Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Wyoming
Let the Chips Fall In CSU's Favor
10/25/2025 2:44:00 PM | Volleyball
Rams sweep Wyoming to avenge early-season loss
A chip on your shoulder isn't always a bad thing.
It can bear fruitful outcomes like the one on Saturday as Colorado State took on the Cowgirls for the second time this season, this time at home. The match ended 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-18).
That chip had been sitting there since the Rams' five-set loss in Laramie last month, and it showed from the very first serve. CSU played like a team that hadn't forgotten.
"We definitely came out fired up," Erin Debiec said. "We didn't want to lose to them again and we took it personally."
From the start, both teams were hungry for a win, but the Rams' urgency separated them early. Every dig, every swing and every celebration carried a little extra weight, a product of that earlier loss still lingering. CSU's offense clicked from the opening set, ending the match hitting .312 compared to Wyoming's .090.
The same edge fueled players like Halle Jameson, who continues to emerge as one of CSU's most reliable two-way presences. She finished with her sixth double-double of the season, collecting 10 kills and 12 digs, a stat line that reflects the hard work she's been putting in since the start of the year.
"I knew I was going to come out and work as hard as I could," Jameson said. "I was hoping this is how it would end up, but I'm just really proud of all the work I've put in to get to this place. I'm so happy this is where I'm at now."
That work ethic—that chip—extends throughout the roster.
Because one of the biggest differences in this year's team is its depth. Whether it's Karsyn Fetzer or Delaney McIntosh, Riley Simpson or Brenna Rowland, someone new steps up every match.
"We have 17 players on this team for a reason," coach Emily Kohan said. "They can all contribute in a lot of ways. I think we're going to be really good this year. And there's also looking ahead to next year, when all these kids are coming back."
That depth doesn't just show up on game day. It's built every week on the practice court, where competition for playing time pushes everyone to improve.
The result is a team that's confident, hungry and eager to win big matches. That mindset has carried CSU to a No. 2 ranking in the Mountain West and an 8-2 record.
"We're building confidence and our passing is becoming really solid," Debiec said. "We have some really good attackers who can get to the ball in many situations and it's working."
After all, the Cowgirls are one of the foremost blocking teams in the conference yet only managed five by the end of the day compared to the Rams' 12.
The one-two punch of Kekua Richards and Eve Wilson led the way, setting the tone at the net while also strengthening the team's overall identity.
"This is one of my favorite box scores of the year," Kohan said. "It reminds me of 2019, one of our best years since I've been here, because Eve and Kekua, as middles, are getting set in the 20s, equal to some of the pin hitters. That's a tough thing to do, to be able to ball handle."
A little chip on the shoulder might have started the sweep, but now it's about keeping that same energy steady.
"We're ironing out that we can do stuff like this consistently," Kohan said. "The ups and downs of preseason and the early season with young teams are like, you play amazing then you have a tougher game. And now, as we get to the last five weeks of the season, you want to start evening out statistically. … This is what we expect every single day and we're becoming more consistent."
The chip isn't going anywhere; it's just changing shape.
What started as frustration from a loss in Laramie has turned into something steadier: confidence. It's the kind that shows up in how the Rams celebrate each block, fight for each rally and carry themselves like one of the top teams in the Mountain West.
Each match now is less about revenge and more about proving they belong at the top, something that's been building week after week. The energy from that early stumble has become a foundation, a reminder of where they were and how far they've come.
Because for this team, the chip on their shoulder isn't about anger anymore, but about never being finished.
Colorado State will look to keep that momentum going when they host Fresno State next Thursday, Oct. 30, at Moby Arena.
