Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
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Noise, Nerves and Next Steps
9/12/2025 8:43:00 PM | Volleyball
Colorado State finds lessons before the Battle for the Golden Spike
Volleyballs worn as hats, matching T-shirts, and a deafening white sea of fans set the stage in Moby Arena. All it needed were the actors: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Colorado State Rams.
The scoreboard tells a clean story – Notre Dame swept 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 27-25) – but the night was anything but simple. The annual Moby White Out is known for its roar and spectacle, yet beneath the noise it's still volleyball: five sets to claim a win and an opponent intent on denying it.
Coach Emily Kohan understands that balance all too well.
Big games have to have big players show up in big ways, Kohan said. This was a big game, and you have to reorganize your feelings and pit them toward having a big performance.
The Rams needed the mental reset early. After a blistering 6-0 Notre Dame run opened the first set, Colorado State never fully found its rhythm, dropping it 25-12. The second set offered more fight but the same result, 25-19.
Freshman outside hitter Halle Jameson provided a spark, posting seven kills on a .200 clip. For Jameson, the night was as much a lesson as a competition.
I think we're going to be glad we played this game in the future, she said. It taught us a lot. We know we can play better, and hopefully it helps us improve in the long run.
Throughout the game there were multiple moments where it clicked better than before.
One reason it didn't stick was because of ND's All-American hitter Morgan Gaerte who forced CSU to adjust on the fly. The Irish mixed in off-speed tips to exploit soft spots in the Rams' defense.
We didn't scout them tipping as much as they did, Kohan said. It took us a long time to recover from that. We really dug in after that. I feel like their attacks took us a set and a half to kind of shift into a different defense to recover.
Recovering from a quick first and an equally tumultuous second set wasn't easy but with a break to regroup, the Rams came back.
Blocks began to shut-out kills, with middle blocker Kekua Richards registering three on the night.
You have to be really brave, Richards said. Especially if you're going to play a team like Notre Dame, you have to swing and swing hard. So I think, especially for our younger players, you're just trying to get them to be brace and keep going for it.
The Rams traded points deep into the third, even holding set point, but ND's experience sealed the sweep at 27-25.
If the outcome was disappointing, the atmosphere wasn't. The White Out crowd remained electric until the final whistle, something Jameson won't soon forget.
There's just an amazing fan base here, Jameson said. Being a freshman, I've never experienced a school game like this. It's amazing to see that people show up and show out. Even when we were down, they were so consistent with cheering.
As passionate as the fans were, CSU volleyball is looking to get a bit more physical and let the intensity shine.
It comes with time, like all things, and Kohan knows it's there.
I think we have so many new players out there that, the longer they play together, the more they'll mesh, Kohan said. We've got some physicality. We've got tall players like Kekua who have some size. We've tried to be intentional with that size too to be a better defensive team.
The Rams left Moby with a loss, but also with a blueprint. And there's no time to dwell: their next test is the battle for the Golden Spike against in-state rival Colorado on Sept. 18 in Boulder.
Because games can be a spectacle, but they can also be a lesson, it's all about perspective.
