Complete Release (PDF)

This Week:
Metro State opens the 2009 season on the road at the St. Mary's Invitational in San Antonio, Texas. The Roadrunners will play four matches in two days. They are set to face Millersville (Pa.), Central Oklahoma, No. 16 Florida Southern and St. Mary's (Texas).

Scouting the Opponent:
Millersville: The Marauders went 11-16 last year under first-year head coach Betsy Hayden. They return six players from 2008, led by seniors Meredith Sinback (5-9, S/OH, Sr.) and Emily Bires (5-11, MB, Sr.). Bires led the team with 236 kills (2.51 per set) last season. Sinback split time between the outside and setter, leading the team with 450 set assists. Millersville was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division.

Central Oklahoma: The Bronchos return five starters and eight letterwinners from last season's 13-21 squad. Leading the way are Meaghan Wedberg (5-11, S, Sr.) and Kristen Wilson (5-8, OH, Jr.). Wedberg will be in her fourth season as the starting setter and she currently ranks second in school histroy in assists. Wilson was second in the Lone Star Conference in kills and points last year to earn first team All-LSC honors. Also returning to the lineup are Jessica Legako (6-0, MB, Jr.), Courtney Whitlow (5-8, MB, Jr.) and Sarah Niles (5-4, L, Jr.). UCO was picked to finish seventh in the LSC this season.

Florida Southern: The Moccasins open the season ranked 16th nationally and are picked to finish second in the Sunshine State Conference after going 25-9 a year ago and reaching the NCAA Tournament. Three starters return in addition to their libero, led by Julia Borecka (5-10, OH, Sr.), Anna Greenwood (5-9, OH, Sr.), Elise Burke (5-7, S, Jr.) and Courtney Johnson (5-1, L, Sr.). Burke led the SSC in assists and assist average and earned first team Academic All-District as a sophomore. Borecka was an honorable mention all-region honoree, finishing with a .285 hitting percentage. Johnson led the team in digs last year.

St. Mary's: The Rattlers return five starters, but are still a young team with two seniors and three juniors on the roster. Kori McCarver (5-9, OH/S, Jr.) was named All-Heartland conference last year. Stephanie Crowell (5-11, MB, Sr.) and Kirsten Chapman (5-11, MB, So.) both return in the middle. Sondra Cui (5-6, S, So.) is back after splitting time with McCarver at setter in 2008. A member of NCAA Division II, St. Mary's finished last fall with a record of 8-20.

All-Time Series Records:
Millersville and Metro State have never faced each other.

The Roadrunners won the only meeting against Central Oklahoma, a 3-0 victory in 1998.

Metro State and Florida Southern have split 10 meetings. The Roadrunners had a four-game winning streak in the series, but have lost two of their past three, including 3-0 on the road in 2007. The teams are 4-4 at neutral sites.

St. Mary's and Metro State have split two meetings. The Roadrunners are 1-0 at neutral sites after a 3-1 win in 1999. However, SMU won the last meeting 3-2 in San Antonio in 2002.

History at the St. Mary's Invitational:
Metro State played in the St. Mary's Invitational in 2002 and went 3-1 with wins over Alaska-Anchorage, South Dakota and Chaminade (Hawaii). The Roadrunners fell in five sets to St. Mary's.

Head coach Debbie Hendricks:
Roadrunners head coach Debbie Hendricks is in her 10th season at Metro State and currently has a record of 197-85 at Metro State and 393-166 overall in her 18th season as a head coach. She ranks second in career wins at Metro State behind Pat Johnson's 391-232-1 record. However, Hendricks has the top winning percentage at .699. She has also guided Metro State to nine of its 16 NCAA Tournament appearances in school history and a winning record in all nine of her seasons. Between her previous coaching stint at West Texas A&M and Metro State, her teams have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of her past 14 years as a head coach, including a national championship in 1997 at WTAMU.

Hendricks Closes in on Milestones:
Head coach Debbie Hendricks is closing in on two coaching milestones. Entering this weekend, she needs just three wins to reach 200 career wins at Metro State. She is entering her 10th season at the helm of the Roadrunners volleyball program.

Hendricks is also closing in on 400 wins for her overall coaching career. She enters the weekend at 393 as she begins her 18th season as a head volleyball coach at the collegiate level. Prior to Metro State, Hendricks spent two years at Wayland Baptist before heading to West Texas A&M for six seasons.