With all the new players, and some old ones in new places, Colorado State’s volleyball team began the season adopting an underdog role.
It worked out pretty well for the Rams, going 28-1 on the season and ranked No. 12 heading into Thursday’s opening match of the NCAA Tournament. Set to take on Cal State Northridge (6 p.m., at USC in Los Angeles), the Rams feel they can adopt it again.
Their record, nor their ranking, earned them any praise when it came time for host assignments. Top it off with the fact the Matadors may not be a home team, but they are just down the block from their house.
So as the postseason begins, the Rams are back to the beginning, feeling as though they have something to prove once again.
“Especially with our region being such a top region that it is,” said opposite side hitter Dri Culbert. “We know that we’re going to have to play for every game, so I think we are going in as the underdog. People don’t really know who Colorado State is, so they might look past us.”
That tact is fine with coach Tom Hilbert, because he said his team likes challenges. Before every match, he tells them how the opponent can beat the Rams, and that sets them up.
“They know how to turn their own key, and that is really valuable,” Hilbert said. “Some teams you go through the whole year and they never know how to turn that key.”
The Rams started working on the Matadors (23-6) immediately, but only to a degree. Hilbert had his team facing a scout squad set up like Northridge, but the focus was singularly on what the Rams do. That switched a bit on Wednesday, and setter Deedra Foss feels both sides have to factor in to the plan.
Where the Rams have had an edge at times this season is their balance. Colorado State has five hitters with 200 or more kills, led by Marlee Reynolds with 325, and the junior outside hitter is currently riding a streak of five matches with double-digit kills.
“That definitely makes it hard for other teams to key down on one player,” said Foss, who is eighth in the nation at 11.86 assists per set. “A lot of teams do focus on our middles, but we have great outsides and a right side who can put the ball away. We don’t have just one or two good players who stand out, we have five.”
The interesting part to Hilbert is so does Northridge. The Matadors have four players with at least 277 kills, the top three exceeding 300. They, too, rely on a middle, junior Casey Hinger who leads the team with 329 kills. She also plays in the back row and is one of the top servers.
“They’re good. They’re very balanced and well coached,” Hilbert said. “They block really, really well. They form their blocks really well, and they scheme like we do. They’re a very similar team to us. They even have a right-side player they use like Dri. I think it’s going to be a fun match. I think it’s two pretty evenly matched teams.”
Four of Northridge’s losses are to ranked teams, including a season split with Hawaii. But they’ve also lost two of their past three matches entering the tournament.
Colorado State won 27 in a row to open 2013, then lost last Wednesday in five sets before closing with a sweep of UNLV. Naturally down after the loss, Culbert said the Rams are back in form.
“I think we feel pretty good,” she said. “We know that Northridge is going to be a tough opponent. They’ve beaten some good teams and have a good setter, so we’re going to have to play well like we have been.”
The Rams lost in the first round last year to Purdue, snapping a five-year streak of first-round wins. With a win, the Rams would most likely face No. 6 USC on their home floor Friday (8 p.m.)
Mike Brohard can be reached at 635-3633, mbrohard@reporter-herald.com and @mbrohard
