Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, October 26
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado State
12-10,6-5Mountain West
2
vs
3
Utah State
17-5,10-1Mountain West
1
2
3
4
5
F
Utah St.
22
15
25
25
15
3
Colorado St.
25
25
17
23
13
2
Rams Suffer Reverse Sweep Against Utah State
10/26/2023 10:40:00 PM | Volleyball
Momentum-swinging third set too much to come back from
By: Braidon Nourse
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The 10th five-set match of Colorado State volleyball's season didn't come, and certainly didn't end, by design.
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For two sets, the Rams passed nearly every eye test possible for a volleyball match. All cylinders were firing and Mountain West leaders Utah State looked rattled. After a storming Aggies comeback, the Rams lost in five sets, 25-22, 25-15, 17-25, 23-25, 13-15.
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The best frame of the night for the Rams was a dominant second set in which Malaya Jones had six kills and the Rams hit a team-high .375 for the set. They also went on two separate 5-0 runs.
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Jones finished with 22 kills, just one less than her career high. Four other Rams recorded more than five. Two others tallied double digit kills.
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In many ways, CSU was firing from every which way offensively. The passes were crisp and the attacks were even cleaner.
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"We were passing great and that's what's crazy, it was such a good offensive game on both ends," Jones said. "I'm happy everyone played well, it's just those tiny little things. When it's two really good teams, you've got to be able to execute those small things."
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The brief moments of failure to carry out attacks started to pile up in the third set, and because Utah State started to hit better, the momentum shifted almost completely.
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The Aggies hit a match-high .533 in the frame on the way to beating the Rams nearly as badly as it was the opposite a set earlier. According to head coach Emily Kohan, the swing was largely thanks to Utah State's passing improvements and Adna Mehmedovic showing up in a big way.
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"They started swinging really aggressively and (Mehmedovic) for them really turned it up," Kohan said. "She was kind of minimally involved the first two sets, but she's a really talented player and she found another level. We had a hard time containing her."
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To try and minimize Mehmedovic's impact, the Rams threw a triple block on her side, something they've only reserved for a few matches this season. The move is still somewhat new to the Rams, who only started practicing it for about a month.
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As Jones kept the heat coming, the Aggies threw it right back at the Rams, turning it into a chess match of sorts in terms of trying to stop either team's most effective hitter.
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"We play against it every day at practice," Kohan said. "We triple block against each other, so I don't think it's anything our girls have shied away from."
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After a team like Utah State responds to going down two sets with hitting above .500, it can affect players' mentality, according to Jones.
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Not only did the momentum swing in set three when Utah State improved its hitting and CSU ran into execution problems, but because of those things, along with the fact the Rams had to face the conference leader, the confidence died down quickly.
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From that point on, the Rams never really found a rhythm until it was too late. Down 14-10 in the final set, the Rams scored three straight to put pressure on the Aggies and potentially go to extra points, but they were able to put it away.
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"We knew they're a good team already, so it does make us obviously a little nervous," Jones said. "But we have to be able to bash that and sustain a great level of play the entire time, and we just didn't do that tonight.
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"I think it was that we were just in our heads and we were getting caught up in the intensity. It was a little too much, so we started spazzing a little bit. We need to be more calm and collected and we need to maintain a level of urgency without being surprised at how good we're doing. I think that's something we could really work on."
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With seven matches left to play in the regular season, the race to qualify for the Mountain West tournament is heating up. CSU is now fifth in the conference with a record of 6-5. The next three teams are all tied at 5-6.
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Next up for the Rams is a battle against another top team in the conference in Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 28 at noon at Moby Arena.
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The 10th five-set match of Colorado State volleyball's season didn't come, and certainly didn't end, by design.
Â
For two sets, the Rams passed nearly every eye test possible for a volleyball match. All cylinders were firing and Mountain West leaders Utah State looked rattled. After a storming Aggies comeback, the Rams lost in five sets, 25-22, 25-15, 17-25, 23-25, 13-15.
Â
The best frame of the night for the Rams was a dominant second set in which Malaya Jones had six kills and the Rams hit a team-high .375 for the set. They also went on two separate 5-0 runs.
Â
Jones finished with 22 kills, just one less than her career high. Four other Rams recorded more than five. Two others tallied double digit kills.
Â
In many ways, CSU was firing from every which way offensively. The passes were crisp and the attacks were even cleaner.
Â
"We were passing great and that's what's crazy, it was such a good offensive game on both ends," Jones said. "I'm happy everyone played well, it's just those tiny little things. When it's two really good teams, you've got to be able to execute those small things."
Â
The brief moments of failure to carry out attacks started to pile up in the third set, and because Utah State started to hit better, the momentum shifted almost completely.
Â
The Aggies hit a match-high .533 in the frame on the way to beating the Rams nearly as badly as it was the opposite a set earlier. According to head coach Emily Kohan, the swing was largely thanks to Utah State's passing improvements and Adna Mehmedovic showing up in a big way.
Â
"They started swinging really aggressively and (Mehmedovic) for them really turned it up," Kohan said. "She was kind of minimally involved the first two sets, but she's a really talented player and she found another level. We had a hard time containing her."
Â
To try and minimize Mehmedovic's impact, the Rams threw a triple block on her side, something they've only reserved for a few matches this season. The move is still somewhat new to the Rams, who only started practicing it for about a month.
Â
As Jones kept the heat coming, the Aggies threw it right back at the Rams, turning it into a chess match of sorts in terms of trying to stop either team's most effective hitter.
Â
"We play against it every day at practice," Kohan said. "We triple block against each other, so I don't think it's anything our girls have shied away from."
Â
After a team like Utah State responds to going down two sets with hitting above .500, it can affect players' mentality, according to Jones.
Â
Not only did the momentum swing in set three when Utah State improved its hitting and CSU ran into execution problems, but because of those things, along with the fact the Rams had to face the conference leader, the confidence died down quickly.
Â
From that point on, the Rams never really found a rhythm until it was too late. Down 14-10 in the final set, the Rams scored three straight to put pressure on the Aggies and potentially go to extra points, but they were able to put it away.
Â
"We knew they're a good team already, so it does make us obviously a little nervous," Jones said. "But we have to be able to bash that and sustain a great level of play the entire time, and we just didn't do that tonight.
Â
"I think it was that we were just in our heads and we were getting caught up in the intensity. It was a little too much, so we started spazzing a little bit. We need to be more calm and collected and we need to maintain a level of urgency without being surprised at how good we're doing. I think that's something we could really work on."
Â
With seven matches left to play in the regular season, the race to qualify for the Mountain West tournament is heating up. CSU is now fifth in the conference with a record of 6-5. The next three teams are all tied at 5-6.
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Next up for the Rams is a battle against another top team in the conference in Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 28 at noon at Moby Arena.
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Team Stats
USU
CSU
Kills
61
63
Errors
25
25
Attempts
152
148
Hitting %
.237
.257
Points
80.0
77.5
Assists
59
60
Aces
3
4
Blocks
16
10.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
22
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ VolleyballCSU 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