Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, September 11
Fort Collins, CO
6:00 PM
Colorado State
5-2,0-0Pac-12
3
vs
0
UCSB
4-3,0-0Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Santa Barbara | 22 | 16 | 19 | 0 |
| Colorado St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Ram Middles Pave Way to Sweep
9/11/2026 8:21:00 PM | Volleyball
Ram combo each reaches double digits in kills
Middles are people too.
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It's a position where they can often get lost in the shuffle offensively, particularly if a team is forced to play out of system a lot of a match. In those instances, the ball is going to the pin 99 percent of the time.
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Friday night, Colorado State played so well in the back row the Rams could stay in system, and it led to a night where their middles were the center of attention in a 3-0 sweep of UC Santa Barbera (25-22, 25-16, 25-19).
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For the third time in four matches, Eve Wilson and Kekua Richards both finished with double-digit kills, tying for the team led at Moby Arena with 11 each. It was night when they both did a bit of everything in the win.
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"Middles are big, athletic, powerful people. We're a great ball-handling team," CSU coach Emily Kohan said. "You've got some really nice passers. Halle Jameson's a great passer and to be able to feed the middles that much means we are in system quite a bit, and when we are in system, we are a dangerous team because you watch UCSB try to take the middles one-on-one all night and that's a tough gig when you've got people as big and powerful as Eve and Kekua.
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"So kudos for Erin (Debiec) for figuring out what was working. Tonight the middles were working and keep feeding it."
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Having a duo like the Rams do means the middle is always an option no matter the rotation. It means Jamison, who has led the team in kills in four of six prior matches, doesn't always have to carry the load.
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With Debiec – who finished with 28 assists and tied a career best with four aces – distributing the ball at will, the Rams' varied attack made life tough on the Gauchos as CSU hit .318 on the night. Wilson was at the top of the list, attacking at a .786 clip, with Richards at .429.
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Wilson knows it's not going to happen every night, so you enjoy it when you can.
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"First we have to pass well enough for us to get set and then I think also it makes the job easier when we get set," Wilson said. "The other team … It's stressful to block against a team that's coming to our positions, so I think it makes our offense a lot more well-rounded."
Â
Wilson is not only powerful, she proved she can be nimble of body, too. On a slide during the third set, one particular feed was just a touch off, making Wilson adjust midair, and the righty swinger tapped it oh-so-gracefully with her left hand to find the floor.
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Additionally, Wilson produced a team-best six blocks, along with an ace and an assist. That was her contribution which stood out for the rarity.
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"Honestly the assist, because I feel like I pushed that from far. I kind of took it from Erin, but I just stepped in there and took it," she said. "The left-handed kill, I feel like if I hit the ball left-handed, I just took it, you know?"
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Not to be left out of the athleticism debate, Richard delivered an assist of her own to go along with four blocks.
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They're a do-it-all tandem, she said.
Â
"So we were there. We got digs (actually, no), we got assists, we got everything. And I think that's also important to notice that we've been really working hard on not only being able to be a powerhouse with hitting and blocking but also be able to dig and be able to set and be able to just play everything that we can," Richards said. "Even (Eve), she served like crazy today. So I think being able to pick and choose skills is really awesome.
Â
"I think it's trying to do anything that you can. We are non-stop going. I think the only times where you won't see us running on a route is when it's like a super, super out-of-system ball so we can go straight to covering. But other than that, we try our best to be able to look like we're running a route or sometimes even be open because Erin will hit us most of the time. So I think that's our biggest goal."
Â
To Richards, what really stood out was the team-wide contributions. It was 12 digs from Karsyn Fetzer and six total aces from a team with just four service errors. It was the passing which made everyone an option. It was the 10 blocks as a team, with Jameson and Sofia Zabjeck each collecting a trio. It was Abby Little getting a kill on her first and only swing at Moby Arena.
Â
Winning is the goal, and the pathway is diversity.
Â
"I think last night Zab led our team in kills and so our best offense is when you have different people emerging and it's pretty balanced," Kohan said. "I think when I look at the box score Erin was setting people pretty equally tonight and that's what makes it hard to stop is you get those one-on-ones and people can be terminal and we're not just one-dimensional."
Â
Â
It's a position where they can often get lost in the shuffle offensively, particularly if a team is forced to play out of system a lot of a match. In those instances, the ball is going to the pin 99 percent of the time.
Â
Friday night, Colorado State played so well in the back row the Rams could stay in system, and it led to a night where their middles were the center of attention in a 3-0 sweep of UC Santa Barbera (25-22, 25-16, 25-19).
Â
For the third time in four matches, Eve Wilson and Kekua Richards both finished with double-digit kills, tying for the team led at Moby Arena with 11 each. It was night when they both did a bit of everything in the win.
Â
"Middles are big, athletic, powerful people. We're a great ball-handling team," CSU coach Emily Kohan said. "You've got some really nice passers. Halle Jameson's a great passer and to be able to feed the middles that much means we are in system quite a bit, and when we are in system, we are a dangerous team because you watch UCSB try to take the middles one-on-one all night and that's a tough gig when you've got people as big and powerful as Eve and Kekua.
Â
"So kudos for Erin (Debiec) for figuring out what was working. Tonight the middles were working and keep feeding it."
Â
Having a duo like the Rams do means the middle is always an option no matter the rotation. It means Jamison, who has led the team in kills in four of six prior matches, doesn't always have to carry the load.
Â
With Debiec – who finished with 28 assists and tied a career best with four aces – distributing the ball at will, the Rams' varied attack made life tough on the Gauchos as CSU hit .318 on the night. Wilson was at the top of the list, attacking at a .786 clip, with Richards at .429.
Â
Wilson knows it's not going to happen every night, so you enjoy it when you can.
Â
"First we have to pass well enough for us to get set and then I think also it makes the job easier when we get set," Wilson said. "The other team … It's stressful to block against a team that's coming to our positions, so I think it makes our offense a lot more well-rounded."
Â
Wilson is not only powerful, she proved she can be nimble of body, too. On a slide during the third set, one particular feed was just a touch off, making Wilson adjust midair, and the righty swinger tapped it oh-so-gracefully with her left hand to find the floor.
Â
Additionally, Wilson produced a team-best six blocks, along with an ace and an assist. That was her contribution which stood out for the rarity.
Â
"Honestly the assist, because I feel like I pushed that from far. I kind of took it from Erin, but I just stepped in there and took it," she said. "The left-handed kill, I feel like if I hit the ball left-handed, I just took it, you know?"
Â
Not to be left out of the athleticism debate, Richard delivered an assist of her own to go along with four blocks.
Â
They're a do-it-all tandem, she said.
Â
"So we were there. We got digs (actually, no), we got assists, we got everything. And I think that's also important to notice that we've been really working hard on not only being able to be a powerhouse with hitting and blocking but also be able to dig and be able to set and be able to just play everything that we can," Richards said. "Even (Eve), she served like crazy today. So I think being able to pick and choose skills is really awesome.
Â
"I think it's trying to do anything that you can. We are non-stop going. I think the only times where you won't see us running on a route is when it's like a super, super out-of-system ball so we can go straight to covering. But other than that, we try our best to be able to look like we're running a route or sometimes even be open because Erin will hit us most of the time. So I think that's our biggest goal."
Â
To Richards, what really stood out was the team-wide contributions. It was 12 digs from Karsyn Fetzer and six total aces from a team with just four service errors. It was the passing which made everyone an option. It was the 10 blocks as a team, with Jameson and Sofia Zabjeck each collecting a trio. It was Abby Little getting a kill on her first and only swing at Moby Arena.
Â
Winning is the goal, and the pathway is diversity.
Â
"I think last night Zab led our team in kills and so our best offense is when you have different people emerging and it's pretty balanced," Kohan said. "I think when I look at the box score Erin was setting people pretty equally tonight and that's what makes it hard to stop is you get those one-on-ones and people can be terminal and we're not just one-dimensional."
Â
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
PIN
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UCSB
CSU
Kills
39
40
Errors
21
10
Attempts
101
95
Hitting %
.178
.316
Points
48.0
56.0
Assists
36
33
Aces
3
6
Blocks
6
10
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
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