MSU Denver Athletics

With a roster that had only two seniors on it, the Roadrunners went through the 1978 volleyball regular season with a perfect 34-0 record.  At the time of the team's induction, it is the only time in the program's history that a team has achieved a perfect regular season.

The team on averaged scored almost twice the amount of its opponents, averaging 14.6 points per game, while limiting opponents to just 7.6 in the side-out scoring era.

The Roadrunners started the season playing five of its first six matches on the road and didn't have any problems, being challenged only by Colorado State-Pueblo, which took Metro State to four games.  When the Roadrunners came back home, they found a hungry Colorado College team that took them to five games, but Metro State prevailed in the fifth, winning 15-12.  From that point on, Metro State cruised the rest of the season, having only two teams push them to five games, Eastern New Mexico and Colorado College.

Going into the Intermountain Championship (Region 7) Division II, the Roadrunners played four matches and won all four and it looked like nothing was going to stop them as they headed to the Association of Intercollegiate Athletis for Women Division II National Tournament in Orlando.

The Roadrunners won their first two matches, defeating Occidental and College of Charleston, but lost to eventual national champion University of Central Florida in pool play.  In the first round of bracket play, Metro State again faced UCF and lost for a second time, dropping Metro State to the consolation bracket.  The Roadrunners were eliminated in a close match to Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The team went on to finish seventh at the national tournament, but the remarkable run it had during the regular season will never be forgotten.

1978 Volleyball Roster
Julie Buntrock
Kathy Crusan
Patty Dennis
Mary Dougherty
Susan Greenwald
Leslie Hindman
Becky Joyce
Tambra Maness
Anita Mathes
Sandra Mayer
Cindy Ortega
Teresa Phariss
Lee Ann Ratajewski
Jan Severson
Cindy Towne
Vickie Walker
Sherri Wildeman
Beth Wilkinson
Bridget Williams

Head Coach: Pat Johnson
Assistant Coaches: Elvie McKenzie, Larry Sutliff