Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, November 22
Fort Collins, CO
1:00 PM
Colorado State
20-8,14-4Mountain West
3
vs
1
New Mexico
13-16,5-13Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
New Mexico
19
25
13
17
1
Colorado St.
25
20
25
25
3
CSU Finds Its Focus on Senior Day
11/22/2025 4:09:00 PM | Volleyball
Senior day win fuels momentum before Mountain West Tournament
When a day means a lot of things, focus can be hard to come by; Colorado State volleyball knows how to consolidate though.
On Saturday, CSU took on New Mexico on Senior day. Ending 3-1 (25-19; 20-25; 25-13; 25-17), the last home game reflected a season of roster changes, uncertainty and adversity.
The five seniors—Aine Doty, Zosia Szczotkiewicz, Delaney McIntosh, Jazen Debina and Riley Simpson—took to center court before the game started to be honored by coaching staff and close family.
It was emotional, but that can go hand-in-hand with giving it all to the last point.
"My family has been watching all my games since I was younger and through high school," Doty said. "I feel very grateful for them, and I wouldn't be able to do it without them. I was emotional before the game, but I feel like once I step on to that court, I realize I have to get to work."
One thing the Rams new was important was starting out strong.
They opened the first set hitting .364 with 16 kills on 33 swings, their cleanest opening frame in weeks. And after multiple matches where slow starts dug early holes, getting ahead early was essential.
"They were just being more aggressive in general," Halle Jameson said. "They were making these really crazy defensive plays and continued to hit really aggressively. We were like, if we want to beat them, we have to be just as intense."
The intensity reached its peak after the second set.
In the break before the third, CSU emphasized patience, not panic. And that proved decisive: in set three, the Rams held New Mexico to negative hitting efficiency, forcing nine attack errors while adding five blocks of their own.
Middle blockers Eve Wilson finished with six blocks, part of CSU's 12 total team blocks on the night.
"They were taking good swings at the ball, but in their frustration tried to get outside their comfort zone and swing shots they normally wouldn't take," coach Emily Kohan said. "That was the message after the second set, just keep patient and do the same thing to wear them down."
Come out with as much fire as the first and shut down the belligerent shots the Lobo offense continued to take.
By the fourth set, the Rams had fully seized control, out-hitting the Lobos .412 to .176 and matching them defensively on every long rally. It became clearer with each point who would come out on top—and who would leave Moby with momentum heading into the Mountain West Tournament.
"In the first and second set (the rallies) were a little rough," Doty said. "I think New Mexico had a lot of good rallies and defense but in the third and fourth, we really matched their rallies. And so it just becomes not giving up after a long rally and continue to swing really big. Even if you're tired."
And as much as those swings matter, CSU's defensive ceiling continues to define them. They entered the match as the best defensive team in the Mountain West in opponent hitting percentage and backed it up by holding UNM to just .141 overall.
That blend of serving pressure, floor defense and strong pin blocking is what pulled them through.
"We're the best defensive team in the conference from opponent hitting efficiency" Kohan said. "That's a skill that doesn't get as much recognition all them. And, we figured out how to be good at serving, blocking and floor defense to hold all the teams to their own frustration."
Senior Day ended the way it began—with meaning layered everywhere, the kind that can scatter a team's attention or sharpen it. And in a season that demanded clarity through uncertainty, CSU found a way to narrow its focus when it mattered most. Point by point, block by block, they turned a day heavy with emotion into one defined by intention.
Amid the noise, the hugs and the tears, the Rams played with the calm of a group that understands how to gather all those swirling moments and aim them toward the same place.
CSU takes its next challenge to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, a stage where the noise grows louder and the margins grow thinner. But if Saturday proved anything, it's that the Rams know how to take a day full of meaning and thread it into a single, steady focus.
On Saturday, CSU took on New Mexico on Senior day. Ending 3-1 (25-19; 20-25; 25-13; 25-17), the last home game reflected a season of roster changes, uncertainty and adversity.
The five seniors—Aine Doty, Zosia Szczotkiewicz, Delaney McIntosh, Jazen Debina and Riley Simpson—took to center court before the game started to be honored by coaching staff and close family.
It was emotional, but that can go hand-in-hand with giving it all to the last point.
"My family has been watching all my games since I was younger and through high school," Doty said. "I feel very grateful for them, and I wouldn't be able to do it without them. I was emotional before the game, but I feel like once I step on to that court, I realize I have to get to work."
One thing the Rams new was important was starting out strong.
They opened the first set hitting .364 with 16 kills on 33 swings, their cleanest opening frame in weeks. And after multiple matches where slow starts dug early holes, getting ahead early was essential.
"They were just being more aggressive in general," Halle Jameson said. "They were making these really crazy defensive plays and continued to hit really aggressively. We were like, if we want to beat them, we have to be just as intense."
The intensity reached its peak after the second set.
In the break before the third, CSU emphasized patience, not panic. And that proved decisive: in set three, the Rams held New Mexico to negative hitting efficiency, forcing nine attack errors while adding five blocks of their own.
Middle blockers Eve Wilson finished with six blocks, part of CSU's 12 total team blocks on the night.
"They were taking good swings at the ball, but in their frustration tried to get outside their comfort zone and swing shots they normally wouldn't take," coach Emily Kohan said. "That was the message after the second set, just keep patient and do the same thing to wear them down."
Come out with as much fire as the first and shut down the belligerent shots the Lobo offense continued to take.
By the fourth set, the Rams had fully seized control, out-hitting the Lobos .412 to .176 and matching them defensively on every long rally. It became clearer with each point who would come out on top—and who would leave Moby with momentum heading into the Mountain West Tournament.
"In the first and second set (the rallies) were a little rough," Doty said. "I think New Mexico had a lot of good rallies and defense but in the third and fourth, we really matched their rallies. And so it just becomes not giving up after a long rally and continue to swing really big. Even if you're tired."
And as much as those swings matter, CSU's defensive ceiling continues to define them. They entered the match as the best defensive team in the Mountain West in opponent hitting percentage and backed it up by holding UNM to just .141 overall.
That blend of serving pressure, floor defense and strong pin blocking is what pulled them through.
"We're the best defensive team in the conference from opponent hitting efficiency" Kohan said. "That's a skill that doesn't get as much recognition all them. And, we figured out how to be good at serving, blocking and floor defense to hold all the teams to their own frustration."
Senior Day ended the way it began—with meaning layered everywhere, the kind that can scatter a team's attention or sharpen it. And in a season that demanded clarity through uncertainty, CSU found a way to narrow its focus when it mattered most. Point by point, block by block, they turned a day heavy with emotion into one defined by intention.
Amid the noise, the hugs and the tears, the Rams played with the calm of a group that understands how to gather all those swirling moments and aim them toward the same place.
CSU takes its next challenge to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, a stage where the noise grows louder and the margins grow thinner. But if Saturday proved anything, it's that the Rams know how to take a day full of meaning and thread it into a single, steady focus.
Team Stats
UNM
CSU
Kills
50
57
Errors
26
15
Attempts
150
138
Hitting %
.160
.304
Points
60.0
73.0
Assists
48
56
Aces
1
4
Blocks
9
12
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB/OPP
/ VolleyballColorado State Volleyball Press Conference: Nov. 17, 2025
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