Rams Sweep New Mexico, Clinch Mountain West Tournament Spot

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Sep 11

6:00 PM

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vs East Texas A&M

Sep 12

6:00 PM

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vs Notre Dame

Sep 13

12:00 PM

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vs Notre Dame v. East Texas A&M

Sep 18

6:00 PM

Volleyball

vs Colorado

Sep 19

7:00 PM

Volleyball

at Colorado

By: Braidon Nourse

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Overcoming the frustrations of facing a good defense can be difficult for any hitter, but Annie Sullivan accomplished it with high effectiveness and efficiency in Colorado State volleyball's sweep of New Mexico Thursday at Moby Arena.

It was the second time this season the Rams swept a very formidable Lobos squad, both of which were tied for second in the Mountain West going into the match. Some battling to begin, capped by a big run to end it in the third set, the Rams took the game, 26-24, 26-24, 25-18.

On the service front, the match started off shaky for the Rams, recording five service errors in the first set alone. A little bit of nerves given the stakes of the game, but nerves fought through.

For head coach Emily Kohan, the sweep was satisfying, but even more so was the service effort in response to the early struggles. They finished with five service aces — three more than New Mexico — while showing an encouraging ability to lock in despite the early grapple to serve well.

"It's huge, and to be able to do it with a sweep shows our team was taking it seriously," Kohan said. "We got put into those end-game situations in those first two sets, and to be able to be mature servers towards the end when we started a little shaky from the service line is probably what I'm most proud of."

The first two sets were by far the closest. Both went into extras; both saw the Rams come out on top.

Another encouraging sign heading into their final match of the regular season.

"Just being consistent and playing through the rallies was most important," said middle Naeemah Weathers, who recorded 10 kills and two blocks on .500 hitting. "Volleyball is a game of mistakes, so making sure we're being consistent and doing our job, not making those mistakes to lose a point is really important."

Sullivan really started to blossom in the second set, where she improved her kill count of three in the first set to seven in the second set. She finished with 16, by far her most in a 3-set match, nearly matching her career high of 18 while hitting a stellar .414.

For Kohan, it wasn't much of a surprise. Just another thing to pile onto the list of things to be encouraged by.

"She was unbelievable tonight," Kohan said. "You want your fifth-year seniors, with senior night coming, it just means more when you're at the end of your career in those situations. She's one of the most competitive kids I've ever coached, but she's also somebody who, in the biggest moments, plays her best volleyball."

Kohan also said a defense as good as New Mexico's can cause some frustration and struggles on the offense. Malaya Jones had somewhat of an off-night, being held to single-digit kills for the first time since September, creating a need for someone to pick up some of the slack.

For Sullivan, the prospect of competing for the second seed and a first-round bye provided enough incentive to work through the irritation.

"We want to get to the conference tournament and we want to get into second place," Sullivan said. "And them being tied with us, that was a lot of fuel for us, you know, they're a really good team, so there was a lot of motivation for us tonight."

That same prospect is what Kohan and the rest of the team are drawing on for extra drive to perform well Saturday against Air Force. With Fresno State's loss against Utah State, all the Rams need to do is beat the Falcons at home and they'll earn the second seed in the tournament, something they haven't done since 2021.

The hope is to create a perfect storm of inclination, combining their desire for a first-round bye with the emotion of senior night, when five Rams will be celebrated.

"I think we're really serious about having the second seed and having the bye," Kohan said. "We need to win on Saturday, so we have to go in there, it's senior night, our last game before the tournament. To maybe clinch the second seed is really meaningful and I hope the team understands the gravity of the situation and shows up with a very serious attitude."

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