Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, December 6
Tempe, AZ
4:30
Colorado State
vs
Texas A&M
Thrilled to be Back in the Bracket
12/1/2024 5:49:00 PM | Volleyball
Rams headed to Tempe for NCAA Tournament
What once seemed to be birthright for a Colorado State volleyball player is back in vogue.
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Colorado State's volleyball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, landing in a pod hosted by No. 3 seed Arizona State. The Rams will play No. 6 Texas A&M  in the first round on Dec. 6 (4:30 p.m. MT).
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"It was great, to be able to watch the NCAA Selection Show for the first time in my career was something that was super fun," Naeemah Weathers said. "We were very happy to be able to clinch our spot in the Mountain West tournament. We're super excited to go in there and play a team we feel we have equal footing with. We want to win."
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When the run ended in 2020, it snapped a string of 25 consecutive appearances in the draw. This will be the first trip to the NCAAs for the entire roster, and for four fifth-year seniors, it represents a major goal achieved. Particularly for Weathers, Karina Leber and Kennedy Stanford, the trio which have been with the program the entirety of their careers.
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It also completes a goal for second-year coach Emily Kohan, who has sought to snap the skid sooner rather than later in her tenure. Falling in the conference title game in five sets in 2023 just delayed the journey.
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"That was absolutely the goal, and accepting this is you know this program can have greatness," Kohan said. "It comes with pressure, and our players always say pressure is a privilege for themselves, but that's also part of my piece too. We have opportunities to do really great things here, and this is also my home. I want to make this my legacy as well."
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The Rams went 20-10 on the season, winning both the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles, entering the bracket on a four-match win streak.
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Texas A&M is 19-7 overall having won its past four matches. The Aggies have gone 3-3 this season against Top 25 teams, the majority of those matches coming in SEC play. They average 13.6 kills per set, hitting at a .256 clip while limiting opponents to a .179 attack percentage.
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Led by 6-foot-3 junior Logan Lednicky, who has 419 kills on the season (averaging 4.32 per set), the Aggies have two other players with more than 200 kills on the season. Middle Ifenna Cos-Okpalla ranks 11th nationally with 1.47 blocks per set.
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These are all things the coaching staff will take a deep dive into, with Kohan mentioning that it will become the main task of assistant Ted Kopacz over the next 48 hours.
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Preparing for a team the Rams haven't faced feels fresh, but Weathers said there is also a touch of wonder waiting for the scouting report.
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"There's a curiosity, a little bit more focus that goes into playing a team you haven't played before," she said. "You've got to prepare for things you've never seen. It can be fun, learning players on different teams and growing yourself as a player can be fun, but we're also curious going into it, very deliberately."
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The Rams will counter with a balanced offensive attack, ranking fifth nationally in hitting percentage (.302), led by Weathers who is third individually at .499. Malaya Jones, the Mountain West player of the year, set the program record with 541 kills. Weathers (278), Stanford (231) and Leber (246) all have surpassed 200 kills on the season,
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The fun part was Sunday, waiting and watching late into the selection show to see the who and when. It is what Colorado State has planned for all season, and in the moment it finally arrived.
Â
But the work is just beginning, and the Rams are ready to take on every last bit. So many questions await, and players who are preparing for finals have already started firing off questions.
Â
The quick answer: Soak it in and the answers will come. And when the match begins, the Rams, as an unseeded team, will be playing with house money.
Â
"I like what their enthusiasm is and the volleyball knowledge of the matchups and what our chances are," Kohan said. "After that, the three-seed is also a team that can be taken down."
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Colorado State's volleyball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, landing in a pod hosted by No. 3 seed Arizona State. The Rams will play No. 6 Texas A&M  in the first round on Dec. 6 (4:30 p.m. MT).
Â
"It was great, to be able to watch the NCAA Selection Show for the first time in my career was something that was super fun," Naeemah Weathers said. "We were very happy to be able to clinch our spot in the Mountain West tournament. We're super excited to go in there and play a team we feel we have equal footing with. We want to win."
Â
When the run ended in 2020, it snapped a string of 25 consecutive appearances in the draw. This will be the first trip to the NCAAs for the entire roster, and for four fifth-year seniors, it represents a major goal achieved. Particularly for Weathers, Karina Leber and Kennedy Stanford, the trio which have been with the program the entirety of their careers.
Â
It also completes a goal for second-year coach Emily Kohan, who has sought to snap the skid sooner rather than later in her tenure. Falling in the conference title game in five sets in 2023 just delayed the journey.
Â
"That was absolutely the goal, and accepting this is you know this program can have greatness," Kohan said. "It comes with pressure, and our players always say pressure is a privilege for themselves, but that's also part of my piece too. We have opportunities to do really great things here, and this is also my home. I want to make this my legacy as well."
Â
The Rams went 20-10 on the season, winning both the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles, entering the bracket on a four-match win streak.
Â
Texas A&M is 19-7 overall having won its past four matches. The Aggies have gone 3-3 this season against Top 25 teams, the majority of those matches coming in SEC play. They average 13.6 kills per set, hitting at a .256 clip while limiting opponents to a .179 attack percentage.
Â
Led by 6-foot-3 junior Logan Lednicky, who has 419 kills on the season (averaging 4.32 per set), the Aggies have two other players with more than 200 kills on the season. Middle Ifenna Cos-Okpalla ranks 11th nationally with 1.47 blocks per set.
Â
These are all things the coaching staff will take a deep dive into, with Kohan mentioning that it will become the main task of assistant Ted Kopacz over the next 48 hours.
Â
Preparing for a team the Rams haven't faced feels fresh, but Weathers said there is also a touch of wonder waiting for the scouting report.
Â
"There's a curiosity, a little bit more focus that goes into playing a team you haven't played before," she said. "You've got to prepare for things you've never seen. It can be fun, learning players on different teams and growing yourself as a player can be fun, but we're also curious going into it, very deliberately."
Â
The Rams will counter with a balanced offensive attack, ranking fifth nationally in hitting percentage (.302), led by Weathers who is third individually at .499. Malaya Jones, the Mountain West player of the year, set the program record with 541 kills. Weathers (278), Stanford (231) and Leber (246) all have surpassed 200 kills on the season,
Â
The fun part was Sunday, waiting and watching late into the selection show to see the who and when. It is what Colorado State has planned for all season, and in the moment it finally arrived.
Â
But the work is just beginning, and the Rams are ready to take on every last bit. So many questions await, and players who are preparing for finals have already started firing off questions.
Â
The quick answer: Soak it in and the answers will come. And when the match begins, the Rams, as an unseeded team, will be playing with house money.
Â
"I like what their enthusiasm is and the volleyball knowledge of the matchups and what our chances are," Kohan said. "After that, the three-seed is also a team that can be taken down."
Â
Players Mentioned
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