Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, November 11
San Diego, CA
2:00 PM
Colorado State
16-11 (10-6MW)
3
at
0
San Diego State
9-18 (4-12MW)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | 25 | 30 | 25 | 3 |
| San Diego State | 23 | 28 | 15 | 0 |
Rams Sweep San Diego State on the Road
11/11/2023 7:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Colorado State wins thriller second set to propel the sweep over the Aztecs
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Colorado State volleyball team bounced back Saturday afternoon to a 3-0 win over the San Diego State Aztecs after falling in a tough five-set loss earlier in the week.
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With only three regular season games left in the year, the Rams were focused on redemption Saturday afternoon, set to end their season well with their eyes still set on qualifying for the Mountain West Tournament in less than two weeks. Going into Saturday's match, the Rams ranked third in the conference with the top six teams qualifying for the tournament.
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"After UNLV we were really emphasizing on 'the game is over, what can we do now?' Talking to Emily, we knew that it was really important that we came out swinging and play really clean volleyball and just find a way to finish, which is something we weren't able to do earlier in the week," opposite hitter Malaya Jones said.
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Jones started things out quickly for the Rams with six kills in the first set alone allowing the Rams to jump out to a 9-8 lead. Two Emery Herman service aces in a row extended the lead to 11-8. The Rams kept the margin through the set to finish with a 25-23 set win in the opening frame.
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In the second, Jones added four more kills to her total alongside outside hitter Annie Sullivan who also added four as the Rams hit at a .182 team percentage. A back and forth second set forced extra points for Colorado State where the Rams fought off three Aztec set points and a challenge reversal in favor of San Diego State to win the set 30-28.
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Pushing through the final points and scoring three unanswered points to go up 2-0 was a feat that propelled the Rams into the third set after Colorado State lost in a similar situation fifth set in its Thursday night loss versus UNLV.
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"Being able to finish that second set gave us a lot more confidence," Jones said. "It reassured us that we can do it and we can do it at a high level, we just need to bring all of that momentum into the third set and not let up."
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Colorado State won the third set 25-15 after making the transition from the thriller second set to the third. Herman totaled six digs during the third set after being a pivotal part of the Rams' defense and offense all day.
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"I think we had a mentality change from UNLV. We just carried in that anger from that game into today and just wanted to get a big win to build our spirits back up and do what we knew we were capable of," Herman said. "We were just trying to play to our standard."
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Herman added 31 assists, distributing to five different hitters who totaled five or more kills and three hitters who hit over .250.
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Jones finished the day with 14 kills with four blocks and four digs on defense. Sullivan added eight kills to Colorado State's win as well as a block assist and three digs.
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Other key contributors for Colorado State were middle hitters Naeemah Weathers and Karina Leber who both added five kills and three block assists on the afternoon. Weathers also added a solo block of her own.
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As a team, the Rams totaled 10 service aces, three from Herman, two from Leber and two more each from both Anna Porter and Kennedy Stanford.
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Moving into next week, the Rams return to Fort Collins in their final week of the regular season where a win will clinch their spot in the Mountain West Championship tournament.
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"The tournament is the plan and the standard. We need to go back home and get it done and finish out the season strong," Herman said.
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"I feel like we play really really great at home so I'm really confident heading back home. We just have to make sure we come in with the same energy we came into today with."
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Colorado State will finish out its regular season in Moby Arena this Thursday and Saturday, first taking on New Mexico in its annual State Pride game Thursday before celebrating senior night with a match against Air Force Saturday night.
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With only three regular season games left in the year, the Rams were focused on redemption Saturday afternoon, set to end their season well with their eyes still set on qualifying for the Mountain West Tournament in less than two weeks. Going into Saturday's match, the Rams ranked third in the conference with the top six teams qualifying for the tournament.
Â
"After UNLV we were really emphasizing on 'the game is over, what can we do now?' Talking to Emily, we knew that it was really important that we came out swinging and play really clean volleyball and just find a way to finish, which is something we weren't able to do earlier in the week," opposite hitter Malaya Jones said.
Â
Jones started things out quickly for the Rams with six kills in the first set alone allowing the Rams to jump out to a 9-8 lead. Two Emery Herman service aces in a row extended the lead to 11-8. The Rams kept the margin through the set to finish with a 25-23 set win in the opening frame.
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In the second, Jones added four more kills to her total alongside outside hitter Annie Sullivan who also added four as the Rams hit at a .182 team percentage. A back and forth second set forced extra points for Colorado State where the Rams fought off three Aztec set points and a challenge reversal in favor of San Diego State to win the set 30-28.
Â
Pushing through the final points and scoring three unanswered points to go up 2-0 was a feat that propelled the Rams into the third set after Colorado State lost in a similar situation fifth set in its Thursday night loss versus UNLV.
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"Being able to finish that second set gave us a lot more confidence," Jones said. "It reassured us that we can do it and we can do it at a high level, we just need to bring all of that momentum into the third set and not let up."
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Colorado State won the third set 25-15 after making the transition from the thriller second set to the third. Herman totaled six digs during the third set after being a pivotal part of the Rams' defense and offense all day.
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"I think we had a mentality change from UNLV. We just carried in that anger from that game into today and just wanted to get a big win to build our spirits back up and do what we knew we were capable of," Herman said. "We were just trying to play to our standard."
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Herman added 31 assists, distributing to five different hitters who totaled five or more kills and three hitters who hit over .250.
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Jones finished the day with 14 kills with four blocks and four digs on defense. Sullivan added eight kills to Colorado State's win as well as a block assist and three digs.
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Other key contributors for Colorado State were middle hitters Naeemah Weathers and Karina Leber who both added five kills and three block assists on the afternoon. Weathers also added a solo block of her own.
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As a team, the Rams totaled 10 service aces, three from Herman, two from Leber and two more each from both Anna Porter and Kennedy Stanford.
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Moving into next week, the Rams return to Fort Collins in their final week of the regular season where a win will clinch their spot in the Mountain West Championship tournament.
Â
"The tournament is the plan and the standard. We need to go back home and get it done and finish out the season strong," Herman said.
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"I feel like we play really really great at home so I'm really confident heading back home. We just have to make sure we come in with the same energy we came into today with."
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Colorado State will finish out its regular season in Moby Arena this Thursday and Saturday, first taking on New Mexico in its annual State Pride game Thursday before celebrating senior night with a match against Air Force Saturday night.
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Team Stats
CSU
SDSU
Kills
39
36
Errors
14
18
Attempts
95
103
Hitting %
.263
.175
Points
57.0
48.0
Assists
37
35
Aces
10
4
Blocks
8.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballMonday, November 17
Monday, September 22
Thursday, August 07
Thursday, August 07