Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, October 8
Fort Collins, CO
6:00 PM
Colorado State
9-6,5-0Mountain West
3
vs
1
Wyoming
9-6,1-3Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Wyoming
25
17
20
21
1
Colorado St.
23
25
25
25
3
Border War is Team’s Sixth Consecutive Win
10/8/2024 9:04:00 PM | Volleyball
Varied attack and a strong defense carry Rams
Everyone knows the beast.
She's Malaya Jones. The one who Colorado State must feed night after night because she possesses the type of arm swing to make Mountain West liberos stay up to date on their dental premiums.
In Tuesday's Border War battle, Jones was up to her normal tricks, posting 17 kills in the 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-21 victory at Moby Arena. The Rams have played 15 matches this season, and in 13 of them Jones has reached double figures. In the two she didn't, she posted nine in each.
But the Rams' longest current run of double-digit kill totals does not belong to the redshirt senior from Santa Ana, Calif. No, it belongs to the effervescent graduate student from Colorado Springs, Naeemah Weathers.
It reached six consecutive matches on the night as she closed with 12, which happens to coincide with Colorado State's six-match win streak.
Coincidence? CSU coach Emily Kohan thinks not.
"No. I think we're our best team when we have our middles heavily involved," Kohan said as the Rams improved to 9-6 overall, 5-0 in the Mountain West. "They're both physical, they're both mature. I think we're our best team when we have some kind of distribution and Emery (Herman) is playing a little cat-and-mouse game of who she's going to feed."
The match will not go down as the cleanest of the season for the Rams, which only makes it more telling overall. The Rams have been passing better of late, but it only really showed in spurts throughout the night. When it was there, it clicked. When it wasn't, the team put on display other areas where it has improved, primarily on defense.
While Emery Herman was feeding a lineup where three attackers had at least 10 kills and another finished with nine, her 41 assists were expected, but her 14 digs were a sign of a complete game. Libero Kate Yoshimoto had 19 to lead the team.
And as a team, Colorado State finished with 10 blocks, five for Weathers and four for Maria Brun. Being able to rely on their defense when the offense wasn't clicking kept the Rams involved all evening.
"A big focus for us this week was knowing they were a really good blocking team, so we wanted to focus on covering and digging and being in the right spots and having the right block lineups for us, too," Herman said. "That was a big focus for us.
"Each week we focus on something new, and we're doing a good job of executing that. When the game comes around it shows. It's nice to add another tool to the toolbox each week. I think we had a lot of hustle plays and some long rallies of us covering. That's not our strongest suit yet, but I think we did a great job of that this week."
Last season, Weathers had seven nights reaching double digits in kills, a season where she ranked second in the modern scoring era at the school with a .426 hitting percentage. It was a figure which ranked seventh nationally.
This season, she has eight such matches and is hitting .468, in part because she's become more dynamic of an attacker.
"We're putting her on a different set type this year. Last year she ran 1s right next to Emery almost exclusively, and this year she's really doing well with what we call gaps," Kohan said. "This gap has become the new toy for her, and it's actually become her best, most efficient hit."
When she's efficient, and Jones is efficient, and fellow middle Karina Leber (10 kills) and Kennedy Stanford (nine kills) join in, Herman's job is easier – especially on a clean pass – because it's hard for a block to set up for three different targets.
It's just that Weathers is the most efficient of them all, not that she would know.
"I have a superstition," she explained. "I don't look at my stats because the first year I started playing, I was just focusing on playing and it went well for me, so I have completely stopped looking at them. So, no, I didn't know.
"I do not look at my hitting numbers. I just don't want to know. If I look at them then I'm thinking about them and then that's all I think about. I just want to go out and play."
Dropping the first set wasn't ideal, but it didn't exactly faze a team which has swept just two matches all season. Resiliency is building, as is the ability to fight through those lulls. Having multiple aspects of the game to rely on helps.
So does having multiple hitters, even if Weathers is blissfully unaware of her impact.
Particularly during a win streak she's played a significant role in building.
No coincidence.
"Not at all. I think our middles are doing a great job. Nemo is killing it," Herman said. "No one can stop her. Being able to have multiple hitters – Kennedy did a great job – that's great. When we can use everyone, the blockers on the other side have no idea where the ball's going to go. Our hitters do a great job terminating, so it makes my job easier."
Herman knows better than anyone, diversity in the attack really is a true beast.
She's Malaya Jones. The one who Colorado State must feed night after night because she possesses the type of arm swing to make Mountain West liberos stay up to date on their dental premiums.
In Tuesday's Border War battle, Jones was up to her normal tricks, posting 17 kills in the 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-21 victory at Moby Arena. The Rams have played 15 matches this season, and in 13 of them Jones has reached double figures. In the two she didn't, she posted nine in each.
But the Rams' longest current run of double-digit kill totals does not belong to the redshirt senior from Santa Ana, Calif. No, it belongs to the effervescent graduate student from Colorado Springs, Naeemah Weathers.
It reached six consecutive matches on the night as she closed with 12, which happens to coincide with Colorado State's six-match win streak.
Coincidence? CSU coach Emily Kohan thinks not.
"No. I think we're our best team when we have our middles heavily involved," Kohan said as the Rams improved to 9-6 overall, 5-0 in the Mountain West. "They're both physical, they're both mature. I think we're our best team when we have some kind of distribution and Emery (Herman) is playing a little cat-and-mouse game of who she's going to feed."
The match will not go down as the cleanest of the season for the Rams, which only makes it more telling overall. The Rams have been passing better of late, but it only really showed in spurts throughout the night. When it was there, it clicked. When it wasn't, the team put on display other areas where it has improved, primarily on defense.
While Emery Herman was feeding a lineup where three attackers had at least 10 kills and another finished with nine, her 41 assists were expected, but her 14 digs were a sign of a complete game. Libero Kate Yoshimoto had 19 to lead the team.
And as a team, Colorado State finished with 10 blocks, five for Weathers and four for Maria Brun. Being able to rely on their defense when the offense wasn't clicking kept the Rams involved all evening.
"A big focus for us this week was knowing they were a really good blocking team, so we wanted to focus on covering and digging and being in the right spots and having the right block lineups for us, too," Herman said. "That was a big focus for us.
"Each week we focus on something new, and we're doing a good job of executing that. When the game comes around it shows. It's nice to add another tool to the toolbox each week. I think we had a lot of hustle plays and some long rallies of us covering. That's not our strongest suit yet, but I think we did a great job of that this week."
Last season, Weathers had seven nights reaching double digits in kills, a season where she ranked second in the modern scoring era at the school with a .426 hitting percentage. It was a figure which ranked seventh nationally.
This season, she has eight such matches and is hitting .468, in part because she's become more dynamic of an attacker.
"We're putting her on a different set type this year. Last year she ran 1s right next to Emery almost exclusively, and this year she's really doing well with what we call gaps," Kohan said. "This gap has become the new toy for her, and it's actually become her best, most efficient hit."
When she's efficient, and Jones is efficient, and fellow middle Karina Leber (10 kills) and Kennedy Stanford (nine kills) join in, Herman's job is easier – especially on a clean pass – because it's hard for a block to set up for three different targets.
It's just that Weathers is the most efficient of them all, not that she would know.
"I have a superstition," she explained. "I don't look at my stats because the first year I started playing, I was just focusing on playing and it went well for me, so I have completely stopped looking at them. So, no, I didn't know.
"I do not look at my hitting numbers. I just don't want to know. If I look at them then I'm thinking about them and then that's all I think about. I just want to go out and play."
Dropping the first set wasn't ideal, but it didn't exactly faze a team which has swept just two matches all season. Resiliency is building, as is the ability to fight through those lulls. Having multiple aspects of the game to rely on helps.
So does having multiple hitters, even if Weathers is blissfully unaware of her impact.
Particularly during a win streak she's played a significant role in building.
No coincidence.
"Not at all. I think our middles are doing a great job. Nemo is killing it," Herman said. "No one can stop her. Being able to have multiple hitters – Kennedy did a great job – that's great. When we can use everyone, the blockers on the other side have no idea where the ball's going to go. Our hitters do a great job terminating, so it makes my job easier."
Herman knows better than anyone, diversity in the attack really is a true beast.
Team Stats
UW
CSU
Kills
53
57
Errors
26
16
Attempts
146
138
Hitting %
.185
.297
Points
61.0
72.0
Assists
50
54
Aces
3
5
Blocks
5
10
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOPP
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballColorado State Volleyball Press Conference 9.22.25
Monday, September 22
CSU 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