No. 6 CSU faces tough test in New Mexico

The CSU volleyball team will face its toughest individual matchup and hardest conference road test Thursday.

The No. 6 Rams (18-1, 6-0 Mountain West) travel to face an angry University of New Mexico team at 7 p.m.

The Lobos (11-7, 4-2) are second in the conference but are coming off back-to-back road losses at San Diego State and UNLV.

New Mexico will rely on left-handed opposite hitter Chantale Riddle, the preseason MW Player of the Year, to stop the Rams’ 13-match win streak.

“Chantale is all about physicality and athleticism. Chantale gets all the sets,” Colorado State University coach Tom Hilbert said. “You have to realize you won’t stop her, but she can get worn down.”

Riddle leads the conference with 220 kills at 3.73 per set. She’s also second at 1.46 blocks per set.

The match will pit CSU’s conference-leading .304 hitting average against a Lobos defense that leads the MW in opponent hitting percentage at .135 and is second in blocks. Plus the game will be played in a loud Johnson Center, where CSU took five sets to beat the Lobos last year.

“It’s a very hostile environment,” said CSU’s Adrianna Culbert, who was named the Mountain West and espnW national player of the week. “Going in knowing it’s going to be a really competitive game is fun.”

The outside hitter averaged three kills per set and hit .567. She had a team-high 15 digs against Wyoming, and led CSU with 10 kills in Saturday’s win over Fresno State.

After New Mexico, the Rams will return to Colorado to play at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs at 6 p.m. Friday.

Mountain West standings

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