Stanford too much for CSU to handle in NCAA volleyball tournament

The CSU volleyball team had an up-close look at a potential national champion on Saturday.

The Rams simply ran into a juggernaut in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Stanford, the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament, played every bit of a title contender.

The Cardinal swept Colorado State University 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-9) in dominant fashion at Stanford to advance to the Sweet 16.

“They were overwhelming,” CSU coach Tom Hilbert said. “They’re powerful, they block well, they served exceptionally well.”

The size and power of Stanford (28-3) was simply too much to handle for the Rams (29-4). Stanford hit a smoldering .486 for the match and were at or over .500 in two of the three sets.

On the defensive side, Hilbert said Stanford’s size and strength were simply too much to deal with.

CSU was never able to find a rhythm and hit .085 for the match. Kirstie Hillyer had nine kills and Breana Runnels had eight to lead the Rams.

Stanford is simply exceptional. The Cardinal dropped only one conference match on the way to a title in the loaded Pac 12 conference.

It’s the caliber of opponent CSU likely hasn’t played since 2014 when the Rams faced Texas in the Sweet 16 and lost to a Longhorns team that eventually made the Final Four.

Saturday’s loss was a tough end, but the season on the whole was excellent for the Rams.

CSU went 17-1 in conference play to reclaim the Mountain West title.

The Rams won 29 matches, the most since 2014, despite battling significant injuries all year. Two-time All-MW middle blocker Alexandra Poletto missed most of the season and the NCAA tournament while injured. Fellow all-conference middle blocker Kirstie Hillyer also missed time injured and senior Sanja Cizmic played through injury in the NCAA tournament.

The Rams knocked off Michigan in the first round of the NCAA tournament, snapping a two-year skid of first-round losses. It was the first time CSU won an NCAA tournament match outside of Fort Collins since 2011.

“Our body of work is very good. We made it through one round of the NCAA tournament against a very good team,” Hilbert said. “One match doesn’t define our season.”

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