Revenge makes for the best rematches.

Colorado State volleyball defeated Air Force in a 3-1 (25-17, 27-25, 23-25, 25-14) match Thursday. 

AFA, whom the Rams had recently shut down in what was also a 3-1 match Oct. 16, traveled to Fort Collins ready to get revenge. Instead, the Falcons were met with the fire of Eve Wilson and returning player Riley Simpson.

Wilson, who achieved her first double-double of her career, made 15 kills and 12 blocks, dominating AFA. 

For many crucial points in the match, Wilson was there, ready to kill the ball across the net. And in a rough second set, she was able to get the Rams to their set point in a narrow escape from the Falcons’ claws. 

And once again in the fourth set, she got CSU some of its last points, leading the team down a path to victory.

“(I) just like being something that they (younger players) can depend upon, this is really important to me,” Wilson said. “I think end game volleyball is really important. … I always want the ball at the end of those matches.”

Despite her strong performance, the Rams certainly struggled in their second and third sets, winning the second in extra points and losing the third. 

AFA’s Ashley Bible made sure of this, also achieving a double-double, with 14 kills and 10 digs. Her veteran status with the Falcons allowed for experience against the Rams, knowing how to attack their strong blocks. 

After spending much of the second set fighting off AFA, CSU succumbed in the third set, consistently trailing behind and eventually losing to Sonia Okpara’s kill. 

“I think we just got a little lax honestly,” head coach Emily Kohan said. “We stopped serving with quite as much pop on the ball — we were serving kind of like loopy, easy ones, which caused them to be on system.” 

However CSU managed to recover in the fourth set, utilizing knowledge from its previous match against the Falcons and team spirit to retaliate against this power shift. 

Between Brenna Rowland’s competitive enthusiasm and Karsyn Fetzer’s new and young energy, the Rams were able to bounce back and snatch a victory.

“(Team spirit) is definitely really high, we’re just working to get that one degree better every day,” Simpson said. “I think that especially when you start a little flat, it’s especially important to start even more positive, even more guns ablazing in the next set if you don’t win that set.”

And win that last set they did.

The addition of Simpson on the roster has proved very beneficial in her performance throughout the match. Fresh off of a seven-month long injury, Simpson has stepped up to the plate once again, and in doing so adjusting the roster.

Her implementation has pushed Wilson back into the middle, cutting down on Kekua Richards’ and Rowland’s play time; Yet this possible risk paid off, as Simpson tallied up 11 kills and four blocks.

“It’s great to just have depth, and you know to have a bench that pushes us every day,” Wilson said. “Anything can happen. And I think (Simpson) getting healthy is just something so great.”

As a graduate student, Simpson is able to bring to the table years of wisdom and ball knowledge, making it clear that she will have an impact on this team. A Colorado Springs native, she recently transferred from Pepperdine University and made her first home start in Moby Arena Thursday night. 

Stacking up 107 kills in her year at Pepperdine, her implementation into the Rams’ roster is beginning to look promising.

“(I’m) sort of an added secret weapon, a lot of teams don’t really have film or scouts like against me much yet,” Simpson said.

Now sitting at a comfortable second place in the Mountain West, CSU will face Wyoming (10-10, 6-3) in the Border War Oct. 25 12 p.m. at Moby.