Colorado State University Athletics

Rams Drop Five-Set Battle in Boulder
9/16/2022 10:19:00 PM | Volleyball
CSU and CU both claim home victories en route to series split
BOULDER, Colo. – In round two for the Golden Spike Trophy, the Colorado State volleyball team entered enemy territory where home-court advantage proved unwavering as the Rams fell in five sets to Colorado, 3-2.
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In similar fashion to their win over Colorado last night in Moby Arena, the Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead, feeling in control despite the hostile crowd. After the opening two sets, the Rams had ten more total kills than the Buffaloes while CU had 10 hitting errors to Colorado State's one.
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The Rams experienced déjà vu again in the third set as the Buffaloes made some third set adjustments and claimed the set to avoid the sweep two nights in a row. Colorado State found themselves up 2-1 over Colorado for the second time this season.
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Set four was where the déjà vu ended for the Rams and started to turn in favor of the Buffaloes.
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According to Head Coach Tom Hilbert, the first two sets, especially the dominate second set which the Rams won 25-10, was more about "mistakes that they made on their side of the court versus things we did. They made some adjustments in the third that got some of those players off the court or in a different rotation."
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Leading 18-16 in the fourth, the Rams saw the finish line and could picture bringing the Golden Spike Trophy home to Fort Collins, but a 7-0 Colorado run would say otherwise. Capitalizing on two attacking errors while also blocking two balls at the net, the Buffaloes pulled in front and forced a fifth set.
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In the fifth, Colorado got out to an early lead and in a race to 15, it was a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Rams tied up the game at six all, but after a Colorado timeout CSU couldn't turn the pendulum back into their favor as the Buffaloes had gained too much momentum, taking the final set and match, 15-8.
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Leaders for the Rams included outside hitters Kennedy Stanford and Malaya Jones who finished with 18 and 16 kills respectively. Junior Karina Leber assisted on five blocks while adding 13 kills and Libero Kate Yoshimoto put up a career-high 22 digs on the night.
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The main difference point in this matchup was the ability for the Colorado block to come alive in the final three sets. After hitting at a .400 percentage in the first set and .423 in the second, the Rams' hitting percentage continuously decreased through the final three sets due to the presence of the Buffalo block. CSU was out blocked 14-7.
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The Rams will return home Tuesday as they start Mountain West play against another rival, Wyoming. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Moby Arena.
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In similar fashion to their win over Colorado last night in Moby Arena, the Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead, feeling in control despite the hostile crowd. After the opening two sets, the Rams had ten more total kills than the Buffaloes while CU had 10 hitting errors to Colorado State's one.
Â
The Rams experienced déjà vu again in the third set as the Buffaloes made some third set adjustments and claimed the set to avoid the sweep two nights in a row. Colorado State found themselves up 2-1 over Colorado for the second time this season.
Â
Set four was where the déjà vu ended for the Rams and started to turn in favor of the Buffaloes.
Â
According to Head Coach Tom Hilbert, the first two sets, especially the dominate second set which the Rams won 25-10, was more about "mistakes that they made on their side of the court versus things we did. They made some adjustments in the third that got some of those players off the court or in a different rotation."
Â
Leading 18-16 in the fourth, the Rams saw the finish line and could picture bringing the Golden Spike Trophy home to Fort Collins, but a 7-0 Colorado run would say otherwise. Capitalizing on two attacking errors while also blocking two balls at the net, the Buffaloes pulled in front and forced a fifth set.
Â
In the fifth, Colorado got out to an early lead and in a race to 15, it was a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Rams tied up the game at six all, but after a Colorado timeout CSU couldn't turn the pendulum back into their favor as the Buffaloes had gained too much momentum, taking the final set and match, 15-8.
Â
Leaders for the Rams included outside hitters Kennedy Stanford and Malaya Jones who finished with 18 and 16 kills respectively. Junior Karina Leber assisted on five blocks while adding 13 kills and Libero Kate Yoshimoto put up a career-high 22 digs on the night.
Â
The main difference point in this matchup was the ability for the Colorado block to come alive in the final three sets. After hitting at a .400 percentage in the first set and .423 in the second, the Rams' hitting percentage continuously decreased through the final three sets due to the presence of the Buffalo block. CSU was out blocked 14-7.
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The Rams will return home Tuesday as they start Mountain West play against another rival, Wyoming. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Moby Arena.
Team Stats
CSU
CU
Kills
64
60
Errors
24
23
Attempts
156
156
Hitting %
.256
.237
Points
73
76
Assists
60
54
Aces
2
2
Blocks
7
14
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
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