CSU volleyball looks to impress once again in 2022

Collegian | Lucy Morantz

Colorado State University volleyball head coach Tom Hilbert speaks to fans and parents after an open practice in Moby Arena Aug. 10.

Cameron Evig, Guest Reporter
August 23, 2022

The Colorado State University Rams volleyball team opens their 2022 season at 7 p.m. Aug. 26 against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Rams have history with the Tar Heels, as they traveled to Chapel Hill and lost in a reverse sweep last season.

Head coach Tom Hilbert and company are looking to start the year off with a win and use the momentum to make it into the postseason. The odds are in the Rams’ favor, as they topped the Mountain West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

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The head coaches in the Mountain West voted in the yearly rankings poll, which had the Rams in first place. They were followed by Utah State University, and Boise State University and San Jose State University tied for third.

Along with that honor, the Rams had two players make the preseason all-conference team: outside hitter Kennedy Stanford and setter Ciera Pritchard. CSU is looking good for back-to-back Mountain West regular season titles, which would give them their fifth in six years.

Colorado State outside hitter Kennedy Stanford spikes the ball as Annie Sullivan jumps up to block during the Colorado State volleyball open practice Aug. 10.
Colorado State outside hitter Kennedy Stanford (17) spikes the ball as Annie Sullivan (2) jumps up to block during the Colorado State volleyball open practice Aug. 10. (Collegian | Lucy Morantz)

They begin the season with a six-game nonconference home stand that starts against North Carolina and ends Sept. 3 against Alabama State University. They follow that with a three-game tournament in Texas and close out nonconference play with a two-game Rocky Mountain Showdown against the University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes at Moby Arena Sept. 15 and in Boulder the next day.

In nonconference play, the Rams do have some tough competition to get through, with Baylor University and Florida Gulf Coast University going 22-6 and 27-6, respectively, last season. The University of Northern Colorado also cannot be overlooked, as they were picked in the coaches’ poll to win the Big Sky Conference for the second year in a row.

In conference play, the Rams could have an opportunity to go undefeated. If the Rams can get past a talented Utah State team, the odds are heavily in their favor against other teams in the conference. After a disappointing Mountain West championship tournament last season, in which they lost in the semifinals to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Rams will look to dominate in conference play and potentially make it back to the NCAA tournament.

Reach Cameron Evig at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @CamEvig.