Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, October 19
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado State
11-9,5-4Mountain West
2
vs
3
Fresno State
11-9,5-4Mountain West
1
2
3
4
5
F
Fresno St.
25
19
25
17
15
3
Colorado St.
23
25
18
25
12
2
Rams Fall in Five to Fresno at Moby
10/19/2023 10:12:00 PM | Volleyball
Second half of league gives team new target
The midpoint has been reached.
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In conference play and also the conference standings for Colorado State.
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At certain points of Thursday evening, the Rams were missing something against Fresno State. Early, it was getting the middles involved in the offense They fixed that. Then they were missing strong back-row play. Fixed that too. Annie Sullivan couldn't click the first three sets, then she couldn't miss the final two.
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The result was another five-set match – the ninth of the season – and a missed chance to stay in the top third of the Mountain West standings as the Bulldogs pulled away late in the decisive fifth set to take a 25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 17-25, 15-12 victory at Moby Arena as both teams now stand 5-4 in league play.
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One of the hardest levels to reach in team sports is being consistent, and the Rams are not that right now.
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"I think our woes have been just being inconsistent," CSU coach Emily Kohan said. "On certain given nights, it's not any particular player in any given set, it's not any particular player, it might be consistency in the way we pass or have multiple hitters be consistent options in a match. That's the goal."
Â
There were two things from the Fresno State side which gave the Rams fits. For most of the night, blocking was one, as the Bulldogs put up 10. The other, which lasted the entire evening, was serving. They pushed across 11 aces (the Rams had just three), which is hard to combat.
Â
The rest of what the Rams were dealing with was self-induced, and at times, they showed they have the ability to correct matters.
Â
First, in the opening set, the middles were non-existent in the plan. Karina Leber and Naeemah Weathers combined for just five sets and one kill. In the second set, they combined for seven kills and the offense had balance as the team hit a peak of .467 in the set.
Â
Leber stayed part of the offense, finishing with 12 kills and hitting .579, a crucial element to go with the steady play of Kennedy Stanford who finished with 18 kills.
Â
The third set was a lost cause as the Rams couldn't pass or serve receive well but fixed it in the fourth. It coincided with the reemergence of Annie Sullivan in the offense.
Â
She spent the first three sets hitting less than .100, but finished the night with 16 kills and hitting a .297 clip. She produced 11 kills in the final two sets as Emery Herman dished out 56 assists. She added 18 digs for a double-double, and Stanford added 13 digs for one of her own.
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For Sullivan, it was a matter of the time is now.
Â
"I think when you want to win, you can't get down on yourself or your teammates. You always have that mentality we can come back," she said. "We just know in big moments we need every one of our players, so everyone has to kind of step up, even if you haven't done as good in the past.
Â
"It's my team needs me. We needed to get a win, so I knew I had to play better. It was just doing that."
Â
Fresno State finally pulled away in a gith third set, using a block, a kill from Ella Rud and an attack error by the Rams to seal the night. The Rams had more kills (66-59), but the Bulldogs hit just a shade better (.272-.270) and won the swaying points at the service line as the Rams had eight errors to just three aces.
Â
If the first half has shown the team anything, times have changed in the conference.
Â
"You have to respect every opponent, because the Mountain West is getting so much better than it used to be," Leber said. "You can't just walk all over certain teams. You're going to have to fight every single night here."
Â
The Rams all agree they have the mentality to fight through tough times. At the same time, they'll need to avoid more of them to find success as they run through the conference again.
Â
When Kohan sits on the side and watches her team play spot-on at times, it makes those moments of chaos echo in her head
Â
"You'd think coaching is the hardest thing in the hardest thing in the world. As much as you design things or tell certain plays to happen when they don't happen, there's not much you can do besides to set certain people," Kohan said. "Karina had a great night. I wish we could have passed better to give her more balls, because she hit monster shots."
Â
Consistency is always a target, and at 11-9 overall, the Rams are still a bit off target. Middle of the pack at the midpoint isn't ideal, but a second chance at the league and a shot at the league tournament gives them time to reset the target in the crosshairs.
Â
Â
In conference play and also the conference standings for Colorado State.
Â
At certain points of Thursday evening, the Rams were missing something against Fresno State. Early, it was getting the middles involved in the offense They fixed that. Then they were missing strong back-row play. Fixed that too. Annie Sullivan couldn't click the first three sets, then she couldn't miss the final two.
Â
The result was another five-set match – the ninth of the season – and a missed chance to stay in the top third of the Mountain West standings as the Bulldogs pulled away late in the decisive fifth set to take a 25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 17-25, 15-12 victory at Moby Arena as both teams now stand 5-4 in league play.
Â
One of the hardest levels to reach in team sports is being consistent, and the Rams are not that right now.
Â
"I think our woes have been just being inconsistent," CSU coach Emily Kohan said. "On certain given nights, it's not any particular player in any given set, it's not any particular player, it might be consistency in the way we pass or have multiple hitters be consistent options in a match. That's the goal."
Â
There were two things from the Fresno State side which gave the Rams fits. For most of the night, blocking was one, as the Bulldogs put up 10. The other, which lasted the entire evening, was serving. They pushed across 11 aces (the Rams had just three), which is hard to combat.
Â
The rest of what the Rams were dealing with was self-induced, and at times, they showed they have the ability to correct matters.
Â
First, in the opening set, the middles were non-existent in the plan. Karina Leber and Naeemah Weathers combined for just five sets and one kill. In the second set, they combined for seven kills and the offense had balance as the team hit a peak of .467 in the set.
Â
Leber stayed part of the offense, finishing with 12 kills and hitting .579, a crucial element to go with the steady play of Kennedy Stanford who finished with 18 kills.
Â
The third set was a lost cause as the Rams couldn't pass or serve receive well but fixed it in the fourth. It coincided with the reemergence of Annie Sullivan in the offense.
Â
She spent the first three sets hitting less than .100, but finished the night with 16 kills and hitting a .297 clip. She produced 11 kills in the final two sets as Emery Herman dished out 56 assists. She added 18 digs for a double-double, and Stanford added 13 digs for one of her own.
Â
For Sullivan, it was a matter of the time is now.
Â
"I think when you want to win, you can't get down on yourself or your teammates. You always have that mentality we can come back," she said. "We just know in big moments we need every one of our players, so everyone has to kind of step up, even if you haven't done as good in the past.
Â
"It's my team needs me. We needed to get a win, so I knew I had to play better. It was just doing that."
Â
Fresno State finally pulled away in a gith third set, using a block, a kill from Ella Rud and an attack error by the Rams to seal the night. The Rams had more kills (66-59), but the Bulldogs hit just a shade better (.272-.270) and won the swaying points at the service line as the Rams had eight errors to just three aces.
Â
If the first half has shown the team anything, times have changed in the conference.
Â
"You have to respect every opponent, because the Mountain West is getting so much better than it used to be," Leber said. "You can't just walk all over certain teams. You're going to have to fight every single night here."
Â
The Rams all agree they have the mentality to fight through tough times. At the same time, they'll need to avoid more of them to find success as they run through the conference again.
Â
When Kohan sits on the side and watches her team play spot-on at times, it makes those moments of chaos echo in her head
Â
"You'd think coaching is the hardest thing in the hardest thing in the world. As much as you design things or tell certain plays to happen when they don't happen, there's not much you can do besides to set certain people," Kohan said. "Karina had a great night. I wish we could have passed better to give her more balls, because she hit monster shots."
Â
Consistency is always a target, and at 11-9 overall, the Rams are still a bit off target. Middle of the pack at the midpoint isn't ideal, but a second chance at the league and a shot at the league tournament gives them time to reset the target in the crosshairs.
Â
Team Stats
Fresno
CSU
Kills
59
66
Errors
18
23
Attempts
151
159
Hitting %
.272
.270
Points
82.0
78.0
Assists
56
64
Aces
11
3
Blocks
12
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
S
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