There is only so far a person can push their body, especially as the aging process starts to escalate.
For Kelsey Snider, two matches in one day sure felt like a lot.
“You definitely feel your age,” the Colorado State middle blocker said after Saturday’s second match. “That extra year gets you.”
She’s 22, so naturally coach Tom Hilbert flashed her a look of disbelief.
To her credit, she is a senior citizen. Well, a senior at least.
Truth is, it was her athletic ability which gave the No. 18 Rams an edge in their match against UC-Santa Barbara, one the hosts swept 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 after earlier beating Virginia Commonweatlth in three.
“They couldn’t stop her in any of the zone she was hitting in,” Hilbert said. “That’s good for us. When we play teams like that where she has an athletic matchup, we have to take advantage of it.”
The Rams did, and it was even more important as their pin players struggled out of the gates. Snider had six of her match-best 13 kills in the opening set, one that was a side-out fest throughout. Neither team led by more than two at any point, but CSU was able to close it on a kill from Acacia Andrews.
Snider said there was no tweaking of the scheme, just taking advantage of her role in the normal offense. She did major damage on slides, collecting her kills on just 18 attempts with no errors.
Setter Deedra Foss used all of her middles with great effect, as Andrews had all four of her kills in the first set and Alexandra Poletto had three in the final two sets. Combined, the trio had just one hitting error.
“We knew we had the athletic advantage over them, especially with Kelsey, so we took advantage of that and Kels did great,” said Foss, who had 33 assists in the match.
In the final two sets, the Rams had a much better handle on the situation, limiting the Gauchos (0-2) to a .126 hitting percentage. Hilbert again credited the play of his defense (libero Jaime Colaizzi had 15 digs), but also the way his team blocked.
The Rams had eight blocks in the first match, a figure that jumped up to 13 against UCSB. Again, Snider led the way with five assist, with Foss and Poletto both finishing with four assists.
It’s an encouraging development, Snider said especially because it’s been a focus in camp. Add to the equation the team has only worked with assistant coach Luke Murray for a limited time.
“I was encouraged in both matches,” Hilbert said. “We’re getting some one-on-ones. We’re touching balls and getting continuation blocks that don’t show up in the stats that help our defense. I’m encouraged. Tonight they were in system a little bit more than they were this afternoon, so that puts more pressure on Luke to make certain calls and options, and he did a nice job with it.”
The outside hitters performed better in the final two sets, with Marlee Reynolds finishing with seven kills, Jasmine Hanna six and Dri Culbert five. As a team, the Rams hit .333 against the Gauchos.
The Rams will close out the tournament facing Marquette (2-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday. It’s a match that offers the Rams a challenge, as well as a progression in play level as the tournament has advanced.
Hilbert said it was by chance it worked out that way, but it is turning out to be a nice way to open the season.
“It’s definitely a challenge, but I also think it’s good for us,” she said. “It pushes us and I like it. It’s tough, but it really does push us.”
That provided the point where Snider could remind everybody of her advanced age, and Foss did her best to offer up an assist to Snider one last time.
“We have been here five years,” she pointed out.
Contact Sports Editor Mike Brohard at 970-635-3633 or mbrohard@reporter-herald.com and at twitter.com/mbrohard
