Nov. 30, 2000

By Renee Carlson
The Coloradoan

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - When members of the Colorado State University volleyball team realized they would get to host the first- and second-round matches of the NCAA Tournament this week, they were understandably excited. After all, who wouldn't want to play on their homecourt and sleep in their own beds?

The players felt that, but they felt so much more, too. Their real thrill for playing at home was for their fans.

"A lot of fans are going to be here, and they get excited to watch us," Summer Jennings said. "They deserve to watch us play and advance. I'm glad we're at home, because the fans deserve it. They've been so good to us."

The players give the crowd a lot of credit for their homecourt success at Moby Arena, which will be the site of Friday's 6 p.m. match between the University of Colorado and Georgia Tech and the 8 p.m. match between CSU and Radford. The winners advance to play each other at 7 p.m. Saturday at Moby.

For most of this season, CSU held the nation's record for longest home winning streak. That was broken after 44 wins, though, in a five-game loss to Brigham Young. Still, the loss didn't mar the accomplishment for the players, who did not lose at home for nearly three seasons.

CSU is 57-4 in Moby over the past four seasons under coach Tom Hilbert. The success certainly hasn't come easily, and it's not the result of a patsy schedule. Each year, several teams ranked in the Top 25 visited Moby and left with a loss. This fall, CSU beat three Top 25 teams at home - No. 13 Santa Barbara, No. 14 BYU and No. 16 Utah.

But even when the pressure was mounting with each match and the players knew the nation's best streak was on the line, they say they still felt comfortable.

"I don't think of it as pressure," Jennings said. "I think of it as support. They're there for us. They're behind us the whole way. They support us no matter what."

CSU has averaged 1,909 fans this season, which is the third-best attendance in the 25 seasons the school has fielded a volleyball team. The mark ranks the Rams eighth in the nation in attendance this season. The biggest year was 1987 when the crowd averaged 2,299, second-best in the country.

CSU has a strong chance to finish with a higher average because NCAA Tournament matches typically draw bigger crowds. Last year's first- and second-round matches averaged 2,198.

All-session passes for Friday and Saturday are $12 for adults and $6 for youths ages 3-18. Single-session tickets go on sale immediately before matches and are $8 for adults and $5 for youths.

These matches likely will be the team's final ones in Moby this season, although CSU could host again next week if it wins and Southern Cal is upset on its home court this weekend

So the players plan to enjoy their moment, and they want the fans to enjoy it, too.

"Moby's a great place to play with our crowd," Angela Knopf said. "It's so great to have our fans 100 percent behind us. When they announce the starting lineup and say "Now the Rams," and out of the corner of your eyes, everyone stands up in the bleachers, it just gives me goosebumps."