MINNEAPOLIS — On a chilly night in Minnesota, Colorado State’s run in the NCAA volleyball tournament was stopped cold.
Looking for their first-ever appearance in a regional final, the Rams were instead overpowered by 11th-ranked Minnesota and fell 3-1 (22-25, 27-29, 25-23, 17-25) on Friday.
The Rams’ final-set loss was a fitting summary of the night, as Minnesota’s defense at the net proved to be too much, blocking CSU time and again as the Golden Gophers advanced to the regional final.
“We didn’t adjust very well,” Rams coach Tom Hilbert said. “We were trying to do things that have worked for us all season, and they weren’t working for us tonight.”
Danielle Minch led the way with 17 kills and 48 total attacks as CSU finished the season 25-6, losing just twice in the final 11 matches.
The one bright moment for the Rams and an impressive number of their fans among the 2,803 in attendance was the third-set win, sparked by four points off blocks. Leading by as many as five, the Rams survived a late rally by Minnesota for their only set win of the evening.
“It was pretty frustrating,” said Minch, after Minnesota had 86 digs. “I wasn’t making a whole lot of errors. I just wanted to put any type of pressure on them. But they played great defense.”
The Rams looked overwhelmed at times in the opening set, trailing by five on two occasions before rallying to within a point at 23-22. But Minnesota blocks provided the final two points the Golden Gophers would need to win 25-22.
Minnesota prevailed 29-27 in the second set, but not before a series of missed opportunities by the Rams. Paced by Minch’s nine kills, the Rams led 15-9 and had three set-point serves, but were unable to close out the home team.
“I was impressed by how well-coached Colorado State was throughout,” Gophers coach Mike Herbert said. “But we managed to find just enough cracks in the block to get through.”
In its 15th consecutive national tournament appearance, CSU was making its fifth all-time trip to the NCAA regional semifinals. The Rams last advanced that far in 2003, falling at Florida 3-0 to close the season.
Minnesota will face Florida State in tonight’s regional final. The Seminoles prevailed 3-2 over Kentucky in the other Minneapolis semifinal.
