Colorado State to take on Buffs in annual Battle for the Golden Spike

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FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State Volleyball team closes out non-conference play as it takes on the Colorado Buffaloes this week in the annual home-and-home series, the Battle for the Golden Spike.

Colorado State (3-5, 0-0 MW) vs. Colorado (6-4, 0-0 Big 12)
Moby Arena, Fort Collins, CO
Thursday, September 19, 2024 // 6:00 PM
Stream: MW Network
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Colorado State (3-5, 0-0 MW) at Colorado (6-4, 0-0 Big 12)
CU Events Center, Boulder, CO
Friday, September 20, 2024 // 7:00 PM
Stream: ESPN+
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What You Need to Know

The annual home-and-home series will start with the Rams hosting the Buffs at Moby Arena Thursday before Colorado State makes the trip to Boulder Friday to compete in its last non-conference game of the year.
Since its induction in 2019, the Golden Spike series has split 4-4 with the Rams winning the first two meetings, Colorado taking both wins in 2021 and the teams splitting the two-game series the last two seasons.
Last season both teams lost in their home arenas and took the wins on the road. The Rams took the first game in five sets, with Malaya Jones and Kennedy Stanford being Colorado State game leaders in kills, Jones with 21 kills and Stanford with 13. Game two was also a close battle, with the Buffs coming out on top after a five-set match in Moby Arena.

Scouting the Buffs

Colorado enters its last week of non-conference play at 6-4 with wins over Cal, Georgia and UC Irvine. Colorado is coming off a loss against Wyoming, losing in four sets last Sunday.
Colorado's offense has been led by sophomores Ana Burilović and Sydney Jordan with Burilović at 153 kills on the season, with a 3.73 kill per set rate and Jordan contributing 107 kills.
Senior setter Taylor Simpson sets the offense up for success for the Buffs, recording 380 assists on the season so far and a 9.27 assist per set rate. Simpson has been a strong asset to the Buffs her entire career, recording 97 assists across the two Battle for the Golden Spike matches last season.
The Buff's are led by former Colorado State assistant coach Jesse Mahoney who is entering his ninth season as head coach at CU.

Series vs. Buffaloes: 27-18
Away vs. Buffaloes: 10-11
Home vs. Buffaloes: 17-7

Match Notes

The Rams went 1-1 last weekend when they hit the road for the first time, with a win against DePaul and a loss to Notre Dame, both in four sets.
Setter Emery Herman recorded over 69 assists over the weekend, bringing her to 304 assists so far this season, ranking second in the Mountain West. The fifth-year senior also recorded a season-high with 17 digs against DePaul.
Middle blocker Karina Leber recorded two season highs for blocks, recording six blocks in both the DePaul and Notre Dame matches. She also finds herself with a 3.77 hitting percentage, putting her at number six in the Mountain West going into the last non-conference matches.
Redshirt senior Malaya Jones continues to be a consistent offensive threat for the Rams, leading the team in kills in both matches this past week. Jones totaled 27 kills, with 13 against DePaul and 14 against Notre Dame, maintaining the third highest hitting percentage in the Mountain West at 4.32. She also added 12 digs on the weekend.
Libero Kate Yoshimoto totaled 32 digs and finds herself ranked fourth in the Mountain West, totaling 74 digs and a digging percentage of 3.89.

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