The Colorado State University volleyball team was back in Moby Arena tonight kicking off the Mountain West Conference in the first Border War battle of the season against the University of Wyoming. The Rams held their own and defeated the Cowgirls 3-1, starting conference play with a win.

The Rams established an early lead against the Cowgirls, showing great communication, grit and motivation to bring home the Border War. Halfway through the first set, Colorado State was up 15-7, forcing the Cowgirls to reevaluate and work against the scoreboard. As the Cowgirls quickly closed the gap, the Rams shut down their efforts and closed out a quick first set, winning 25-17.

As the second set unfolded, the energy changed in the Cowgirls’ offense and Rams’ defense, giving Wyoming an early lead. This didn’t last long before Colorado State tied the match 12-12, opening the door to snatch back the second set. Unfortunately, due to careless errors, Wyoming extended their lead and shut down CSU, and the Rams lost the second set 25-16.

Heading into the third set 1-1, Colorado State came out ready to kill and did just that. The Rams managed to establish an 18-point lead, steal the third set and beat Wyoming 25-7, leaving the Cowgirls with less than 10 points on the scoreboard. With a win in sight, the Rams battled the Cowgirls for the fourth set lead and the first Border War win of the season. With great determination and a lot of stalwart power, Colorado State closed out the Border War, winning 3-1 and beginning MW Conference play with a win.

The Colorado State Rams will be back in Moby Arena Thursday, Sept. 22 to take on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at 7 p.m. in an orange out game.

Reach Karsyn Lane at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @karsynlane1.