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Match notes: CSU to host UNLV in MWC finale
Rams, Rebels square off Saturday afternoon at Moby
Nov. 19, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format Match 27 | Colorado State vs. UNLV Up next The Rams, who clinched the MWC title Saturday at BYU, will officially be crowned as league champs in a ceremony at the conclusion of Saturday’s match. Saturday is $1 Kids Day. Fans ages 3-17 can purchase a general admission ticket for just $1. 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). CSU clinched the Mountain West Conference championship, and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, by with a pair of road victories over Utah (Nov. 12) and BYU (Nov. 14). Recapping Week 12: at Utah and at BYU Junior outside hitter Danielle Mnch came through for the Rams in clutch situations throughout the weekend, recording 20 kills against the Utes, and establishing a new career best with 21 kills against he Cougars. Junior outside hitter Jacque Davisson and redshirt freshman middle blocker Megan Plourde also recorded double-figures kills in each match. Davisson posted 10 vs. Utah and 13 vs. BYU, while Plourde 11 and 12 kills, respectively, in the two matches. Senior middle blocker Tessa Nelson and redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Katelyn Steffan also recorded double-figures kills in the title-clinching match vs. BYU. Nelson posted 10 and Steffan added 11. Sophomore setter Evan Sanders was key to the Rams’ success, posting tow of her highest assist totals on the season with 50 against Utah and 62 vs. BYU. Senior libero Katelin Batten led the Rams defense with 50 total digs in two matches. About UNLV The Rebels, who were selected to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll, enter play this week ranked seventh in the league standings. The team has won two of its last three matches, including the victory over TCU and a win over in-state rival Nevada. Their lone setback over the last two weeks was a five-set decision against a strong New Mexico team. Sophomore middle blocker Cursty Jackson, the 2008 MWC Freshman of the Year, has emerged as the Rebels’ go-to player, leading the team with an average of 3.35 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Erin Greenwood leads the team, and ranks fourth in the MWC in terms of hitting percentage, connecting on 34.3 percent of her attacks. Head coach Allison Keeley, in her sixth season at UNLV, has a record of 98-72 with the Rebels. Rams vs. Rebels 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. Minch earns conference POW nod Minch, a 6-2 junior from Sterling, Colo., helped Colorado State clinch its sixth outright MWC regular-season title with wins at Utah (3-1) and BYU (3-2). Against Utah, Minch tied her career-high with 20 kills to go along with four digs and three total blocks. Against BYU, she set a career mark in kills with 21. Minch knocked down seven of her 21 kills in the Rams’ second-set victory, while also tallying three digs, one block and one service ace for the match. On the week, Minch averaged 4.56 kills, 0.78 digs and 4.89 points per set, while hitting .280. 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 329 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, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Megan Plourde each rank in two categories. Minch is 83rd in kills per set (3.73) and 102nd in points per set (4.14). Plourde ranks 43rd in hitting percentage (.357) and 96th in blocks per set (1.1). Senior middle blocker is 40th nationally in blocks per set (1.24). Sophomore setter Evan Sanders ranks 52nd with 10.7 assists per set, and senior libero Katelin Batten is 106th, averaging 4.29 digs per set. Plourde playing well Since notching a then-career-high nine kills at North Carolina on Sept. 12, Plourde has recorded 149 kills (2.76 per set) with a team-leading 72 total blocks in the Rams’ last 17 matches. During that stretch, Plourde has recorded seven double-digit kills games, 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, notching 10 kills vs. SDSU (Nov. 7), recording 11 kills at Utah (Nov. 12), and putting away 12 balls at BYU (Nov. 14). She has also eclipsed four or more blocks in 11 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 38.5 percent of her total attacks though 15 conference matches. She also ranks third against MWC opponents, averaging 1.29 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 five to her credit, vs. UT Arlington (11 kills, 10 digs), vs. Marshall (11 kills, 11 digs), vs. Tennessee (11 kills, 15 digs), at San Diego State (10 kills, 10 digs), and at BYU (13 kills, 11 digs). Davisson has notched nine double-doubles in her career, 15th among active MWC players. Minch killing the competition Entering action this week, Minch has recorded double-figures kills in 18 of CSU’s 26 matches, including three matches in which she has eclipsed the 20-kill mark. She first accomplished the feat with 20 kills vs. Northern Colorado on Sept. 30. Minch was huge in the Rams road victories at Utah (Nov. 22) and at BYU (Nov. 24), notching 20 kills and 21 kills, respectively, to help CSU clinch the Mountain West Conference championship. For her efforts vs. the Utes and Cougars, Minch was selected as the MWC Player of the Week on Nov. 16. 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, and she established a new career best with 62 assists in the Rams’ conference championship clinching victory over BYU (Nov. 14), 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 nine matches this season, including six of the Rams’ last eight 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 72 kills. She also ranks third on the team with 190 digs through 26 matches, and has recorded seven 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. Batten recorded a an impressive 28 digs in CSU’s five-set victory over BYU to clinch the MWC title on Nov. 14. That is the highest single-match total in the MWC this season. 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 17 of the Rams’ 26 matches and made her first career start Oct. 30 vs. Wyoming. She is averaging 1.23 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 0.49 kills, 0.49 assists, 1.56 digs and 0.29 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 Saturday’s match vs. UNLV, Minch ranks first with 336 total kills and is second in the MWC with an average of 3.73 kills per set. She was named MWC Player of the Week on Nov. 16, after recording back-to-back matches with at least 20 kills at Utah and at BYU to help CSU clinch the MWC title. Davisson ranks ninth in the MWC, averaging 2.72 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. 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. 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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