Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, October 20
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado State
14-6,7-2Mountain West
1
vs
3
Boise State
14-6,6-3Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Boise St.
28
22
25
25
3
Colorado St.
26
25
21
20
1
Rams Served Tough Loss at Home
10/20/2022 9:56:00 PM | Volleyball
Boise State hands CSU second conference setback at Moby
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The night started emotional and ended with some frustration.
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Under Tom Hilbert, the Colorado State volleyball team traditionally doesn't lose much at home, but Boise State entered Moby Arena and literally served up the team's second Mountain West loss of the season – both at home – in four sets, 28-26, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20.
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The Broncos now are just a game behind the Rams in the standings at 6-3 in conference play, 14-6 overall. The Rams now sit in third at 7-2 and also 14-6. The visitors did it with some quality work at the service line, making it a tough night in the back row for Colorado State which in turn stymied the offense.
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"They were really, really tough. We scouted them as serving tough, and they're always a hard team to play," CSU defensive specialist Ruby Kayser said. "We knew it was going to be a hard match, but out of the teams we've played in the Mountain West, they're definitely the hardest serving team."
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It wasn't just the 10 aces against seven service errors for the Broncos. It was more so the how it affected the Rams' ability to pass and get the offense in system. When they were, the middles were outstanding, and the outsides were getting some decent looks.
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Naeemah Weathers matched a career-high with 13 kills, doing it on 20 swings without an error. Karina Leber started slow but finished with 11 kills on 20 swings, a kill total matched by Kennedy Stanford. But when the middles were out of the equation due to Boise State's service game, it left few options.
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To highlight, Weathers took just one swing in the fourth set – it was a kill – but it came with the Broncos on the doorstep of victory.
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"It made us very one dimensional. Our middles played well, and I thought Annie Sullivan in tempo on in-system balls was going to be real productive, and it didn't end up being that way," Hilbert said. "We were real one dimensional offensively, but it all came down to the serving and passing game. We only pressured them really at the end of the second set, but the rest of the time I thought we didn't serve that tough."
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Colorado State honored former teammate Maddie Boles prior to Thursday's Pink Out match, first by wearing purple warm-up shirts with her name and number – a sight which brought her and others to tears – and then again in prematch introductions with a special video.
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Boles, who originally stopped playing for the Rams a year ago because of lupus, was later diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, requiring her to return back home to Washington to undergo treatment.
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"It was uplifting having her back. It was so good to see her and see the smile on her face," Naeemah Weathers said. "We played really hard for her, so being able to see her and play for her even though we couldn't pull out a win … We still celebrated her."
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The toughest part on the floor came in the third set, as Colorado State seemed on the brink of taking control of the match, only to see Boise State score the final nine points and steal the win. It was a mixture of things. The Broncos had seven blocks on the night, but three came in that set, two late. And the Rams had a series of miscues to help fuel the run.
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The Rams finished with 14 blocks, a good number, but it was deceptive. It shut down two thirds of the net, but Bronco outsides Jordan Miller and Lauren Ohlinger combined for 33 kills while both hit better than .340.
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"That same thing happened in San Diego State, but they weren't big enough to beat us," Hilbert said. "We're not blocking that side of the court very well and we're shutting down the middles and the rights because Kennedy is a good blocker and Malaya Jones is a good blocker. We've got to get better against team's left-side hitters."
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This is the odd week in the schedule for the team, which now hits the road for a match at Utah State, another team sitting at 6-3 in MW play, 14-6 overall.
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Under Tom Hilbert, the Colorado State volleyball team traditionally doesn't lose much at home, but Boise State entered Moby Arena and literally served up the team's second Mountain West loss of the season – both at home – in four sets, 28-26, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20.
Â
The Broncos now are just a game behind the Rams in the standings at 6-3 in conference play, 14-6 overall. The Rams now sit in third at 7-2 and also 14-6. The visitors did it with some quality work at the service line, making it a tough night in the back row for Colorado State which in turn stymied the offense.
Â
"They were really, really tough. We scouted them as serving tough, and they're always a hard team to play," CSU defensive specialist Ruby Kayser said. "We knew it was going to be a hard match, but out of the teams we've played in the Mountain West, they're definitely the hardest serving team."
Â
It wasn't just the 10 aces against seven service errors for the Broncos. It was more so the how it affected the Rams' ability to pass and get the offense in system. When they were, the middles were outstanding, and the outsides were getting some decent looks.
Â
Naeemah Weathers matched a career-high with 13 kills, doing it on 20 swings without an error. Karina Leber started slow but finished with 11 kills on 20 swings, a kill total matched by Kennedy Stanford. But when the middles were out of the equation due to Boise State's service game, it left few options.
Â
To highlight, Weathers took just one swing in the fourth set – it was a kill – but it came with the Broncos on the doorstep of victory.
Â
"It made us very one dimensional. Our middles played well, and I thought Annie Sullivan in tempo on in-system balls was going to be real productive, and it didn't end up being that way," Hilbert said. "We were real one dimensional offensively, but it all came down to the serving and passing game. We only pressured them really at the end of the second set, but the rest of the time I thought we didn't serve that tough."
Â
Colorado State honored former teammate Maddie Boles prior to Thursday's Pink Out match, first by wearing purple warm-up shirts with her name and number – a sight which brought her and others to tears – and then again in prematch introductions with a special video.
Â
Boles, who originally stopped playing for the Rams a year ago because of lupus, was later diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, requiring her to return back home to Washington to undergo treatment.
Â
"It was uplifting having her back. It was so good to see her and see the smile on her face," Naeemah Weathers said. "We played really hard for her, so being able to see her and play for her even though we couldn't pull out a win … We still celebrated her."
Â
The toughest part on the floor came in the third set, as Colorado State seemed on the brink of taking control of the match, only to see Boise State score the final nine points and steal the win. It was a mixture of things. The Broncos had seven blocks on the night, but three came in that set, two late. And the Rams had a series of miscues to help fuel the run.
Â
The Rams finished with 14 blocks, a good number, but it was deceptive. It shut down two thirds of the net, but Bronco outsides Jordan Miller and Lauren Ohlinger combined for 33 kills while both hit better than .340.
Â
"That same thing happened in San Diego State, but they weren't big enough to beat us," Hilbert said. "We're not blocking that side of the court very well and we're shutting down the middles and the rights because Kennedy is a good blocker and Malaya Jones is a good blocker. We've got to get better against team's left-side hitters."
Â
This is the odd week in the schedule for the team, which now hits the road for a match at Utah State, another team sitting at 6-3 in MW play, 14-6 overall.
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Team Stats
Boise
CSU
Kills
58
48
Errors
27
20
Attempts
126
126
Hitting %
.246
.222
Points
75.0
70.0
Assists
54
46
Aces
10
8
Blocks
7
14
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
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