A share of the Mountain West title was not the goal from the start of the season, No. 9 Colorado State wanted it all. The Rams became the 2014 MW champions Saturday with a sweep over Nevada (32-30, 25-21, 25-14) to improve to 28-2 overall and 16-1 in the Mountain West.
Wednesday’s victory over San Jose State gave CSU a share of the title and a ticket to the NCAA Tournament starting in December but also meant that the Rams were on their way to another mark in the history books. A first in school history came with Saturday’s win in Reno, as no team has ever won six-consecutive MW titles.
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Despite sweeping Nevada (7-20, 4-13 MW), the first two sets were a little too close for comfort. The Rams had five set points and Wolfpack had three before CSU took a 1-0 set lead with a 32-30 win in the first frame.
CSU came out in the second set to take the lead but Nevada continued to chip away at its lead. The Rams clinched set two with three points to give, and then went to dominate in the third set.
After watching from the sidelines Wednesday due to a concussion, middle blocker Kelsey Snider returned to the court picking up where she left off, earlier this season. Snider led the offense with 13 kills, four blocks, and hit .619.
CSU’s three seniors, Snider, Marlee Reynolds and Deedra Foss all had impressive numbers. Reynolds finished the match with 10 kills and Foss earned a personal-best with 45 assists in a three-set game.
Up next, CSU will return to Moby Arena Wednesday to celebrate its conference title and close out its final match of the regular season against Border War rival Wyoming. The Rams take the court at 7 p.m.
CSU needs every win it can get to help its chances of hosting the first round of the NCAA tournament, last done in 2009. The Rams will find out their placement during the selection show Nov.3 0 at 6p.m., hosted at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop.
Collegian Sports Reporter Haleigh Hamblin can be reached at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @haleighhamblin.
