Andrews shines while team slips in rankings

Middle blocker Acacia Andrews is the latest in the line of CSU players to be honored by the conference. Andrews earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week for her performance in CSU’s road wins against Nevada and San Diego State, both of which were sweeps.

The junior from Norman, Oklahoma tallied a season-high eight blocks (in addition to eight kills) against Nevada, and averaged 2.17 blocks per set over the course of the two matches. She came up with five blocks in the win over SDSU, and helped limit the Aztecs to a mere .048 hitting percentage.

Andrews joins teammates Alex Reid and Adrianna Culbert as CSU players who have earned weekly conference honors this year, though she is the first to be recognized for her defensive efforts. Andrews has done more than just defend the net though, as she boasts an extremely efficient .429 hitting percentage on the season, which is tops in the MW and ranks 15th nationally.

But as for the team as a whole, the Rams dropped one spot in the rankings, despite going undefeated since the last poll. CSU fell to No. 21 in the latest AVCA Division-I Coaches’ Poll, being surpassed by No. 20 Kentucky.

CSU giving away trip to Cancun

If you are a CSU student and attend the CSU football game versus Boise State at Hughes Stadium Saturday, you will have a chance to win an all-inclusive trip to Cancun, Mexico.

To qualify for a chance to win, students must be present at the game, and must sign up at the marketing table located between Gates 3 and 4 at Hughes Stadium by the end of the first quarter.

The CSU Athletics Department will be giving away a multitude of prizes. The grand-prize winner will receive an all-inclusive trip for two to Cancun (including airfare). Three others students will be selected to receive prizes including textbooks for the 2016 spring semester, a brand-new 42-inch TV and a $250 Under Armour gift card.

The Rams take on No. 25 Boise State at 5 p.m. Saturday at Hughes Stadium.

Kieffer earns conference honors

Dom Kieffer was recently named MW Golfer of the Month for the month of September.

The Rams opened the season with back-to-back victories in the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and the Ram Masters Invitational. Kieffer also helped CSU to the program’s all-time best finish in the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate. The senior was CSU’s top individual finisher in all three events.

Men’s cross country moves up rankings

The CSU men’s cross country team climbed to No. 23 in the latest USTFCCCA Division-I National Coaches’ Poll.

CSU had fallen to No. 26 following the Roy Griak Invitational, but moved back up with a third-place finish in the Notre Dame Invitational. CSU beat out then-nationally ranked programs No. 17 New Mexico, No. 18 Arizona State and No. 23 Southern Utah.

The Rams also passed Southern Utah in the USTFCCCA regional rankings, climbing to fourth-place in the Mountain Region. The women’s team remains in sixth-place in the region.

Collegian Sports Editor Emmett McCarthy can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @emccarthy22.