Sweeping the Court to Lead the Conference

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Just like Sparta fell in 371 BC to the Roman Empire, so too did the San Jose State Spartans to the Colorado State Rams.

In a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-20) sweep in Moby Arena on Thursday, the Rams stake their claim to the top of the Mountain West and don't want to leave anytime soon.

Emulating the match of last season, the sweep was like second nature. However, the three-nil was not what made the win sweeter, it was taking down the undefeatable.

SJSU held a 9-0 record up to the game against CSU and the fight against them showcased some of the best volleyball the Rams have put on display.

"I was really proud of our team," coach Emily Kohan said. "You're entering a match with two teams that are tied for first in the conference, you hope that the emotions are a little heightened. From the first few points, we were able to take control of the game, and I thought our servers really set the tone with how aggressively they served."

CSU ended the match with a .347 hitting percentage and 45 kills compared to SJSU's 32; and most of it was due to the energizer, Naeemah Weathers. She hit at a .562 clip with 11 kills, something not seen from her in many matches this season.

Her accuracy blindsided the Spartans leading to their hitting percentage lying at a .100 at the end of the night.

"It was a testament to our ability to play clean volleyball," Kennedy Stanford said. "Even putting together three full sets of 25 very good points of volleyball is pretty hard. We had some lows in the middle, but being able to rebound and put them away in three sets is good and feels impactful as far as what our team needs to do moving forward."

Stanford displayed another change in CSU's volleyball culture, the ability to adapt. She achieved three assists, breaking her season record of two, and though it does not compare to Emery Herman's 31, the willingness to change and do what she's not used to became a theme the Rams wish to continue.

Unity on the court translated to CSU becoming leaders of the Mountain West, remaining undefeated in conference play.

"One of our core values with CSU volleyball is unity," Weathers said. "We were super excited to be able to come out on top of conference. That was one of the things that we talked about pregame was making a statement and showing that we are the best team in conference. It was super fun to able to do that as a team."

Heading into another conference game is next on the docket as the Rams (7-6 overall, 3-0 MW) take on Fresno State on Saturday. But, beating SJSU leaves CSU with a vote of confidence in its ability to take down the Bulldogs.

The Spartans, on their undefeated streak took down the Bulldogs 3-1 on the road but just as the Romans continued on from Sparta, the Rams wish to continue their conference win streak with the Bulldogs.

"When we go into Fresno, it's a completely different set of emotions," Kohan said. "It's a completely different set of emotions. We want to some revenge because that was our championship game in the Mountain West tournament last year, and we had match point to go to the NCAA tournament. I hope our team's focus turns to something entirely different."

Focus for their game is needed with the full week of conference volleyball ahead at Moby Arena, and each role the team members play becomes clearer.

The conference war continues into next week, but to defeat a formidable opponent -- do as the Romans did -- and adapt.

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