Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, October 31
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado State
14-10,8-5Mountain West
3
vs
1
Wyoming
16-8,5-8Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Wyoming
19
13
25
23
1
Colorado St.
25
25
21
25
3
Rams Battle Late to Take Border War
10/31/2023 10:37:00 PM | Volleyball
Jones ties career kill mark; Herman surpasses 1,000 season assists
By: Braidon Nourse
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Not again.
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That was the message before Colorado State volleyball's rematch against Wyoming Tuesday. Last time they played, the Rams were plagued by mistakes which led to a disappointing four-set loss in Laramie.
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No way they'd be tricked in a Halloween rematch at Moby Arena. After cruising for two sets and having to work to seal it, the Rams took a treat of their own in a four-set victory, 25-19, 25-13, 21-25, 25-23.
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"We weren't letting that happen again," said setter Emery Herman, who in the third set surpassed the 1,000 season assist mark for the third straight season. "We were just going to play our game, not let them get ahead of us and do what we needed to do to win.
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"As far as the record, my teammates are everything, you know. If they can't get the kills, then I'm not really doing anything. But it just says a lot about my hitters, they're doing a great job and they're working hard."
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What helped most in getting even against the Cowgirls was a detailed scouting report which laid the foundation for a relatively easy first two sets. For head coach Emily Kohan, the big difference to start the match would have to be to throw Wyoming's middles out of system by serving effectively.
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Herman started the match doing just that, recording two straight service aces in the first three points. She ended up tying her season record of three service aces to contribute to nine for the team, their most in a four-set match and their most in any match since their Sept. 3 match against Central Arkansas.
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"They're all big games when you get close to championship season, but the Border War win is always nice," Kohan said. "It's awesome to get revenge from when we were at their place, but I'm really proud of the team and how we executed our scouting report. We got after it serving and contained their middles. Their outsides were their best players tonight and usually it's the middles who carry Wyoming, so I'm proud of the way we contained their middles.
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"Wyoming is the best passing team in our conference by far, so we knew we had to take some risks serving and I'm super proud, you know, to have nine aces against Wyoming's passing, I'll take it."
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The Rams tied their season high for aces in a set with five in the first set. In addition to Herman's two early strikes, Kate Yoshimoto, Ruby Kayser and Malaya Jones all added to the tally.
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It set a tone for the first stretch of play, in which the Rams cruised past the Cowgirls, thanks in part to hitting .419 and .467 in the first two sets against Wyoming's .296 and .152.
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Set three was where the real difficulty came for the Rams. After cruising to early victories, it can be easy to step off the gas pedal and let opponents back into the game. Herman said they're working on finishing games in that exact situation, but they couldn't do so against Wyoming in the third set.
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In the early portion of the set, Wyoming scored two points for every Rams point on a few occasions, but then a 4-0 run by the Cowgirls put them up by six late. The Rams stormed back with an 8-0 run to take a 21-19 lead, but the Cowgirls went on a 6-0 run to ultimately seal the set. In some ways, the back and forth summed up the Rams' season to this point.
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In the moment, emotion was high.
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"It was pretty frustrating, but it was something we needed to realize we can't let them go on those runs," Jones said. "We have to be able to close those gaps a lot quicker. It was about just understanding where we went wrong and fixing it.
Â
"I think we still have a long way to go. I have a very high ceiling for myself and this team, there's so much we can still do. We have all the components, it's just about consistency and point-scoring and being able to keep the mental status at steady rates."
Â
Jones didn't let any kind of irritation take her over, not in a bad way at least. She was mad — she said she usually is in games like that. In the fourth set, she tallied eight kills to tie her career record of 23 for a match.
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It's supernatural at times the level at which she takes her game against rivals. She set a career high of 21 kills against Colorado last season. She tied it in the first match against the Buffs this season before setting the 23-kill mark against the Buffs just one night later. She hit the mark again against Wyoming Tuesday.
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When they matched up earlier this season, she recorded an uncharacteristic 10 kills in that four-set match. This time around, she echoed Herman's sentiment — not again.
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"I was very upset about how I played last time against Wyoming, I don't know if you can tell but I get very mad when I play," Jones said. "So I think it was just understanding what I need to do this time to make a change and be better for my team. It was just a matter of playing well and being at my best. I think with rivalry games, I get really excited. I just love the pressure of thinking it's the biggest game."
Â
With the win, the Rams are closer to moving into second place in the Mountain West at 8-5 in conference play, right behind New Mexico and a few games behind Utah State.
Â
At their best, the Rams play like a top-three team in the conference. Now, it's just about reaching a repeatable state of mind and being consistent with the level of play they know they can attain, akin to the first two sets against Wyoming.
Â
"We've told our team that we're in control of our own destiny," Kohan said. "If we continue to win out, we can be second in conference, and that means we get a bye in the first round of the conference tournament. We have ownership and pride in who we are in this conference, so we've talked about that as a team and I hope they continue to play like they want to win."
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Not again.
Â
That was the message before Colorado State volleyball's rematch against Wyoming Tuesday. Last time they played, the Rams were plagued by mistakes which led to a disappointing four-set loss in Laramie.
Â
No way they'd be tricked in a Halloween rematch at Moby Arena. After cruising for two sets and having to work to seal it, the Rams took a treat of their own in a four-set victory, 25-19, 25-13, 21-25, 25-23.
Â
"We weren't letting that happen again," said setter Emery Herman, who in the third set surpassed the 1,000 season assist mark for the third straight season. "We were just going to play our game, not let them get ahead of us and do what we needed to do to win.
Â
"As far as the record, my teammates are everything, you know. If they can't get the kills, then I'm not really doing anything. But it just says a lot about my hitters, they're doing a great job and they're working hard."
Â
What helped most in getting even against the Cowgirls was a detailed scouting report which laid the foundation for a relatively easy first two sets. For head coach Emily Kohan, the big difference to start the match would have to be to throw Wyoming's middles out of system by serving effectively.
Â
Herman started the match doing just that, recording two straight service aces in the first three points. She ended up tying her season record of three service aces to contribute to nine for the team, their most in a four-set match and their most in any match since their Sept. 3 match against Central Arkansas.
Â
"They're all big games when you get close to championship season, but the Border War win is always nice," Kohan said. "It's awesome to get revenge from when we were at their place, but I'm really proud of the team and how we executed our scouting report. We got after it serving and contained their middles. Their outsides were their best players tonight and usually it's the middles who carry Wyoming, so I'm proud of the way we contained their middles.
Â
"Wyoming is the best passing team in our conference by far, so we knew we had to take some risks serving and I'm super proud, you know, to have nine aces against Wyoming's passing, I'll take it."
Â
The Rams tied their season high for aces in a set with five in the first set. In addition to Herman's two early strikes, Kate Yoshimoto, Ruby Kayser and Malaya Jones all added to the tally.
Â
It set a tone for the first stretch of play, in which the Rams cruised past the Cowgirls, thanks in part to hitting .419 and .467 in the first two sets against Wyoming's .296 and .152.
Â
Set three was where the real difficulty came for the Rams. After cruising to early victories, it can be easy to step off the gas pedal and let opponents back into the game. Herman said they're working on finishing games in that exact situation, but they couldn't do so against Wyoming in the third set.
Â
In the early portion of the set, Wyoming scored two points for every Rams point on a few occasions, but then a 4-0 run by the Cowgirls put them up by six late. The Rams stormed back with an 8-0 run to take a 21-19 lead, but the Cowgirls went on a 6-0 run to ultimately seal the set. In some ways, the back and forth summed up the Rams' season to this point.
Â
In the moment, emotion was high.
Â
"It was pretty frustrating, but it was something we needed to realize we can't let them go on those runs," Jones said. "We have to be able to close those gaps a lot quicker. It was about just understanding where we went wrong and fixing it.
Â
"I think we still have a long way to go. I have a very high ceiling for myself and this team, there's so much we can still do. We have all the components, it's just about consistency and point-scoring and being able to keep the mental status at steady rates."
Â
Jones didn't let any kind of irritation take her over, not in a bad way at least. She was mad — she said she usually is in games like that. In the fourth set, she tallied eight kills to tie her career record of 23 for a match.
Â
It's supernatural at times the level at which she takes her game against rivals. She set a career high of 21 kills against Colorado last season. She tied it in the first match against the Buffs this season before setting the 23-kill mark against the Buffs just one night later. She hit the mark again against Wyoming Tuesday.
Â
When they matched up earlier this season, she recorded an uncharacteristic 10 kills in that four-set match. This time around, she echoed Herman's sentiment — not again.
Â
"I was very upset about how I played last time against Wyoming, I don't know if you can tell but I get very mad when I play," Jones said. "So I think it was just understanding what I need to do this time to make a change and be better for my team. It was just a matter of playing well and being at my best. I think with rivalry games, I get really excited. I just love the pressure of thinking it's the biggest game."
Â
With the win, the Rams are closer to moving into second place in the Mountain West at 8-5 in conference play, right behind New Mexico and a few games behind Utah State.
Â
At their best, the Rams play like a top-three team in the conference. Now, it's just about reaching a repeatable state of mind and being consistent with the level of play they know they can attain, akin to the first two sets against Wyoming.
Â
"We've told our team that we're in control of our own destiny," Kohan said. "If we continue to win out, we can be second in conference, and that means we get a bye in the first round of the conference tournament. We have ownership and pride in who we are in this conference, so we've talked about that as a team and I hope they continue to play like they want to win."
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Team Stats
UW
CSU
Kills
49
60
Errors
17
18
Attempts
128
137
Hitting %
.250
.307
Points
62.0
75.0
Assists
48
54
Aces
4
9
Blocks
9
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
23
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ 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