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Match notes: Rams face tough tests in final road trip
CSU travels to face Utah, BYU
Nov. 10, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format Match 25 | Colorado State at Utah Match 26 | Colorado State at BYU Up next The Rams begin the trip Thursday against the Utah Utes (15-9, 8-4 MWC) at Crimson Court (2,000) in Salt Lake City, Utah. The match will be televised live on The Mtn. beginning at 7:30 p.m. MT. CSU then heads south to Provo, Utah, to take on the BYU Cougars (12-12, 6-6 MWC), at the Smith Fieldhouse (5,000). That match will air live on BYUTV, beginning at 7 p.m. MT. Fans can also watch a replay Sunday at 2 p.m. on The Mtn. The Rams, who own a half-match lead over TCU in the conference standings, need two wins in their final three league matches to secure their seventh MWC conference title. The Horned Frogs have two conference matches remaining, at UNLV (Saturday) and vs. New Mexico (Nov. 20). Rams on the radio Lights, cameras, action Follow the Rams online Live statistics are also available for Rams volleyball matches by clicking the “GameTracker” logo on the volleyball “Schedule/Results” page on CSURams.com. A quick look at the Rams The Rams were selected to finish second in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll released Aug. 4. Utah, the defending champion, received eight first-place votes and was predicted to finish ahead of the Rams, who earned four first-place votes. New Mexico (3) and BYU (2) also received first-place votes and were selected to finish third and fourth, respectively. TCU, UNLV and San Diego State were slotted fifth through seventh, while Wyoming and Air Force were selected to finish eighth and ninth, respectively, in the MWC standings. The Rams opened the season with a pair of home losses, their first in 28 consecutive matches at Moby Arena, to Pepperdine and Oregon State, but have bounced back with four straight victories, including a thrilling come-from-behind win in five sets over Ohio State on Sept. 4. The team suffered a setback to start a four-match road swing in Carolina, falling at Duke, 3-0, on Sept. 9. However, the Rams rebounded in impressive fashion, notching three consecutive victories over Marshall, Tennessee and North Carolina to win the Carolina Classic volleyball tournament. The team won 12 straight matches between Sept. 11 and Oct. 22. During the Rams’ winning streak, the team recorded four consecutive sweeps over UNLV (Sept. 18), New Mexico (Sept. 24), TCU (Sept. 26), and Wyoming (Oct. 2), to open MWC play. The Rams lost their first set of the conference season at San Diego State (Oct. 8), picking up a 3-1 victory over the Aztecs, and followed that with three straight sweeps at Air Force (Oct. 10), and vs. BYU (Oct. 15) and Utah (Oct. 17) to get through the first half of MWC action with a perfect 8-0 record. The Rams opened the second half of the MWC season, Oct. 22 at TCU. The Horned Frogs handed CSU their first conference loss, a 3-0 setback, but CSU responded with a thrilling 3-2 victory at New Mexico (Oct. 25), to maintain the team’s lead over the Horned Frogs in the standings. Colorado State completed a season sweep of rival Wyoming with a three-set victory on Oct. 30, and the then notched two more straight-set victories over at home vs. Air Force (Nov. 5) and San Diego State (Nov. 7). Recapping Week 11: vs. Air Force and San Diego State With the Rams’ victory over the Falcons, Hilbert joined an elite group, becoming one of 29 active head coaches with 500 wins at the Division I level, and one of only two at that level who currently have fewer than 22 years of coaching experience. The Rams utilized a number of different lineup shifts to defeat the Falcons (25-17, 25-12, 27-25), giving the fans at Moby a glimpse of a few student-athletes who have not seen much time on the court this season. But it was a familiar face, junior outside hitter Jacque Davisson, who came up big with an 11-kill, six-dig, three-block performance, while redshirt freshman Megan Plourde notched 11 kills on .389 hitting. Senior setter Shanna Casinelli saw her most extensive playing time of the season, recording a pair of assists, and junior defensive specialist Audrey Hemmings saw her first action of the year at libero, spelling senior Katelin Batten, who sat out the third set along with classmate Tessa Nelson. CSU, as a program, then reached a pair of milestones against San Diego State. The victory marked the Rams’ 20th of the season, giving the Rams a streak of 15 consecutive 20-win seasons. It was also the 700th in program history. The match, a back-and-forth battle that saw 25 ties and eight lead changes, still ended in a Rams sweep, after CSU rallied from a 22-19 deficit to win second set, 25-23. Plourde, and junior outside hitter Danielle Minch, each recorded 10 kills for the Rams. Plourde hit .368 and added four blocks. Evan Sanders was impressive, doling out 40 assists for the Rams. With the victories, the Rams improved to 12-1 and maintained a half-match lead over second-place TCU in the MWC standings. About Utah Senior opposite hitter Karolina Bartkowiak leads the Utes and ranks sixth in the Mountain West Conference in kills per set, averaging 3.04. Senior middle blocker Chelsey Sandberg leads the team in hitting efficiency (.298), seventh in the MWC. Setter Abby Simmons ranks tenth in the league, averaging 5.64 assists per set, while sophomore middle blocker Danielle Killpack ranks third in the MWC in blocks per set (1.18). As a team, the Utes rank fourth in the MWC with a hitting percentage of .213. The team also ranks sixth in opponent hitting percentage (.206), assists (11.58), and kills (12.58), while ranking fourth in blocks (2.40) and aces (1.25). Head coach Beth Launiere is in her 20th season at the helm of the Utah program, where she has compiled a record of 406-221. Rams vs. Utes About BYU Senior Kayla Walker, a rightside hitter from Kaysville, Utah, leads the Cougars on the season, notching a total of 298 kills. Her average of 3.96 kills per set ranks first in the conference, just ahead of CSU’s Danielle Minch (3.64). Junior setter Kiana Rogers is sixth in the league, averaging 9.48 assists per set. Freshman middle blocker Nicole Warner has also been impressive this season, ranking second to CSU’s Tessa Nelson in blocks per set at 1.26. Warner is also first on the team with a hitting percentage of .288. As a team, BYU ranks eighth in the MWC with a hitting percentage of .190, while holding opponents to just .184 hitting, fourth in the league behind TCU and CSU (.151), and New Mexico (.176) The Cougars also rank just behind CSU, averaging 2.75 blocks per set, compared with 2.77 for the Rams. Head coach Shay Goulding is in her second season at the helm of the BYU program, where she has compiled a record of 26-24. The Cougars face off against Wyoming on Thursday night before meeting up with the Rams on Saturday. Rams vs. Cougars Rams vs. the MWC Rams in the RPI Milestone wins The Rams’ sweep over the Aztecs also marked the team’s 20th victory of the season. Colorado State has recorded at least 20 wins in 15 consecutive seasons, and has made the NCAA tournament field in each of the previous 14 years. Moby Madness Colorado State is currently riding a 12-match home winning streak. During that stretch, the Rams have lost just four sets. Since Coach Hilbert’s arrival in 1997, CSU has also played 32 ranked opponents in Moby Arena, coming away with victories in 22 of those matches, including four consecutive victories over ranked opponents at Moby dating back to a 3-0 win over No. 13 Ohio State on Aug. 30, 2007. During that stretch, the Rams have also hosted and beaten opponents from Florida (No. 8 on Sept. 13, 2009), BYU (No. 24 on Sept. 20, 2009) and Arizona (No. 25 on Oct. 4, 2009). Hilbert reaches another milestone With the victory Hilbert, who entered this season ranked 11th nationally among active NCAA Division I head coaches with a winning percentage of .783, became the 29th active coach with 500 victories, and one of only two active head coaches (Barry Goldberg, American) on that list with less than 22 years of experience. Last season, Hilbert became the winningest coach in CSU annals when he surpassed Rich Feller with his 300th victory at Colorado State. To date, Hilbert has 327 victories at the helm of the CSU program. Poll position Attendance leaders Home away from home
As easy as 1-2-3 Rams in the rankings Individually, junior outside hitter Danielle Minch, senior middle blocker Tessa Nelson, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Megan Plourde each rank in two categories. Minch is 96th in kills per set (3.64) and 117th in points per set (4.06). Nelson, Plourde both rank in blocks per set and hitting percentage. Nelson is 28th in the country in blocks per set (1.30), and 243rd in hitting percentage (.287) while Plourde ranks 19th in hitting percentage (.379) and 111th in blocks per set (1.05). Sophomore setter Evan Sanders ranks 61st with 10.51 assists per set, and senior libero Katelin Batten is 125th, averaging 4.15 digs per set. Plourde playing well Since notching a then-career-high nine kills at North Carolina on Sept. 12, Plourde has recorded 126 kills (2.52 per set) on .432 hitting with a team-leading 59 total blocks in the Rams’ last 15 matches. During that stretch, Plourde has recorded her first five double-digit kills games of her career, posting 10 vs. New Mexico (Sept. 24), putting away 13 kills vs. Northern Colorado (Sept. 30), adding 11 at San Diego State (Oct. 8), leading the Rams to victory at New Mexico (Oct. 24) with 14 kills, and notching 10 kills vs. SDSU (Nov. 7). She has also eclipsed four or more blocks in eight contests this season, including a career-high nine total blocks at New Mexico. Facing one of their toughest road challenges of the season at San Diego State (Oct. 8), it was Plourde’s impressive performance that was a catalyst for the Rams 3-1 victory. Plourde came up big for the Rams, notching 11 kills, including three in the deciding set, on .688 hitting (11-0-16) to carry CSU to victory. She also posted a match-high six blocks (one solo) for the Rams, who outblocked the Aztecs by a margin of 10-7. Plourde’s .688 hitting against the Aztecs was good enough to rank fourth all-time in a four-set match in CSU history. Against MWC opponents, Plourde leads the conference in hitting efficiency, killing 42.9 percent of her total attacks though 13 conference matches. She also ranks fourth against MWC opponents, averaging 1.26 blocks per set. Double trouble Davisson is the only other Ram to record a double-double this season. She enters this week’s action with four to her credit, vs. UT Arlington (11 kills, 10 digs), vs. Marshall (11 kills, 11 digs), vs. Tennessee (11 kills, 15 digs), and at San Diego State (10 kills, 10 digs). Davisson has notched eight double-doubles in her career, 16th among active MWC players. Minch killing the competition Entering action this week, Minch has recorded double-figures kills in 16 of CSU’s 24 matches, including a season-high 20 kills vs. Northern Colorado on Sept. 30. Setting the pace During the Rams’ Sept. 24 conference opener at UNLV, Sanders was particularly impressive, as she recorded a then-career-high 41 assists, en route to her 10th consecutive match with 30-plus assists. Sanders broke that personal record Sept. 30, posting an eye-popping 61 assists in CSU’s five-set victory over in-state rival Northern Colorado, the most by any setter in the MWC this season. Against Utah on Oct. 17, Sanders was key in the Rams’ victory, recording an impressive 47 assists in just three sets, an average of 15.67 assists per set. She has recorded 40 or more assists in seven matches - this season, including four of the Rams’ last six matches. Sanders showed off another part of her game vs. New Mexico (Sept. 24) and TCU (Sept. 26). After recording a career-best four kills in a 3-0 sweep of the Lobos, Sanders bested the mark in the Rams’ next match, putting away seven kills on .700 hitting against the Horned Frogs. To date, Sanders has notched 64 kills. She also ranks third on the team with 169 digs through 24 matches, and has recorded six matches with double-figure digs. Can you dig it? Between Sept. 3 and Nov. 5, Batten recorded double-figures digs in 19 consecutive matches, including four matches - Sept. 4 vs. Ohio State, Sept. 11 vs. Marshall, Oct. 17 vs. Utah, and Oct. 24 at New Mexico - in which she eclipsed 20 digs for the match. Batten’s 24 digs vs. Utah also tied a CSU single-match record for most digs in a three-set match set by Kelli Barnes in 1993. The streak came to an end Nov. 5 vs. Air Force, a match in which Batten played sparingly, as the Rams’ coaching staff experimented with some different lineups. During that match, junior defensive specialist Audrey Hemmings saw her first action of the year at Libero for the Rams, recording a season-high tying 12 digs. Full Nelson Freshmen make debuts Freshman middle blocker Tori Brummett also made her collegiate debut for the Rams in the Hilton Classic, earning a start against Georgia Southern on Sept. 3. Brummett notched four kills and two assisted blocks to help the Rams to a 3-0 victory over the Eagles. Entering action this week, has played in four matches, averaging 0.67 kills and 0.50 blocks per set. More fresh faces Gaulia has appeared in 15 of the Rams’ 24 matches and made her first career start Oct. 30 vs. Wyoming. She is averaging 1.16 digs per set. Cranston has appeared in all but three matches (Oct. 24 at New Mexico, Nov. 5 vs. Air Force and Nov. 7 vs. SDSU), showing off her all-around skill by averaging 0.54 kills, 0.51 assists, 1.67 digs and 0.33 blocks per set. Cranston notched a career-high nine kills, while adding three blocks and tying a career mark with 12 digs vs. Wyoming (Oct. 30). Junior class The third-year players rank 1-2 in kills for the Rams. Entering Thursday’s match at Utah, Minch ranks first with 295 total kills and is second in the MWC with an average of 3.64 kills per set. Davisson ranks ninth in the MWC, averaging 2.74 kills per set, making CSU the only school with two players ranked in the top nine in the conference. Recapping Week 1: The Asics/Coors Classic Pepperdine captured the tournament championship with a perfect 3-0 record that included sweeps of CSU and Cal Poly, and a 3-1 victory over Oregon State. The Beavers finished second with an overall record 2-1. The Rams took home third place, while Cal Poly finished 0-3 on the weekend to finish last in the field. Colorado State junior outside hitter Jacque Davisson was selected to the Asics/Coors Classic all-tournament team, along with Oregon State’s Rachel Rourke and Jill Sawatzky, and Pepperdine’s Rachel Grochmal, Lilla Frederick, and tournament MVP Kiah Fiers. Recapping Week 2: The Hilton Classic Recapping Week 3: At Duke and the Carolina Classic Colorado State bounced back quickly, winning its final three matches of the week and capturing the 2009 Carolina Classic tournament title. The Rams opened the tournament, hosted in Chapel Hill, N.C. by the UNC Tar Heels, with a sweep of previously undefeated Marshall. CSU then toppled the Tennessee Lady Vols in four sets, thanks to 18 kills by junior outside hitter Danielle Minch. CSU closed out the tournament by defeating the host Tar Heels 3-0. Three Rams earned all-tournament honors, led by Minch who was selected as the tournament MVP. Junior outside hitter Jacque Davisson and senior libero Katelin Batten joined Minch on the all-tourney team. It marked Davisson’s second all-tournament honor in as many weeks, after being named the MVP of the HIlton Classic, hosted by CSU Sept. 3-5. Recapping Week 4: at UNLV Minch notched her seventh consecutive match with double-digit kills, putting away a match-high 15, while hitting .357 and recording a solo block to lead the Rams to the 3-0 victory. Sanders was a difference maker for the Rams, recording a career-high 41 assists, her 10th consecutive match with 30 or more assists, helping CSU’s hitters post a .299 hitting percentage, while defensively the Rams held UNLV to just .141 hitting. Recapping Week 5: New Mexico and TCU Megan Plourde, a redshirt freshman from Somerset, Wis., led the Rams over the weekend. Plourde recorded her first-career double-digit kills match in front of 2,135 fans vs. the Lobos, while notching five assisted blocks and recording a hitting percentage of .769, just outside of CSU’s all-time top-5 list. She followed up that performance six kills and a match-high seven blocks to help the Rams to victory over TCU. Overall in the two matches, Plourde recorded 16 kills on .517 hitting and averaged an impressive 2.0 blocks per set. Junior outside hitter Jacque Davisson led the Rams with 21 total kills, to go along with seven assisted blocks, 13 digs and a service ace. Sophomore setter Evan Sanders was also impressive, notching 63 assists in the two matches, while recorded back-to-back career highs for kills with four vs. New Mexico and seven vs. TCU. Recapping Week 6: vs. Northern Colorado and at Wyoming Colorado State began the week with a quick hiatus from its MWC schedule, taking down the Bears in five sets in front of 1,687 fans at Moby Arena, running its home winning streak to seven matches, and marking the team’s eighth consecutive victory over UNC. The Rams then headed to nearby Laramie, Wyo., where, despite stiff opposition from the Cowgirls in Sets 1 and 3, the Rams were able to record their fourth consecutive sweep of an MWC opponent, and run the team’s overall winning streak to eight matches. Four Rams finished the week with at least 20 kills and a .250 hitting percentage, led by junior OH Danielle Minch who notched a career-high 20 kills vs. UNC and added 15 more vs. UW, while hitting .292. Fellow junior Jacque Davisson drove home 23 total kills on .250 hitting, and freshman Megan Plourde and sophomore Katelyn Steffan chipped in with 22 and 20 kills, respectively. Plourde led the group with a hitting efficiency of .452. Steffan hit .250. Plourde was also a force on the block for the Rams, notching a team-high 10 total blocks (one solo) on the weekend. Sophomore setter Evan Sanders also posted impressive numbers for the week, recording 96 total assists (12.0 per set), including a career-high 61 assists vs. the Bears. Sanders ranked second to Plourde, recording seven blocks, and finished just behind senior libero Katelin Batten, averaging 2.25 digs per set. Batten was solid as ever, recording 4.0 digs per set in the two matches. Recapping Week 7: at San Diego State and at Air Force The Rams began the week with a stiff road test against the San Diego State Aztecs, coming away with a 3-1 victory at SDSU’s Peterson Gym. After dropping the opening set, 25-20, the team’s first set lost vs. an MWC opponent this season, the Rams stormed back to win the next three sets by scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-19, to pick up the victory. Three Rams posted double-digits kills in the match, led by junior outside hitter Danielle Minch, who recorded 17. But it was freshman Megan Plourde who came up the biggest for the Rams, notching 11 kills, including three in the deciding set, on .688 hitting (11-0-16) to carry CSU to victory. Plourde also posted a match-high six blocks (one solo) for the Rams, who outblocked the Aztecs by a margin of 10-7. The Rams then headed to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face off against the Air Force. CSU defeated the Falcons, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-20), at Clune Arena to remain undefeated in MWC play. The win, coupled with a Utah loss vs. New Mexico, gave the Rams sole possession of first place in the MWC standings. Nelson, a senior middle blocker, paced the Rams with a season-high 10 kills on .500 hitting, and came up big defensively with a match-high eight total blocks (one solo), to lead the Rams past Air Force. With the victories, CSU extended its overall winning streak to 10 matches. The wins also gave CSU a seven-match winning streak away from Moby Arena. Recapping Week 8: BYU and Utah Colorado State got off to a very quick start vs. the Cougars, staking to a 10-2 advantage early in the first set and never looking back. Senior middle blocker Tessa Nelson played an outstanding match for the Rams. She notched match highs with 10 kills, on .667 hitting (10-0-15), and six blocks, to go along with a pair of service aces to lead the Rams to the win. Junior outside hitters Danielle Minch and Jacque Davisson finished with nine and eight kills, respectively, while sophomore opposite hitter Katelyn Steffan added seven kills. Sophomore setter Evan Sanders recorded 35 assists in the match, and was second to Nelson with three blocks for the Rams. CSU outblocked the Cougars, who entered the match fifth nationally, by a 9.0-4.0 margin. Against Utah, it was Minch who took over the match, putting together what Head Coach Tom Hilbert called “the best match of her career.” Minch notched a match-high 19 kills, including nine in the opening set, to lead the Rams to a sweep and a two-match lead in the MWC standings. Minch finished the match, hitting .469, while adding two blocks for CSU. Nelson added 11 kills and three blocks. In addition to Minch and Nelson, four other Rams recorded at least four kills: Davisson (9), sophomore opposite hitter Katelyn Steffan (6), freshman middle blocker Megan Plourde (5), and Sanders (4). The Rams’ balanced attack also featured four players - Minch, Nelson, Steffan, Plourde and Sanders - who hit .400 or better in the match. Recapping Week 9: at TCU and at New Mexico Thanks to a school-record crowd of 1,875 fans, the Horned Frogs made it three in a row against the Rams at home, snapping No. 25-ranked CSU’s 12-match winning streak, and handing the MWC-leading Rams their first loss of the conference season, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-10). TCU recorded seven service aces in the match, a season high for a CSU opponent. The Rams, who were held without a player in double-figure kills for the first time since the season opener, struggled to find a rhythm on offense, hitting just .097 for the match. It was the Rams’ lowest hitting percentage since a .072 effort at Duke on Sept. 9, the Rams’ last loss before starting their 12-match win streak. The Rams rebounded from that disappointing loss, with a key road victory over the Lobos. Colorado State won a see-saw battle at UNM’s Johnson Center that saw an incredible 41 ties and 20 lead changes throughout the match. Four Rams tallied double-figure kills, led by 14 each from redshirt freshman Megan Plourde, and junior Danielle Minch. Plourde, a middle blocker from Somerset, Wis., came up big for the Rams throughout the match, notching her 14 kills while committing just three errors on 22 swings to finish with a .500 hitting percentage. She also played a key role on defense for the Rams, tallying a match high, and career high with nine total blocks. Libero Katelin Batten, regarded as one of the top defensive players in the MWC, also played a vital role in the Rams’ defensive efforts. The senior from Parker, Colo., continued a streak of consecutive matches with double-figures digs, running it to 18 straight with a 20-dig effort. It also marked her fourth 20-dig match of the season. Junior defensive specialist Audrey Hemmings pitched in with 10 digs for the Rams. The Rams returned home from the road trip with an overall record of 17-4 and a 9-1 mark in the MWC. Recapping Week 10: vs. Wyoming With junior Jacque Davisson held out due to injury, Danielle Minch posted one of her best matches to date, leading the Rams to the victory with a match-high 17 kills on .419 hitting. Minch led the Rams in kills in each set, but was particularly impressive in the deciding third set where she notched eight kills - double any other player on the court. Dana Cranston was another bright spot for the Rams. The versatile freshman stepped into a new role at outside hitter, in place of Davisson, and recorded a career-high nine kills, while adding three assisted blocks and 12 digs. Senior Tessa Nelson was steady as usual. The leading blocker in the MWC, she notched a match-high six blocks to go along with nine kills of her own. Sophomore setter Evan Sanders finished with 40 assists for the Rams, while senior libero Katelin Batten kept her streak of consecutive double-figures digs matches alive at 19 straight with a team-leading 13 digs. The victory – CSU’s 24th consecutive over Wyoming – also marked the 325th career victory at CSU for Hilbert, and his 499th victory overall. Ticket information More information on volleyball tickets is available by visiting CSURams.com, calling 1-800/491-RAMS or stopping by the CSU athletic ticket office at the McGraw Athletic Center between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
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