NCAA volleyball tournament propels Colorado State

On Dec. 4, 2009, one of the best high school volleyball players in Colorado sat in awe in the Moby Arena stands.

She witnessed one of the most memorable moments in CSU history as the Rams knocked off No. 6 Washington in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

That player is now a member of the CSU volleyball team and one of the best players in the Mountain West.

"I didn't realize how big a game it was at first," senior Kelsey Snider recalled this week. "I just remember winning and how it was such a huge deal."

For the first time since 2009, the NCAA volleyball tournament is back at Moby Arena, with the University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado and University of Colorado in CSU's sub-regional.

For CSU coach Tom Hilbert, the positive impacts of hosting are far-reaching.

From a competitive standpoint, CSU is 13-2 all-time when competing in the NCAA tournament at Moby, and the Rams went 14-1 at home this season.

But more than that, the unprecedented event of having four schools within an hour's drive puts a massive spotlight on CSU.

Hilbert has lamented how often Colorado's top volleyball players leave the state and thinks this weekend is an opportunity to show them big-time volleyball is happening at home.

Katelin Batten is an assistant coach at DU and played at CSU from 2006 to 2009. In high school she was an all-state player at Grandview High School and agrees that this is a must-attend event for young volleyball players.

"You're going to see some really good volleyball this weekend," Batten said. "If you play volleyball in this state, this is one event you should be at. It's never happened before. It's pretty incredible."

In the long run, the biggest gain will be the exposure.

Whichever team makes it out of the sub-regional will have bragging rights that will be used in recruiting battles over the next several years.

As the No. 15 seed, CSU is the favorite and hosts DU at 6:30 p.m. Friday. UNC and CU play at 4:30 p.m. Friday with the winners meeting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

If CU and CSU meet Saturday, it should make for an electric atmosphere. The two schools haven't met in volleyball since 2010, the year after Hilbert turned down a job offer to coach CU.

CSU is 22-11 all-time over CU, including 3-0 in the NCAA tournament.

Hilbert will be something of a proud parent this weekend. He loves the fan base he's helped build at CSU, with the Rams ranking 12th in the nation in attendance.

He believes CSU is a premier volleyball location in the country and hopes to show the rest of the state why this weekend.

"It's a great reward for our players and our fans. One of the reasons I love coaching here will be on display," Hilbert said. "I think it's great for the other programs in the state to see it. It's different here. I get to brag about it and show it off."

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.

NCAA tournament schedule

• Friday (first round): Northern Colorado vs. Colorado, 4:30 p.m.

• Friday (first round): University of Denver vs. CSU, 6:30 p.m.

• Saturday (second round): Friday's winners, 4:30 p.m.

• Tickets: $20 reserved all-session, $15 for general admission all-session, $15 for single-match (available only on day of match) and $5 per match for student tickets.

• Where: Tickets can be purchased at csurams.com/tickets, by calling (800) 491-RAMS or at McGraw Center box office, which will stay open until 8 p.m. each day this week.

Games are at Moby Arena.