By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti):
It is finally the weekend of volleyball that everyone has been waiting for. The Spartans (12-5, 4-2 MW) are taking on No. 21 Colorado State University Rams (16-2, 6-0 MW) on Thursday and the University of Wyoming Cowgirls (9-9, 4-2 MW) on Saturday.
After defeating the University of New Mexico last weekend, the Spartans are now tied for second place in the Mountain West Conference with the University of Wyoming. Colorado is undefeated in conference play and is leading the conference 6-0.
SJSU is confident as it heads into the weekend. The last time the Spartans took on the Rams was Oct. 20, 2016, with the match ending in a victory for SJSU.
“There’s extra excitement to play number one,” said junior libero Luiza Andrade. “We always shake Colorado up and it’s really nice because we beat them here last season.”
The game plan is consistency. Nothing is being changed and the Spartans are not adding any special flairs to beat the Rams.
“While they are in the top of our conference, the preparation is still the same,” said outside hitter Fernanda Vido. “We have the same focus and ambition to get better everyday.”
It has been a great season for the Rams so far as they are heading into the weekend with a six-game winning streak. The posed challenge only causes excitement for the Spartans.
“We know Colorado is a solid program,” said head coach Jolene Shepardson. “We have been preparing just like anyone else and we are looking forward to playing a tough match against them.”
Last season, the Cowgirls roped in a win against the Spartans and is looking to extend their three-game winning streak in a fight for second place in the conference.
After long periods of time spent on the road, the weekend will be the only time the Spartans spend away from home this month.
The game against Colorado is tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Spartans will then go up against Wyoming on Saturday at 12 p.m.