Box Score

KEARNEY, Neb. - The No. 23 Metro State volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the second time this season to knock off No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney 13-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-9 to capture the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament championship in Kearney.  The win gives the Roadrunners an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the 10th straight trip to the postseason for Metro State in head coach Debbie Hendricks' 10th season.  It is also the fifth RMAC Tournament championship of the Hendricks era.

The win snapped a six-match losing streak to the Lopers for Metro State, dating back to 2006.  It was also the first time the Roadrunners have won on the road in Kearney since 2002, a streak of 10 losses.

It is Metro State's second win over a team ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division II this season after the Roadrunners knocked off West Texas A&M at home when the Lady Buffs were ranked No. 3 on Sept. 5.

Metro State rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Regis on Oct. 20 at home, making Saturday's win the second time since 2004 that Metro State has overcome a 2-0 deficit to win a match.

The Roadrunners struggled mightily in the set-and-a-half on Saturday and hit just .108 (22-13-83) through two sets, while UNK hit .219 (25-9-73).  Metro State also had seven service errors, four receiving errors and a ball handling error during that span.  The Lopers hit .429 (13-1-28) in the first set.

Metro State trailed 20-15 in the second set when things started to click.  Amanda Cook (Bellevue, Neb./Bellevue East H.S.) started a three-point rally to cut UNK's lead to 20-18 with her second kill of the night.  The Lopers led 23-19, but Metro State scored the next three points, using a pair of attack errors on Neb.-Kearney and a kill by Julie Causseaux (Dumas, Texas/Dumas H.S.) to cut the lead to 23-22.  However, UNK scored the final two points to escape the second set with a win to go up 2-0 in the match.

The Lopers scored six consecutive points in the third set to take an 11-8 lead.  UNK maintained the margin at 16-13 when Anna Mapes (Chaska, Minn./Chaska H.S.) started Metro State's comeback with a kill.  After Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) and Mapes combined on a block, Lisa Jones (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East H.S.) buried an ace to tie the score 16-16.  Trailing 18-17, Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) opened a five-point run with a kill as the Roadrunners took a 22-18 lead.  UNK cut the lead to 24-23, but Cook pounded a kill to close out the third set for Metro State.

Mapes sparked a 7-1 run in the fourth set after Metro State trailed 5-3 to open the set, giving the Roadrunners a 10-6 lead as the Lopers made four errors, two coming off aces by Jones and Cook.

Jones had five kills in the fourth set, including back-to-back scores to put Metro State in front 17-10 as the Roadrunners outscored UNK 14-5 after the early 5-3 deficit.  Neb.-Kearney cut into the lead to make the score 21-17, but Morley followed with a kill and Curtis added an ace to take a 23-17 lead.  The Roadrunners scored the final two points of the fourth set on a kill from Causseaux and a double block by Cook and Causseaux.

Morley opened the deciding set with a kill to put Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) at the service line and she followed with four straight points, including an ace, to put the Roadrunners up 5-0 in the fifth set.  The Lopers answered and cut the lead to 9-7.  Emily Greenhalgh (Conifer, Colo./Conifer H.S.) stopped the run for UNK with a kill and Morley had back-to-back kills to give Metro State a 12-7 lead.  After a UNK point, Morley had her 20th kill of the night and the Lopers made their 23rd attack error to give Metro State a 14-8 lead.  Curtis clinched the match with a setter dump after UNK scored its ninth and final point of the set.

Metro State outhit Nebraska-Kearney .228 (40-13-118) to .120 (27-14-108) during the final three sets and committed just four service errors, while scoring seven aces.  UNK had just one block during that span.

Morley's 20 kills led both teams, the second time this season she has reached 20 kills, and she also had 13 digs for her 10th double-double this season.  Jones added 12 kills and Causseaux had 11 and also had five blocks.  Curtis dished out 53 set assists and had 15 digs, three kills and three blocks.  Cook had 12 digs and five kills.

Watanabe had a phenomenal night defensively with 35 digs, her second-highest total of her career to lead both teams, and her four aces tied a season high.  She kept the Roadrunners in system throughout the final three sets with excellent passing, making just one receiving error on the night.

Metro State hit .179 (62-26-201), while the Lopers, the top-hitting team in the RMAC this season, were held to just .160 (52-23-181).  Metro State also had eight team blocks, compared to just three for UNK.  The Roadrunners also had a season-high 95 digs and eight aces.

The Roadrunners will find out the NCAA Tournament first round opponent on Sunday night.  The selection show will be streamed online at www.ncaa.com at 7 p.m. on Sunday.  Metro State was ranked eighth in the region in Thursday's rankings and UNK was ranked No. 2.  Stay tuned to www.GoMetroState.com for more information on the postseason.

Morley was named the RMAC Tournament MVP after averaging 4.31 kills per set in the three matches.  She totaled 56 kills and hit .281 (56-13-153) and added 35 digs and two aces in 13 sets played.

Causseaux and Curtis were also both named to the RMAC All-Tournament team.  Causseaux averaged 2.46 kills and 1.08 blocks.  She totaled 32 kills and hit .419 (32-6-62) with 14 blocks.  Curtis averaged 11.38 assists and 2.69 digs with 148 assists, 35 digs, seven blocks, seven kills and two aces.

RMAC All-Tournament Team
MVP: Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.), Metro State
Julie Causseaux (Dumas, Texas/Dumas H.S.), Metro State
Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.), Metro State
Erica Burson, Nebraska-Kearney
Cola Svec, Nebraska-Kearney
Kelsey Werner, Nebraska-Kearney
Tessa Andrews, Mesa State