Rams Show Grit in Season-Opening Loss to No. 11 Florida

From the outset, coach Emily Kohan and the Colorado State volleyball team knew their season opener against No. 11 Florida would be a tough challenge. Facing the Gators to kick off their season on Friday night, the Rams were underdogs before the match even began.

Despite their 3-1 loss (21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 11-25) to Florida, Kohan expressed that the team demonstrated they could compete with some of the top talent in collegiate volleyball.

“I thought we were quite competitive in the first three sets,” Kohan said. “We were right there with them in terms of hitting — we just had some issues with our serving.” Although the result goes down as a loss, CSU proved they could hold their own against elite competition. With the exception of the final set, where the Rams lost by double digits with a -0.222 hitting percentage, CSU was competitive, hitting 0.303 in the first three sets, just slightly behind Florida’s 0.307.

As usual, Malaya Jones was the standout on offense.

“She does a great job, not just in the front row, but her back row attacking was especially impressive tonight,” Kohan said. “She’s consistently aggressive.” Jones ended the night with 17 kills, six digs, and one block, hitting 0.270 on 37 attacks. However, even with Jones’ significant contributions, Florida's Kennedy Martin was the star of the match. Martin was a force on offense for the Gators, racking up 25 kills with an impressive 0.568 hitting percentage.

“We knew she was going to score points, no question,” said Taylor Pagan. “Our focus was more on getting touches and slowing her down than completely stopping her.”

Pagan, who made her first career start, was a key contributor to CSU’s offense throughout the night.

The sophomore, who played in only 27 sets last year with one kill and two errors, had a breakout performance. Pagan recorded nine kills, the second most on the team, and delivered a crucial service ace to help the Rams win their only set. “She passed really well,” Kohan said. “Everyone admires Taylor’s powerful hitting, but she did a crucial job with her passing. … She has a very bright future with us.”

The Rams were without their veteran libero, Kate Yoshimoto, who missed the game due to a concussion. Yoshimoto had been a regular starter for over a year. In her place, Idaho transfer Aine Doty took over as the starting libero.

“Kate is amazing — she’s constantly digging balls,” Jones said. “Aine stepped up and did a great job. It’s a big stage, and it was her first time playing in front of such a large crowd, so I have to commend her — it’s intimidating.”

Doty contributed five assists and five digs during the match but struggled to contain Martin’s offensive prowess. While there’s no word on when Yoshimoto will return, Doty is expected to see more playing time in CSU’s upcoming match against Michigan State on Saturday, Aug. 31.