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Postgame video Interview with Amanda Cook

DENVER, Colo. - The No. 16 Metro State volleyball team sneaked past UC-Colorado Springs in five sets, winning 23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9 on Saturday night at the Auraria Event Center.  The Roadrunners improved to 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while UCCS dropped to 6-6 overall and 1-3 in the RMAC.

Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) recorded a career-high 37 digs for Metro State, just four away from the school record of 41 by Taryn Drescher on Aug. 27, 2004.  It tied for the fourth-highest digs total in a single match in Metro State history and the most since the NCAA went to sets of 25 points instead of 30 points last season.

Behind Watanabe was Ngoc Phan (Lone Tree, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) with 13 digs and Amanda Cook (Bellevue, Neb./Bellevue East H.S.) with 11.

Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) had 64 set assists, spreading the ball around evenly on the evening as Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) led five players in double digits in kills with 18.  Julie Causseaux (Dumas, Texas/Dumas H.S.) and Lisa Jones (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East H.S.) each had 12 kills and Anna Mapes (Chaska, Minn./Chaska H.S.) and Emily Greenhalgh (Conifer, Colo./Conifer H.S.) added 11 apiece.  Cook, an all-conference outside hitter last season who has played in the back row most of this season, saw her most extensive action in the front row of the year and did not disappoint by tying a season-high with seven kills.  Curtis added six kills from the setter position, two shy of a career high.

The Roadrunners had their third-highest attack error total this season with 28, but still managed to hit .251 (77-28-195), their highest hitting percentage since hitting .361 against Western Oregon on Sept. 4.  They also came up just two blocks shy of a season high with 10.0 on Saturday.

The Mountain Lions were held to a .151 (45-20-166) hitting percentage on the evening.

Metro State led the majority of the first set, including 18-15 following kills from Greenhalgh and Mapes and a UCCS attack error that broke a 15-15 tie.  But the Mountain Lions answered with a 3-0 run to tie the score at 19-19.  The Roadrunners were within two points of winning the set after taking a 23-22 lead on a kill by Causseaux.  But a ball handling error on Curtis, an attack error on Jones and a kill by UCCS's Cindy Bathelt closed out the set to stun the Roadrunners.

However, they came back firing in the second set and took a 4-1 lead after kills by Jones, Causseaux and Greenhalgh and an ace by Causseaux.  The Mountain Lions answered to tie the score at 4-4 before Metro State went on a 7-0 run with Jones serving to take an 11-4 lead.  Jones had two of Metro State's four aces on the night during that run as the Mountain Lions struggled to control the ball.  They also had three attack errors after a service error sparked the 7-0 run.

The Roadrunners again had trouble closing out the set after leading 22-11.  UCCS scored five of the next six points, two on the aid of Metro State attack errors, to cut the lead to 23-16 before a Mountain Lion attack error and a kill by Morley gave Metro State a 25-16 win in the second set.

The third set was more even early and the score was tied 14-14 before Metro State scored four straight points on three kills by Jones and another by Mapes to take control.  Leading 22-18, the Roadrunners closed out the set after two attack errors by the Mountain Lions and ended on a kill from Causseaux.  Metro State hit .342 (19-6-38) in the third set, its highest hitting percentage of any of the five sets on Saturday.

Metro State trailed 17-13 in the fourth set, but scored five of the next six points to tie the score at 18-18 after a pair of UCCS attack errors, two kills by Causseaux and another kill by Jones.  The two teams traded points until 21-21 when the Mountain Lions went ahead 23-21 with two consecutive points.  Morley evened the score for Metro State with a pair of kills to make it 23-23, but a kill by Alex Nuttall and an attack error by Morley forced the fifth set.

UCCS got off to a quick start in the deciding set, leading 5-4.  But Cook took control with a kill and then served the next six points as the Roadrunners took a 10-5 lead after a 6-0 run.  Leading 13-9, Metro State used the 20th attack error by the Mountain Lions on the evening and a kill by Jones to finish the night with a victory.  UCCS hit .000 (4-4-22) in the final set, compared to .318 (10-3-22) by Metro State.

Metro State will be back in action on Tuesday at Regis with a 7 p.m. match.  The Rangers snuck past UCCS in five sets on Friday night and swept Colorado Christian on Saturday night to enter Tuesday's match tied for first place with No. 8 Nebraska-Kearney in the RMAC East Division with a 4-0 record, just one match ahead of Metro State in the standings.

Top Single-Match Dig Totals in Metro State History
41, Taryn Drescher vs. Western New Mexico (Aug. 27, 2004) (5 sets)
40, Audra Littou vs. Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 27, 1997) (5 sets)
40, Bri Ostler vs. Abilene Christian (Aug. 24, 2007) (5 sets)
37, Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) vs. UC-Colorado Springs (Sept. 19, 2009) (5 sets)
37, Sharee Blunt vs. Mesa State (Sept. 12, 1987) (5 sets)
37, Bri Ostler vs. UC-Colorado Springs (Sept. 23, 2006) (5 sets)