Colorado State defeated UC Davis 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-16) on Friday in the Rams’ debut on their new court in Moby Arena.
CSU showed out in the dominant win against UC Davis, which is exactly the note many Ram fans have been hoping to start the season off on. Expectations are now much higher heading into the new conference, but the goals have remained the same for the team.
The Rams were picked to finish first in the Pac-12 2026 preseason poll. This win was a testament to why voters leaned that direction.
“The mission doesn’t change no matter the conference,” head coach Emily Kohan said. “We’re going to go win championships. So it was an honor to be picked No. 1 in the preseason poll, but you (have) got to do the work to keep that. So every game that we will play, we’ll be that team’s biggest target. We will be the whiteout game for every team.”
Friday’s season opener started very even as the Rams settled in. Multiple service errors kept UC Davis close. CSU’s ability to pull forward in the first set, then later in the third set, showed a lot of positives for the squad’s debut in a new conference.
“In a tight (third) set, and again for a while, it was like, well, man, are we going to pull back ahead in the first set?” Kohan said. “So to close out endgame against a good team when it’s that tight shows that they can stay composed.”
A key player who helped the Rams get going against UC Davis was outside hitter Halle Jameson. Now in her second year, she was a player who showed a lot of growth and production last season, totaling 315 kills in 2025. That growth carried over into Friday’s season opener; the sophomore from Texas tallied two digs and a match-leading nine kills across the three sets.
“I just want to continue to be a big piece of the team and just get to hold my teammates in a positive way and just have a big role and compete and show that I can play at a high level,” Jameson said.
While the team certainly found value in its experienced talent Friday, freshman Ella Stowell made sure she stood out from the pack in her first collegiate volleyball match. She was second in kills behind Jameson, tallying eight. Stowell’s immediate success showcased her ability quickly find her footing and make an impact in the match..
“I think just trusting in the training,” Stowell said when asked what helped her succeed. “I was really nervous coming into this game, but just trusting my teammates and using them to make you succeed.”
Stowell is starting her freshman season competing with two returning players for playing time. One of those two players is Maria Brun, who is coming off a Mountain West all-conference selection season.
“That shows how good Ella (Stowell) is, right?” Kohan said. “It shows she’s matured and she’s polished and she’s composed and she’s competitive. She didn’t back down as a freshman coming in to try to beat out a veteran player.”
The Rams are very young; only four players on the roster are at least a senior. The defense Friday was led by senior Kekua Richards, who brings a lot of leadership and experience to her younger teammates. Richards racked up eight blocks across three sets and helped keep the Aggies from ever racking up more than 21 points before CSU tallied its 25th.
“I’m excited; I think every day we come in, (and) it’s a super competitive gym,” Stowell said. “(We’ve) got a lot of great players (and) good depth, and we use that throughout the season.”
This young squad will hope to keep growing as they take on their inaugural season in the Pac-12. CSU will face No. 11 Southern Methodist University at 5 p.m. Saturday in Moby Arena.
“We’re super excited to start a new conference,” Stowell said. “We want to be the first to win it. We want to get out there and start with a bang.”
Reach Aron Medrano at sports@collegian.com or on social media @AronMedrano27.
