In the final moments, Colorado State volleyball was tied 23-23 against No. 11 Southern Methodist University Saturday, Aug. 29 as they pushed to force a fifth set.
After dropping the third set 23-25, the Rams’s offense began to light up the court in the fourth, forcing SMU to defend every inch of it.
In the end, CSU dropped the fourth set 25-27, falling to SMU 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 27-25). Even in defeat, the Rams showed the type of talent that can make a top team sweat.
“I said this at the end: You’ve got a lot to be proud of,” CSU head coach Emily Kohan said. “You went punch for punch and hung with one of the top teams in the country.”
Coming back from behind at the start of the fourth set, the Rams played some of their most competitive volleyball of the night, refusing to let SMU build a separation that couldn’t be answered.
That refusal to fall didn’t start in the final set. It began in the second, when CSU broke a 12-12 tie, and pulled away with a 25-19 win, proving just how far they could take their physicality.
“Taking a set from them was big,” sophomore libero Karsyn Fetzer said. “We just were playing scrappy defense, blocking very well, going up and swinging. That helped us out.”
Fetzer has taken that in stride, showing her capability to chase down any ball that comes her way, even if she has to meet the floor on the way down.
“(Karsyn) was getting into some of those really hard-driven balls, and she’s only going to get better as a libero,” Kohan said. “She’s a brand-new libero and was a hitter for her entire high school career. The kid’s going to be really good because she’s got some gumption.”
Fetzer wasn’t alone in her drive to bring physicality and energy to their side of the net. Sophomore outside hitter Halle Jameson and senior middle blocker Eve Wilson each finished with 13 kills, combining for 62 attacks on the night.
“It felt great — we were playing together as a team, and we had a lot of energy and momentum,” Jameson said.
Even from the farthest corners of Moby, the energy on the court was contagious throughout the match, as CSU challenged SMU at the net and across the back row all night. Building off of last season, the Rams have developed more defensive trust that has kept them competitive in rallies that may have not gone their way a year ago.
“We trust each other a lot, and we just know that everyone has each other’s back,” Jameson said. “It’s super easy to communicate, and we just know we’re gonna get the job done.”
The match also offered the Rams a look into how significant the roles of their younger players will be this season. First-year outside hitter Ella Stowell and first-year libero Hayden Grimes each showed how vital they can be to the team.
“Ella came in and took some monster swings and high pressure situations for a freshman,” Kohan said. “Hayden is doing a steadfast job in the back row, and she’s pretty unshakable. She’s just a calm juggernaut back there in the back row. So both of those guys, as true freshmen, are playing some pretty big roles.”
Stowell finished third on the team in both kills and attacks, with Grimes contributing points from the service line.
As the Rams continue learning where these newcomers will fit, Saturday showed that the process won’t stop them from competing with ranked opponents.
“On any given night, we’re trying to piece it together, and that’s what nonconference is for,” Kohan said. “We’re trying different things and I hope in the next couple of weeks we have more data points to settle on what the best lineup is.”
Even with new lineups, CSU still proved it can be dangerous.
“It just shows how, like, good of a team we can be,” Jameson said. “We just have so many good players on our team.”
CSU leaves the court with a split weekend after sweeping UC Davis Friday night and dropping tonight’s game to SMU. The loss offered something a win couldn’t: the assurance that the Rams can look a top team in the eye without blinking.
The two-point difference in the end showed this — and shows that they can build off it.
“We’re going to come in Monday and go and grind,” Fetzer said. “Obviously we have some things to work on, but we’re not afraid, and we’re gonna do the work. This team is working really hard. They do hard things, and we work our butts off.”
Reach Abigail Wood at sports@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
