Devin Imsirpasic
Halle Jameson prepares to serve the ball in Colorado State University’s match against Utah State University. CSU lost 3-0.
Editor’s Note: Colorado State Athletics declined any media availability with players postgame
VEGAS — Colorado State volleyball worked for endless months to be back in the Mountain West Championship match, and 21 wins later, it was.
After taking down San Diego State in three sets, the Rams were set to face the biggest obstacle of the season for the third time: Utah State.
Since the beginning of the year, the Aggies have been this unstoppable force, and despite taking a few losses throughout the season, they went undefeated in the conference portion. And after CSU lost 3-0 (16-25, 20-25, 19-25) Saturday, USU just bumped up its win streak to 21.
“(The Rams) never gave up, right?” head coach Emily Kohan said. “We were down by five points there at the end, and we still were putting on a defensive show to try to keep playing hard. And I think that fight and this experience are going to make us better for the future. We return a lot of our starters, and I think that the experience will make us better next year.”
Instead of losing five of six starters like the Rams did after the 2024 season, only two of the five departing seniors are starters, one of which — Jazen Debina — has only been starting for a portion near the end of the season.
The main starter leaving, libero Aine Doty, alongside graduating defensive specialist Delaney McIntosh, means there will be a large gap when it comes to the back row. Defense — aside from blocking — was a weak point that was exploited more than just against the Aggies.
But Saturday’s match showed a glimpse of hope for the future of the Rams’ defense.
“Sydney (Black)’s got a really bright future,” Kohan said. “Maria (Brun) was getting targeted in passing, and we wanted somebody that could maybe relieve some of Maria’s passing pressure, (so) Syd came in, and they targeted her, and she stayed pretty composed and held up and did a nice job.
“And both Sydney and Karsyn (Fetzer) are (defensive specialists), and as Aine graduates, I think (they) have a lot of potential to get in there and fill those shoes.”
Black was brought in during the third set and, despite getting countless serves aimed at her, delivered solid passes for setter Erin Debiec to work with.
Although Brun was a target, she remained consistent under pressure against the offensive powers of USU, getting the most digs for the Rams behind Doty with seven. Beyond passing, Brun was a spark in the third set with her back-to-back aces, bringing CSU out of a slump and adding that competitive edge.
But the physicality displayed by the Aggies has pushed them to not only be undefeated in conference but hold the No. 14 rank in the NCAA for kills per set, and that physicality cut the Rams’ season short before they had another chance in the NCAA Tournament.
“They are just a really balanced team,” Kohan said. “They’ve got a lot of physicality, and all the positions take really brave swings at the ball, and they run a little bit faster tempo than us. They’re a great team. I mean, they’re undefeated in conference for a reason, and I think that they’re gonna do well in the NCAA Tournament, too.
In rallies when it seemed like CSU was struggling to keep the ball alive, the Aggies responded with grace and precision, ending the night with 50 kills — hitting a 42% — compared to the Rams’ 38 kills with a 21% hitting percentage, one of the lowest percentages in the back half of the season.
But with an excellent blocking show from USU, lowering CSU’s chances for a higher hitting percentage, its offense still found ways to break through. At the helm was Brun with 11 kills, and two behind was Kekua Richards.
Richards was also one of the main defensive players in the third set as the 6-foot-7 middle hitter tallied four of CSU’s 10 blocks.
Throughout the season, attackers Halle Jameson and Eve Wilson have been the most powerful and consistent, yet despite not having their strongest attacking game — having a combined total of 11 kills — neither are graduating, meaning if the transfer portal doesn’t take them, could be two of the Rams’ biggest players next season.
“The fact that we return so much of our offensive production, it’s very similar to how it was in 2023 to 2024 (season) that we had most of our team coming back,” Kohan said. “And so there’s a lot of similarities and experience can do them good. There’s only good lessons that were to learn today.”
Despite learning a good amount of lessons throughout the match, CSU’s season has come to a close.
After the match ended, the seniors gathered in the middle of the court in tears hugging, as it would be their last time playing as a Ram. Although the match might not have gotten the desired results, CSU still has a long time to build its young roster and evidently win when facing off against the Aggies again.
“(We) just wanted to honor the seniors one more time,” Kohan said. “I don’t think you’re ever ready to take off your CSU jersey for the last time. (We) remind our team that it’s important to watch the celebration, be able to visualize what it feels like for next year when we come back and try to be the team that’s in the confetti with the hats.”
Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.
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