In their first appearance of the 2013 season, the CSU women’s volleyball team did not disappoint.
On Friday, the Rams defeated the University of Baylor, 3-0 . The Rams clinched their first win and sweep of the 2013 season as they now begin their climb to the Mountain West title.
Ad
Although this game was expected to lean in the Rams’ favor, no one could have anticipated CSU to come out as strong as it did.
“In the first match of the year with a team as inexperienced as this one is, you cant ask for a better overall performance,” head coach Tom Hilbert said. “The point is that we stayed playing at a high level during all three sets, and that is a mark of a very good team, really we did not do that last year.”
With an attack percentage of .529 for the game, CSU surpassed all hitting percentages it posted in the 2012 season. A total of 53 kills as team and only seven errors at the net, the Rams’ season is off to new expectations.
While Hilbert announced to start Sam Peters, Adrianna Culbert, Deedra Foss and Jamie Colaizzi; he surprised Moby with first year Michelle Lawrence.
Standing six foot two inches at the net, Lawrence had eight kills in her 16 total attempts. Blocking, spiking and killing points on the Bears, Lawrence showed her green and gold in her first collegiate game.
On offense, the Rams continued to play at a high level from the front to back row. Junior Adrianna Culbert had a .444 hitting percentage as she rallied up 11 kills on the night and 12.5 points overall.
“Deedra (Foss) is such a great setter that from the moment we started, there was a connection,” Culbert said. “She knows where to put the ball. It’s pretty easy for me to get a kill with a setter like that.”
Foss ended the night with 39 assists and 10 digs, as well as total of four points herself.
Friday marked the second-ever match up between CSU and Baylor. Their last appearance came in 2001 when the Rams knocked the Bears out of the NCAA tournament in a four set match.
Ad
Baylor is expected to finish sixth in the competitive Big 12 this season. The Bears hit only .071 and put up 29.5 points overall Friday night.
With their season opener in the books, the Rams are looking for their second win Saturday night against Cal Poly. The game begins at 7p.m. in Moby Arena.
