Rams Hit the Road for First Time this Season to Face DePaul and Notre Dame

FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State volleyball team heads on the road this week to compete in its first away matches of the season. The Rams will start by traveling to Chicago to face DePaul Thursday, then continue on to South Bend to play Notre Dame Friday.

Colorado State (2-4, 0-0 MW) vs. DePaul (5-1, 0-0 Big East)
McGrath-Phillips Arena, Chicago, Ill.
Thursday, September 12, 2024 // 6 PM MT
Stream: Marquee Sports Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Colorado State (2-4, 0-0 MW) vs. Notre Dame (3-1, 0-0 ACC)
Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind.
Friday, September 13, 2024 // 4 PM MT
Stream: ACC Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

What You Need to Know

Thursday's game against the Blue Demons marks the first true away game for the Rams, coming off the annual Ram Volleyball Classic last weekend, where they went 2-1 and ended their weekend with their first sweep of the season against Grand Canyon. Colorado State has hosted all six games of its season so far in Moby Arena, starting 2-4 on the year.
With 107 kills through the opening six matches of the season, Colorado State's Malaya Jones leads the Mountain West and ranks 13th in the NCAA in total kills. She will continue to be a player to watch on the road for the Rams.
Friday's game against Notre Dame will be played at the Compton Family Ice Arena, home to the Notre Dame hockey team in South Bend, where the Rams will face the Fighting Irish in their Volleyball on Ice event.
This trip back to the Midwest will act as a sort of homecoming for multiple Rams. Athletes Karina Leber, Delaney McIntosh and Jessica Lawton are all originally from southern Wisconsin while assistant coach Ted Kopacz is originally from Libertyville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.

Scouting the Midwest Road Trip

Both upcoming opponents for the Rams started their seasons off strong. DePaul enters week three with a current record of 5-1 and Notre Dame enters with a record of 3-1. DePaul looks to put together another winning record season relying on its two standout graduate students, libero Rachel Krasowski and outside hitter Jill Pressly. This past weekend, Krasowski broke DePaul's record for career digs which stood since 1991 with 1,951 digs and counting. Jill Pressly is also starting the season off strong with 106 kills recorded through six games, taking on a comparable workload to Jones of Colorado State. Both athletes were named All-Big East last season with Pressly earning unanimous honors for the second consecutive season, leading the Big East in kills and Krasowski earning her first All-Big East honor of her career while being named an AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention as well.
The Blue Demons, coached by Marie Zidek who enters her seventh season at the helm, are looking to continue their two-game hot streak this weekend after falling to common foe San Diego State before beating Tulane and Portland State this last weekend. Zidek led the Blue Demons to one of the most impressive seasons in program history during the fall of 2023. The team made their way back to the Big East Tournament for the second time in three years picking up its first win in the tournament against Xavier, 3-1, and moving on to the Big East Semifinals.
The Fighting Irish are led by former professional volleyball player, Salima Rockwell. Rockwell's third season leading the Fighting Irish comes off working as an analyst for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this past summer. The Fighting Irish have started their season off strong with three wins under their belt, heading into week three notable wins over Mississippi State, Villanova and Santa Clara. Senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo has been the leader of the Notre Dame offense recording 55 kills so far on the season, averaging 3.44 kills per set.
The Compton Family Ice Arena is known as one of the best environments in college hockey and the Fighting Irish is set to host their first Volleyball on Ice Event against the Rams with it being the first time Notre Dame volleyball has played in this facility since 2017.

Match Notes

Last weekend Colorado State hosted the Ram Volleyball Classic, playing against No. 12 Oregon, Canyon and Central Arkansas. The Rams took their first wins of the season over Grand Canyon and Central Arkansas and won the first set over Oregon, who went undefeated this weekend.
Freshman Maria Brun got her first career start for the Rams against Grand Canyon. After serving three aces, Brun had the team high for the match. To go along with her serves, she also recorded six kills in the match and contributed to the team's hitting percentage of .362.
Malaya Jones continued to lead her team to success on offense, with 55 kills in total during the Ram Volleyball Classic, which contributed to her being named Colorado State's Waterpik Student-Athlete of the Week. Jones was accompanied by assists from setter Emery Herman, who accumulated 126 assists over the course of the three matches.
Libero Kate Yoshimoto was back this past weekend after missing the opening three games of the season due to injury. The redshirt junior recorded 42 digs and contributed greatly to the success of the Ram's offense which hit .309 in week two compared to .225 while Yoshimoto was out.
Middle blockers Karina Leber and Naeemah Weathers both continue to be high efficiency options in the front row for the Rams with Leber hitting .436 and Weathers hitting .359 on the season so far.

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