The No. 9 Colorado State University Women’s Volleyball team did not disappoint this weekend with their three-game sweep in each and every match-up. They looked disciplined, excited and united. It seems the team has figured out a lot of the pieces of the puzzle.
When Coach Tom Hilbert was interviewed a few weeks ago he looked tired and he kept saying there was a lot of improvements to be made. When he was interviewed the day before the tournament started he looked rested, fairly happy and said he feels more comfortable with this team.
The Rams were noticeably improved. All but one starting position has been sorted out. Coach has decided to keep the competition going for the last spot which should keep these ladies motivated. The team is practicing hard, communicating well and seems to be in good spirits. These ladies have been studying the fundamentals and practicing with excitement. There is a noticeable bond between all of the players and with their coach.
The most noteworthy bit of information about Colorado State’s practices is the coach’s tact. Tom Hilbert watches each play like he is bipolar. I know that sounds funny but one play he is happy the next he sees something he doesn’t like and he yells out.
He has another side as well. When one player needs individual coaching he stops practice and has a quiet conversation about it. It is practically a whisper. It is an impressively well-orchestrated performance. He seems to have the right reaction for every situation. I haven’t seen a frustrated player with Coach Tom Hilbert. It has been true champions are their own worst critics.
The CSU Rams women’s volleyball team started strong by winning in the first game in a battle to the end. The Rams got ahead early but allowed the Baylor Bears to get themselves back into the game. Eventually Alexandra Poletto finished the Bears off in the first game of the series with a powerful spike.
The Bears began making a lot of errors in the second game. Net violations, serve errors, attack errors; you name it, they came in droves. The Rams made errors of their own but managed to stay fairly consistent throughout the second game. The game point was given to CSU with a serving error.
The third game was by far the most competitive with long volleys. The intensity was high, which at times led CSU to make mistakes that they probably wouldn’t have made in earlier games. They would get up for kills, get too excited and put the ball into the net. Back and forth these two teams would gain the lead and then the other would respond or make an error. CSU kept battling and eventually broke tie game with two solid spikes. Baylor put the ball out of bounds making it 20-17. The Rams made an error. Then another solid spike from CSU. The CSU versus Baylor match-up ended with a powerful spike and then an ace.
The Bears looked pretty good. Tola Itiola and Andie Malloy played very well but it appears they have a little work to do getting into position and not making mental errors. This Rams squad was playing like a real team.
The UC Davis and Northern Iowa games went about the same as the Baylor games. There were talented players on the opposing teams but the Rams were just more organized and put balls in good spots for their hitters. The blockers got into their positions quickly and made great plays on the ball.
In the end, the Rams were dominant and earned the awards that followed the tournament. Adrianna Culbert was given MVP honors for the 2015 Rams Volleyball Classic and Jaime Colaizzi and Acacia Andrews were named to the All-Tournament team.
Even with the sweep in the books Coach Hilbert never stops. He had a list of things to work on that he noticed in the game.
With the rate that this team is improving, five days should be enough time to work through the issues with the team and they should be ready for their first ranked match against No. 18 Arizona State University on Sept. 4.
