Dec. 20, 2011

By Nic Hallisey
Athletic Media Relations

FORT COLLINS, Colo.—The Colorado State women’s volleyball team again had a tremendous season, winning the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles and advancing to its 17th straight NCAA tournament.

On Tuesday, with the completion of the 2011 college volleyball season, the Rams climbed back into the top-25 rankings, coming in at No. 25 in the final AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll.

CSU, which was ranked in 11 of the 15 polls in 2011, earned a spot in the top 25 after being the highest team in the “receiving votes” category entering the NCAA tournament the first week of December. The Rams then knocked off 13th-ranked Oregon in the opening round of the tournament.

The Rams have been ranked in the AVCA’s final poll each of the last four seasons, and 15 times in the poll’s 30-year history. CSU ranked as high as No. 14 in 2011, doing so after knocking off then-No. 5 Nebraska the first week of September.

CSU went 2-1 against opponents ranked in the final poll. Nebraska, which was upset in the NCAA regional quarterfinals, fell from No. 2 to No. 12 in the final poll. Hawaii, which ended CSU’s season, finished at No. 5. Oregon closed one spot ahead of CSU at No. 24.

The Rams went 24-6 and will return all but one player from the 2011 roster, including All-American Megan Plourde, the nation’s best blocker in 2011. Plourde will be one of four seniors on the 2012 roster.

For the complete AVCA Coaches Top-25 Poll, click here.