PALO ALTO, Calif. — To advance, Colorado State's volleyball team needed to do something the program had never accomplished.
Saturday's task came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and the No. 23 Rams had to beat No. 3 Stanford on its home floor at the Maples Pavilion if their season was going to continue.
Tough task, to be sure, as the Rams fell 25-14, 25-15, 25-9, ending their season at 29-4. Colorado State has never beaten the Cardinal in 12 tries, taking just three sets in their meetings.
Stanford set the tone for a rough offensive night for the Rams as they produced 16 blocks in the game, while the Rams had just two a night after having 13 in the win over Michigan, and both of them came in the third set.