 as a team during set one. The second set turned heavily into the Rams' favor as that is when Stanford truly came to light. The first five out of six points for Colorado State in the second set came off of Stanford kills, and by the end of the set, she already had 12 kills.
Â
Stanford, who finished hitting a .370 hitting percentage on the night was apart of a 45-second back-and-forth rally in the second set where the junior was set five different times before she earned the point off of a kill for the Rams. Colorado State took the second set to tie it up at one all, 25-15.
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While the Rams fell in a long third set that ended by a score or 26-24 in favor of the Bulldogs, a fourth set win for Colorado State meant that the Rams were facing their second five-set match in a row. Last weekend, Colorado State hosted San Jose State in a battle of the final two unbeaten teams within the Mountain West, but the Ram inevitably fell to the Spartans in the fifth set. This time, Colorado State was able to learn and grow from its past experiences to avoid dropping back-to-back conference games.
Â
Getting out to a quick start in the fifth, the Rams were able to take the opening point on a side-out and never looked back. Fresno State was able to force five tie scores, but Colorado State was unwilling to relinquish the lead at any point in the fifth, leading them to a 15-10 fifth set and match win.
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Other key contributors for the Rams include Annie Sullivan who finished the night with 13 kills and three blocks. Alyssa Groves also played important points for the Rams Thursday night as the junior was subbed in during the second set and ended the night hitting .875 with seven kills. Defensive specialist Helena Perez put up a new career-high in digs with 15 on the night as well as Libero Kate Yoshimoto going a perfect 11-11 on serve receptions. Lastly, Karina Leber hit for 11 kills and assisted on six blocks.
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The Rams will continue their road-stand in California as they head to San Diego State to face the Aztecs Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. MT.
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Players Mentioned
OPP
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DS
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OH
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OH
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DS
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