Lauren Mascardo
Erin Debic (23) back sets the ball in Colorado State University's volleyball match against Boise State University Oct. 9. Colorado State won 3-0.
Momentum finds its moment.
Hot off a three-game winning streak, Colorado State volleyball returned to Moby Arena for its fourth conference match, taking on Boise State. Both CSU and BSU entered Thursday’s match tied in conference standing, making this game a key battle to gain a higher positioning spot.
The Rams continued their win streak, taking out the Broncos 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24).
CSU started off a little timid with the first play BSU taking the point, but once the Rams got their first point, the team began to play with confidence. While the Rams led early on in the first two sets and kept steady pressure on the Broncos, and BSU had to fight to gain points.
“ (BSU) made a few lineup changes that we didn’t have a ton of scouting reports on,” head coach Emily Kohan said. “I thought those kids did a nice job, and so we kind of had to settle in again after a few clicks. We started changing our block calls a little bit to just play volleyball versus shutting down specific kids.”
BSU held up a strong line throughout the match, moving cohesively during each play and adding in new lineup changes.
That change caused the Rams to feel discontent with BSU having the upper hand and pushing them to find their rhythm again. These mismatched turns proved BSU to be a strong contender, but, once the Rams settled back into the game, they were able to catch back up and win the final set 26-24.
Several players proved to be key leaders for the offensive line.
Eve Wilson and Maria Brun led the team with 11 kills each, with first-year Halle Jameson adding 10 kills, finishing off the second and third set off each with the final point. Jameson was a key component, showing her strength and consistency being an all around player on the court.
“The burden of back row attacking falls on Halle two out of three times, versus Maria,” Kohen said. “So, she has been getting a lot more opportunities, and some of it is because she’s really good about her attacking. So, that’s just the way the clicks go.”
BSU exploited CSU’s back row and got balls into the spots where coverage was minimal, though, finishing with a kill percentage of .344. As the sets went on, the Rams tightened up as their momentum began to drive the game forward during the second set.
CSU finished the match with a .261 hitting percentage, just slightly higher than their season average .250, along with averaging 17.3 digs per set, compared to their season average of 12.52.
One of the components that led to such a strong performance was first-year Karsyn Fetzer, starting in her first collegiate match. During the second set, she more than doubled her season-high digs from six to 16.
“No matter if I’m on the court or off the court, it’s just so special,” Fetzer said. “I’ve been working super hard to get on the court a little more, and so I’m just super grateful to be out there.”
Momentum played a big factor during the game.
When the team was on a high and leading the score, they had key kills, finding the space between BSU players. Blockers also found a rhythm and didn’t let BSU find a window during runs.
“I think in that match, when they were two down from us and then we were two down, it’s realizing they’re fighting for their lives, (too),” Wilson said. “We can’t expect them to die down.”
That mentality will be crucial to them during their win streak.
CSU staying composed during moments of pressure along with strategically reacting to plays will allow them to win these close matches.
“It feels really cool to see our growth,” Wilson said. “I think we might struggle more at different times against teams like that. So, it’s just cool to see us finding the pieces.”
Looking ahead, CSU, now tied with Wyoming after moving up to third place in the conference, will get to test their strengths and weaknesses highlighted in their next match against current MW No. 1 Utah State Oct. 11 in Fort Collins.
This game will allow for the Rams to see one of the high ranking opponents they will be taking on later in the season and prepare to strengthen all their weaknesses.
“I think this win helped,” Fetzer said “We’re just going to go out there, play our game like we know how to play and I think we’ll be okay.”
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Reach Abigail Wood at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter at @Abigaiil_Wood