Colorado State volleyball finds a reason to celebrate

FORT COLLINS — A final goodbye?

Maybe, and if it was, Colorado State’s seniors went out in style Wednesday night, beating rival Wyoming at Moby Arena, 25-19, 25-15, 21-25, 25-20.

The No. 9 Rams honored their three seniors — Deedra Foss, Marlee Reynolds and Kelsey Snider — prior to the match, and they returned the applause they received from the 4,273 in attendance by pushing their career record to 128-23 and 68-6 at Moby, at least for the moment.

Reynolds led the team with 12 kills on the night, Snider produced 11 and added five blocks while Foss closed with 46 assists, five blocks and four kills. While they were recognized, it wasn’t the end of the road, and that allowed them to play loose and attack.

“It’s awesome. It wouldn’t have been as fun if it was an easy win,” Reynolds said. “I think that fourth set helped prove who we are and that we’re able to adapt to their defensive adjustments. It’s a fun way to win senior night.

“I mean, luckily for us, it’s not like our last match ever. We didn’t have that pressure on us, and none of us wanted to play with that pressure, that it’s senior night and I have to play the best I’ve every played in my life. You never play well like that, so I think all of us just kind of wanted to relax and treat it like a usual game. We just got a little more attention.”

Colorado State came out strong in the opening two sets, serving strong and hitting well. They played with great energy, and it showed in the way the offense and defense worked.

In the third set, Wyoming countered with a defensive adjustment, rallying from behind to win that set, then pushing the fourth set to 20-all before the Rams pulled away.

In a way, that made it a more memorable night to Snider.

“It felt really good. It was a really competitive match, and Wyoming was on their game defensively,” she said. “It wasn’t like it was an easy win. It felt like a good win and I think it will boost us into the NCAA.”

CSU coach Tom Hilbert agreed, saying the way it was played showed his team what it needs to be like when the tournament starts next weekend. The Rams also showed their balance in the process, as freshman middle Alexandra Poletto had a career-best eight blocks to go along with 10 kills, more important on a night when Adrianna Culbert was off her game offensively, registering eight kills but hitting just .091.

The Rams finished the night with 13 blocks and recorded 64 digs, 22 from libero Jaime Colaizzi. There was an added push from the service line as the Rams nailed down nine aces against just eight errors, with Colaizzi producing three, Kaitlind Bestgen and Snider two each.

“It was great, and it was a tough match,” Hilbert said. “Wyoming made some great defensive adjustments to start the third set. It frustrated us, and we had nine kills. They did a nice job, it shook us up a little bit, disrupted us, so I’m happy to get away with this win in four.

“It is a good team, a good blend. We have to stay really fresh, and we’ve got to be able to play with great energy, because I think when we play with energy like we did the first two sets here, we’re athletic, we can beat a lot of people.”

Afterward, the team celebrated the sixth straight conference championship they clinched on Saturday, with a 20th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament guaranteed as a reward. The Rams, now 29-2, 17-1 in Mountain West play, will learn their seeding in the 64-team draw on Sunday evening. They sat 16th in the last RPI rankings, a possible dividing line to earn the right to host. Hilbert and his crew are hoping they’ll be picked to host a sub-regional, which would be played next Friday and Saturday.

Hilbert and his players think it will happen, especially with Colorado, Northern Colorado and Denver also qualified.

“Yes. We’re 16 in the RPI, we’re a good team and we’ve done what they’ve asked us to do,” Hilbert said. “Geographically, it makes sense.”

Mike Brohard: 970-635-3633, mbrohard@reporter-herald.com and twitter.com/mbrohard