Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, November 5
Fort Collins, CO
6:00 PM
Colorado State
19-3,12-0Pac-12
3
vs
0
Gonzaga
8-16,3-9Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga | 15 | 20 | 18 | 0 |
| Colorado St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
11/5/2026 9:04:00 PM | Volleyball
Rams post sweep way to baker’s dozen
Conventional thinking would lean toward not messing with a good thing.
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Colorado State volleyball was that thing in the form of entering Thursday's match with Gonzaga at Moby Arena riding a wave of 18 consecutive sets won leading to five sweeps as the tail end of a run of 12 wins in a row.
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After the Rams won the first two sets, Emily Kohan sent her O1 – her top outside hitter Halle Jameson who was hitting .556 with five kills on nine swings – to the floor for the third set in the libero's jersey.
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Mind you, CSU's libero, Karsyn Fetzer, was playing just fine, her 15th match of the season with double-digit digs (14) and her fifth in a row.
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While the middles were playing well, might as well insert Breanna Rowland (who hasn't played in a month partially due to injury) and Olivia Ewing (who hasn't played all year). Defensive specialist Hayden Grimes, who had three attacks all season, was set for two swings out of the back row.
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Who does that?
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"I was talking to Tom Hilbert (former CSU coach) about that and he said, 'you're braver than I am,'" Kohan said of a man who won 637 matches as a Ram. "But yeah, I'm blessed to have three really talented outsides and we're trying to figure out what kind of clicks, put them all out there together, and which ones are best on a given night, and which ones are best for the team's success. They've all been very great teammates and trustworthy that it's going to work out in the end for what the team needs."
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It all worked out fine as the Rams (19-3, 12-0 Pac-12) swept Gonzaga 25-15, 25-20, 25-18. It's the longest run of sweeps for the program since the 2015 team opened the campaign with eight.
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There was never a time during the night when the team wasn't playing at a high level. Ella Stowell led the team with 13 kills, the second outing in a row where the freshman hit double figures. Kekua Richards had 10 to go with two blocks on a night the team posted nine. The Rams hit .406 on the night as setter Erin Debiec recorded 41 assists.
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She had her pick of the litter in hitters all night. Except for the third set, when she had to tell herself Jameson was not an option.
Â
"I had to remind myself. She reminded me too," Debiec said. "It was interesting. It's really exciting. It's definitely fun to see a lot of people emerge in new roles. Halle's such a great passer, so having her in the libero jersey benefits our team. And then Hayden is such a great attacker, why not use it? But it's just exciting that we have so many weapons in our arsenal that we can use all the time."
Â
It does serve two purposes. One, those who work hard in practice all the time are getting a chance to play in matches. It keeps players engaged and invested in the team and their individual progress. Second, one never knows what might happen in a match, during the week. Keeping people ready by testing them benefits the entire team.
Â
"I think we want to be prepared for any situation," Kohan said. "Karsyn was playing fine, but we haven't played a match with anybody else in the libero jersey and in the event that Karsyn were to get injured or have a really off night, I really want us to be prepared for whatever lineup we need to roll out with. So we've practiced it in practice, but matches are something different, so looking for new ways to keep challenging everybody."
Â
Jameson was all smiles when she came out on the floor. The last time she wore the jersey was in the final set of an exhibition with Air Force many months ago. It also happened to be the only time she'd worn the libero jersey.
Â
It also wasn't a decision made without planning, as she had been doing it in practice. But in a real match, she'd never done it. Now she has. She was confident before and more so now.
Â
"I've always said we have a super deep roster. All of these girls are so competitive," Jameson said. "In practice, it's just the most competitive gym. So I think it really shows on the court that we can put anyone out there and trust anyone to do a good job.
Â
"(Kohan) prepared us. I've been doing it a little bit in practice, just kind of practicing everything because you never know what could happen. It was great, and my teammates, they're just so amazing. They tell me so much, like how much they trust me. So I just feel very comfortable and calm, and it was super fun."
Â
With the most important part of the season approaching, it's not the worst idea, even if it isn't conventional. It doesn't hurt when Rowland notches a kill, or when Ewing's very first college play is a kill.
Â
The Rams hope bigger tests are coming, but the primary challenge is what they do themselves.
Â
"Definitely. I think a lot of teams will definitely bring their best against us," Debiec said. "We always have to expect that they'll have a huge challenge. But truly, we have so many opportunities to make ourselves better in practice. The sky's the limit for this team. So finding ways for us to challenge ourselves will just make us better."
Â
Â
Colorado State volleyball was that thing in the form of entering Thursday's match with Gonzaga at Moby Arena riding a wave of 18 consecutive sets won leading to five sweeps as the tail end of a run of 12 wins in a row.
Â
After the Rams won the first two sets, Emily Kohan sent her O1 – her top outside hitter Halle Jameson who was hitting .556 with five kills on nine swings – to the floor for the third set in the libero's jersey.
Â
Mind you, CSU's libero, Karsyn Fetzer, was playing just fine, her 15th match of the season with double-digit digs (14) and her fifth in a row.
Â
While the middles were playing well, might as well insert Breanna Rowland (who hasn't played in a month partially due to injury) and Olivia Ewing (who hasn't played all year). Defensive specialist Hayden Grimes, who had three attacks all season, was set for two swings out of the back row.
Â
Who does that?
Â
"I was talking to Tom Hilbert (former CSU coach) about that and he said, 'you're braver than I am,'" Kohan said of a man who won 637 matches as a Ram. "But yeah, I'm blessed to have three really talented outsides and we're trying to figure out what kind of clicks, put them all out there together, and which ones are best on a given night, and which ones are best for the team's success. They've all been very great teammates and trustworthy that it's going to work out in the end for what the team needs."
Â
It all worked out fine as the Rams (19-3, 12-0 Pac-12) swept Gonzaga 25-15, 25-20, 25-18. It's the longest run of sweeps for the program since the 2015 team opened the campaign with eight.
Â
There was never a time during the night when the team wasn't playing at a high level. Ella Stowell led the team with 13 kills, the second outing in a row where the freshman hit double figures. Kekua Richards had 10 to go with two blocks on a night the team posted nine. The Rams hit .406 on the night as setter Erin Debiec recorded 41 assists.
Â
She had her pick of the litter in hitters all night. Except for the third set, when she had to tell herself Jameson was not an option.
Â
"I had to remind myself. She reminded me too," Debiec said. "It was interesting. It's really exciting. It's definitely fun to see a lot of people emerge in new roles. Halle's such a great passer, so having her in the libero jersey benefits our team. And then Hayden is such a great attacker, why not use it? But it's just exciting that we have so many weapons in our arsenal that we can use all the time."
Â
It does serve two purposes. One, those who work hard in practice all the time are getting a chance to play in matches. It keeps players engaged and invested in the team and their individual progress. Second, one never knows what might happen in a match, during the week. Keeping people ready by testing them benefits the entire team.
Â
"I think we want to be prepared for any situation," Kohan said. "Karsyn was playing fine, but we haven't played a match with anybody else in the libero jersey and in the event that Karsyn were to get injured or have a really off night, I really want us to be prepared for whatever lineup we need to roll out with. So we've practiced it in practice, but matches are something different, so looking for new ways to keep challenging everybody."
Â
Jameson was all smiles when she came out on the floor. The last time she wore the jersey was in the final set of an exhibition with Air Force many months ago. It also happened to be the only time she'd worn the libero jersey.
Â
It also wasn't a decision made without planning, as she had been doing it in practice. But in a real match, she'd never done it. Now she has. She was confident before and more so now.
Â
"I've always said we have a super deep roster. All of these girls are so competitive," Jameson said. "In practice, it's just the most competitive gym. So I think it really shows on the court that we can put anyone out there and trust anyone to do a good job.
Â
"(Kohan) prepared us. I've been doing it a little bit in practice, just kind of practicing everything because you never know what could happen. It was great, and my teammates, they're just so amazing. They tell me so much, like how much they trust me. So I just feel very comfortable and calm, and it was super fun."
Â
With the most important part of the season approaching, it's not the worst idea, even if it isn't conventional. It doesn't hurt when Rowland notches a kill, or when Ewing's very first college play is a kill.
Â
The Rams hope bigger tests are coming, but the primary challenge is what they do themselves.
Â
"Definitely. I think a lot of teams will definitely bring their best against us," Debiec said. "We always have to expect that they'll have a huge challenge. But truly, we have so many opportunities to make ourselves better in practice. The sky's the limit for this team. So finding ways for us to challenge ourselves will just make us better."
Â
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
Gonz
CSU
Kills
42
48
Errors
15
7
Attempts
104
101
Hitting %
.260
.406
Points
46.0
61.0
Assists
42
44
Aces
0
4
Blocks
4
9
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
3
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