Rams Sweep Buffs as Golden Spike returns to Fort Collins

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Team	1	2	3	Final F
Colorado	21	23	15	0
Colorado St.	25	25	25	3

Colorado

Colorado St.

One day after falling to Colorado in a four-set battle, Colorado State returned home and swept the Buffaloes to reclaim the Golden Spike in front of a sold-out Moby Arena.

No. 17 CU came into the two-game series undefeated, winning 3-1 on Thursday night. Colorado State has only seen three losses this season, all to nationally ranked teams.

After losing three sets by a difference of two and three points, CSU knew the difference between winning and losing came down to execution late in each set, which they did in front of a sold-out White Out crowd at Moby Arena with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-23, 25-15).

"We talk a lot about being better at what we call endgame and being able to have that kind of competitive mentality and the margins are slim, especially on the road," coach Emily Kohan said. "We've got to work on it in practice and more than anything they have to sit in those moments and experience some of the hard ones to get better at them."

The Rams came out with a strong mentality immediately.

The first set started off quickly, with Colorado taking the first two points. The Rams responded, settling into just the beginning of the long back-and-forth battle which remained prevalent throughout the whole match.

Neither team was able to create much separation early, but CSU found enough momentum to take the first set.

The second set continued on a similar note.

Both teams traded points, with CSU remaining competitive and continuing to apply pressure, changing from the ways which cost it the night prior. This time the Rams were able to take the set and look for a sweep. In set three the Rams showed their dominance and composure and the obvious momentum switch to close out the sweep.

"We talked a lot about winning the serve and pass game. We want to serve tough, get them out of system, and then we want to pass well and give ourselves opportunities," senior Eve Wilson said. "We also just made some adjustments on the block and really wanted to be super aggressive and leave it all out there."

The sweep marked a180-degree turn from the previous match where they lost three tight sets.

For CSU, the difference in play wasn't a change in identity, but a reminder of the strong team it knows it can be.

"Coming from yesterday, we all kind of agreed that's not how we play. That wasn't the kind of volleyball we wanted to show everybody who we are with. We came into practice with one focus just to be 10% better and just kind of try and execute," Kekua Richards said. "I'll give CU Boulder some kudos. They're a really good blocking team, and they were good at scheming at our offense. We all wanted to come in here and do a little bit better to get around it and not be scared of that block."

Compared to the day prior, the Rams adjusted how they defended Colorado's offense, particularly when the Buffaloes were forced out of system.

"When they're out of system, they're pretty left heavy. They go to their outside, so we know where they're going to go," Wilson said. "So we try to shut them down. They're really good attackers, so we're just trying to make good reads and get good block setups for our defense."

This approach showed up at the net. Richards recorded a total nine blocks, more than Colorado's team as a whole.

Fellow middle blocker Wilson provided an aggressive game, defending at the back and slamming the door on CU's defense.

"Kekua and Eve were just hungry. It was salty the way we ended yesterday," Kohan said. "They wanted to come out and shut down that All-American outside hitter No. 11. They had those big monster blocks and the big celebrations that followed."

Thursday's game left the Rams hungry for more, and getting a second chance gave them just what they needed.

With more than 8,000 fans packed in Moby Arena, the annual White Out tradition continued, bringing an atmosphere and an extra boost facing their instate rival.

"We got Moby Madness behind us. Road games are different than home games," Kohan said. "And man, what an environment. You had 8,000 people cheering for you. I just felt like the revenge tour was something that came out with a little chip on their shoulder."

The White Out game has been a CSU volleyball tradition since 2010, with the Rams holding the first ever event against Duke.

Since then, the tradition has become an annual celebration complete with fans dressed in all white and hats decorated by players and handed out to students.

"It's the best game of the year. This is my fourth White Out. It's never failed to be the best game in the entire season," Richards said. "I'm just so grateful for the community that we have and how much love that they have for us. This is definitely going to be a game that I'm going to miss in my later career."

The win also added another mark to a rivalry which dates back to 1987. CSU entered the weekend with a 30-20 record against Colorado, with the two splitting the last 10 matchups.

After the Buffs won the first meeting of the weekend, the Rams made sure the Golden Spike stayed in Fort Collins.

The sweep also closed CSU's non-conference schedule with a win as they prepare for the Pac-12.

"Great closing to Chapter 1, non-conference being Chapter 1. It was a really amazing way to get a signature win against your rival, keep the Golden Spike, and be able to go into the Pac-12," Kohan said. "Now we're 0-0 again and be able to have some momentum to start Chapter 2 off on a good note."

After an unfortunate first meeting, the Rams brought the grit back to Fort Collins and along with it the Golden Spike.

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