By: Javen Takhar (@javentakhar) – Spear Reporter | The team celebrates a point against New Mexico. (Otis White – Spear Photographer)
After a loss to Wyoming on Thursday, Oct. 30, San Jose State women’s volleyball (10-12, 5-6) was looking for a bounce back win against Colorado State (16-6, 10-2) on Saturday, Nov. 1. Unfortunately, the Spartans would fall 3-2 to the Rams.
Redshirt junior right-side hitter Lolo Fonua led the team with 22 kills, a new career-high. The second highest Spartan scorer was freshman outside hitter Morgan Graves with 12.
The Spartans were up and down all game, starting slow in set one but taking off for set two and three before letting up in the final two sets.
CSU dominated the first set, getting up to a 17-9 lead. SJSU tried to fight to stay in the game, but it was too little too late as the Rams would take it 25-18.
Set two was a back and forth battle. With the game tied at six the Spartans would go on a tear making the score 13-7.
They wouldn’t give back the lead, but CSU would crawl back into the game holding SJSU at 24 while they were on a 6-0 scoring run. Fonua would strike a kill to end the set 25-21.
The Spartans took an early lead in set three. After three straight kills from Graves, they would be up 10-7.
In the final stretch, Colorado State got the game tied at 21, with a kill from sophomore outside hitter Maria Brun.
But that would be all she wrote for the Rams, as the Spartans would win the set 25-21 after a pair of kills by Gravesto close it out.
The Rams came out battering in set four, going on multiple scoring runs. They also benefited from the Spartans committing six errors.
CSU forced a game five after a strong 25-12 set win.
The Rams started fast and didn’t let their foot off the gas, getting a quick 9-3 lead. Three Spartans errors plus three kills from leading scorer graduate student outside hitter Riley Simpson helped CSU gain the edge.
SJSU tried to rally back late in the game, erasing the six point deficit making it 12-10 thanks to four kills straight by Fonua.
But the comeback would stall as Colorado State would win the set 15-11.
Head coach Todd Kress was proud of the team’s performance, but urges the need to put together three strong sets.
“We did some really nice things, we had them out of system a lot, took them out of their game plan,” Kress said. “We play those, sets two and three, pretty much as well as we can play, and then we get to set four and we just kinda, you know we’re a little flat coming out of set four.”
With six games left in the season, the Spartans are looking ahead to play Air Force at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Falcon Court at the United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
