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Volleyball: The Year Of The 'Ram' By Amy Steele-Gant
Nov. 2, 2000
"Out with the old and in with the new" seems to be the phrase of the new millennium. I had no idea, however, that NCAA volleyball would take on the same mantra. Volleyball in the 90s was dominated by names like Stanford, Penn State and Long Beach State, and although these teams are certainly not out of the mix this year, they are by no means leading the pack.
So who is? Well the "top dog" this year seems to be Nebraska. The Huskers have always been a top 10 team, and this year they seem to be the favorite coming into second half of the season. At number two, Hawaii is no stranger to the top five, but they haven't seriously challenged for the Final Four in a few years. In fact, many of the top 10 teams are not the usual names-USC, Arizona, Pepperdine. But among the newest members of the elite teams in the nation is none other than Colorado State. The Rams vaulted to its highest ranking in school history at No. 3 on Sept. 25 and had a firm hold on that spot until a talented BYU squad upset them last week in Provo to snap a 19-match win streak. The Rams landed at No. 6 in the latest poll while the Cougars jumped to No. 14.
Although BYU has impressive wins over the nation's No. 1 (Stanford), No. 2 (Long Beach State) and No. 3 Colorado State) teams this season, the Rams just might be the team to beat this year. Head coach Tom Hilbert and his Rams started out this season with a bang and haven't quit yet. On the first weekend of the season, August 25-26, CSU participated in the NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic. Playing in the tournament is an honor reserved for the elite of volleyball--being invited is a feat in itself. But just participating wasn't enough for the Rams. Being surrounded by teams such as Florida, UCLA, and defending champion Penn State would have intimidated a lesser team, but not CSU--the Rams started off the tournament by beating Florida on their own court and went on to defeat then-No. 1 UCLA to win the tournament. CSU has since proven that they deserve a top 10 ranking by continuing to beat good teams such as Cal Santa Barbara, BYU, Utah and others. In fact their only other loss this year came at the hands of No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln. So why are the Rams so good? Rams' assistant coach Karrie Larsen explained, "We have a very balanced attack, a different player can step up and be the star on any given night." Throughout the season, CSU has dominated most of their matches and have left opponents wondering how they can stop a team with so many weapons. "Every match we have three to four girls with double-digit kills" added Larsen. "We don't have to rely on one person to get the job done." With so many great players, opposing teams have a difficult time coming up with an effective game plan. If you choose to focus on middle blocker Angela Knopf, who has the second-best hitting percentage in the country (.454), then you leave outside hitter Courtney Cox to have her way with you. Summer Jennings and Soraya Santos must also be respected as effective attackers. As if that weren't enough, this team is smart--they won't make many errors and they know where to put the ball. In fact, CSU is currently fourth in the nation with a team hitting percentage of .312. Despite their offensive prowess, the Rams are equally good on the defensive end of the ball, making this team a threat to any team in the country. The Rams are 14th in the nation in blocks per game, Knopf individually is eighth in the nation. These Rams are also virtually unbeatable at home. They boast a nation-high 40-match winning streak in Moby Arena. This stat bodes well for the Rams, as Ft. Collins is the site for this year's Mountain West Conference Championship-the winner of which earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. If CSU can work its way back into the top four, we could see Ft. Collins host one of the four NCAA regional tournaments-an amazing feat and one that would greatly increase the Rams' chances of playing in Richmond, Virginia, in the Final Four. CSU certainly has the talent to make it that far-and I am predicting that CSU will be THE team to watch for the rest of the season, in the conference as well as the nation. Despite CSU's October 28 loss to a nearly flawless BYU team, I stand by my prediction that CSU will be the team to beat in the conference tournament. That is unless that same BYU team that stepped onto the floor last Saturday night shows up for the Conference final. Amy Steele-Gant will provide color commentary for SportsWest's television production of all McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship matches Nov. 16-18. A 1998 graduate of BYU, Steele-Gant brings an extensive volleyball background to television. She was a three-time All-American for the Cougars and played for the U.S. National Team from January 1998 to September 1999. A NCAA Woman of the Year top 10 finalist in 1998, Steele-Gant earned a bachelor¹s degree in athletic training from BYU. |
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