FORT COLLINS — When a coach schedules the way Tom Hilbert did this season, he’s sending a message to his team.
Go for it. It’s one the Colorado State volleyball coach feels his team needs to embrace as the No. 14 Rams embark on a two-week stretch full of tests, starting tonight at home against Denver.
“I think so. That’s something you can do against everybody you play,” Hilbert said. “You don’t have to play Wisconsin to test that. We too often get a point opportunity and try to tip it or junk it to avoid making a mistake, and that’s the wrong thing to do. We have to be aggressive.
“I think they’re going to be better than they think they are. Mistakes are generally made because of being tentative.”
Senior setter Deedra Foss said the match — a three-set sweep at the hands of the No. 4 team in the nation in front of a crowd of 7,018 at Moby Arena — showed the Rams a few things. They need to block better against better hitters, and they have to take advantage of the opportunities they have on the attack.
In a 25-23 second-set loss on Saturday, the Badgers gave the Rams seven giveaway points.
“In transition especially, we need to put balls down,” Foss said. “We can’t give other teams chances to get a kill, because they’ll get that kill. We have to put it away right away.
“We dig balls. One-on-one, we dig balls. Jaime (Colaizzi) is great at that; so’s Cass (Denny). We have great defenders in the back row. We need to put those balls away. Like Tom says, if we take great swings and the other team digs it, don’t get frustrated, keep swinging. They’re good hits, they’re just digging.”
The tests will keep coming for the Rams as after they host the Pioneers on Tuesday, they hit the road for a spell. Over the course of two weekends, the Rams will face No. 9 BYU on Friday on a neutral floor, as well as Pepperdine and face a tough New Mexico State team and No. 15 Arizona State on their home turf.
Quite simply, Hilbert said of his squad “we have to be good.”
Hilbert wanted his team tested, and he’s getting his wish. The Rams didn’t back down to the first challenge, and Foss said they won’t in any of the upcoming matches.
When Mountain West play begins, she feels the team will be more than battle tested to go after another title.
“As tough as it is, and with as many games as we have before conference, I think it’s really good for us,” she said. “Going into conference, we’ll know what we have to do to win games and be better. By the time the NCAA Championships come around, we’ll be better prepared.”
Contact Sports Editor Mike Brohard at 970-635-3633 or mbrohard@reporter-herald.com and twitter.com/mbrohard
