The atmosphere inside Moby Arena Saturday night was unlike anything I have
ever seen before.

Five thousand, six hundred and forty one people packed the house to
support their volleyball team as it tried to score the biggest upset in
its history:

The CSU volleyball team lost its match this weekend against UCLA, but
most who were there do not feel as though it was a complete loss.

It was a battle that went back and forth between the Rams and Bruins
that had everybody in Moby convinced that it might just happen.

Going into the final set, we all began to prepare for the storming of
the court from the ecstatic crowd ready to riot.

The noise and energy from the cheers of the crowd were so loud that I
could hardly focus on covering the game instead of just staring in
complete awe.

One of the most difficult things I’ve experienced as a reporter was
sitting in Moby on Saturday night, trying not to be a part of the CSU
community all shouting the “I’m proud to be a CSU Ram” chant at the
top of their lungs.

Goosebumps shot up and down my arms as I took it all in.

There were thousands of people in the (mostly) white out stands all
there to show love for the CSU volleyball team, and the Rams did
everything they could to return that same favor to their fans.

Forcing the defending national champions to play a full five sets is
an impressive feat in itself.

Going into this match, the vibe I seemed to pick up around campus was
that we had no chance of coming even close to competing — after all,
it’s UCLA. Or the fact that we are no longer ranked, and this is one
of, if not the, best teams in the entire country.

Luckily, none of this mattered to CSU coach Tom Hilbert or any of his
players, because they proved quite a few of us wrong with their
performance this weekend.

You could tell the team fed off of the energy that was provided by the
fourth largest mob ever recorded for a Moby crowd. The two were
dependent on each other, the team needed the fans just as much as they
needed the team.

The biggest home upset in CSU volleyball history that came last year
against Nebraska never would have been possible if it weren’t for what
they call “Moby Magic.” How else can we expect to beat a team of that
caliber if nobody shows up?

The Moby Magic does not have to be limited to just these premium
games, though. We are not even halfway through this volleyball season
and still have most of our important conference games still coming up.

The UCLA turnout was fantastic, yet I’m still convinced that it can
get even better.

The community responded when Hilbert called for the support this last
Saturday, and I’m curious to see what happens when the Rams really
need us as the latter part of the season arrives.

The volleyball season runs all the way into the beginning of the
basketball season, leaving nearly an entire school year for Moby
potential.

Quentin Sickafoose is a junior journalism and technical communications
major. His column appears Mondays in the sports section of the
Collegian.