Complete Release (PDF)
This Week:
The No. 16 Metro State volleyball team will head across town for a 7 p.m. match against Regis on Tuesday evening.
Scouting the Opponent:
Regis: The Rangers enter Tuesday on a four-match winning streak with an overall record of 6-6 and 4-0 in the RMAC. Regis has swept Chadron State, Colorado Mines and Colorado Christian, and won 3-2 over UC-Colorado Springs to open the conference season. Jessica Howe has been the top offensive performer, averaging 3.40 kills, while Lyz Kann is second on the team with 2.00 kills/set. Setter Devin Eckhart averages 9.93 assists, while libero Cassidee Young averages 4.26 digs. Regis as a team averages 11.95 kills, while allowing 12.33 to its opponents.
All-Time Series Records:
Regis: After 78 meetings, the series is tied 39-39. Regis holds a 24-13 edge in games played at Regis. Metro State has won eight of the past nine meetings, including two in a row.
Colorado Premier Challenge:
Metro State went 3-1 at the 2009 Colorado Premier Challenge to win the Silver Division championship. It was the best finish for Metro State at the Premier since going 3-1 and taking third place in the Gold Division in 2005. Senior setter
Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) earned all-tournament honors for the second time in her career.
Hendricks Hits Two Milestones:
Head coach
Debbie Hendricks reached her 200th win at Metro State on Saturday, Aug. 29 against No. 16 Florida Southern. She is in her 10th season at the helm of the Roadrunners volleyball program.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, she won her 400th career match in a 3-2, come-from-behind thriller against No. 3 West Texas A&M. She became the 20th active NCAA Division II coach to reach 400 career wins.
Watanabe Nears Digs Record:
Senior libero
Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) is closing in on the school's all-time digs record. She currently has 1,261 and needs just 43 to tie Chris Hines and Heather Hotchkiss' record of 1,304.
Digs
1. Chris Hines (1989-90) 1,304
Heather Hotchkiss (1988-89) 1,304
3. Jessy Roy (2000-03) 1,293
4. Stacey Hoyt (1994-96) 1,277
5.
Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) (2006-09) 1,261
Curtis in Top-10 in Career Assists:
Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) is currently eighth in Metro State's all-time list of assist leaders with 2,492 set assists. Devon Herron (2000-03) is the career leader with 6,286.
Digs
1. Devon Herron (2000-03) 6,286
2. Jennifer Drees (1990-91) 3,304
3. Lora Houdek (1992-93) 3,267
4. Sue Hays (1983-85) 3,222
5. Laurie Anderson (1994-97) 3,124
6. Stephanie Levi (2006-07) 2,881
7. Verna Julaton (1987-88) 2,703
8.
Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) (2004-05, 09) 2,492
Finally Ranked:
The Metro State volleyball team is ranked No. 16 in the latest NCAA Division II American Volleyball Coaches Association top-25 poll. The Roadrunners were ranked No. 14 two weeks ago, but dropped two spots after splitting two conference road matches. Their No. 23 ranking on Aug. 31 was the first national ranking for Metro State since the being ranked No. 25 on Sept. 5, 2005. Metro State has received votes four times since then (Sept. 12, 2005; Aug. 21, 2006; Nov. 13, 2006; Nov. 20, 2006).
Metro State is in the top-25 for the fourth week in a row, the longest streak in the poll for the Roadrunners since spending 46 consecutive weeks in the top-25 from the 2001 preseason poll through the Sept. 7, 2004, poll.
Roadrunners Update:
The Roadrunners are 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC entering Tuesday. They swept Colorado Christian on Friday at home and won in five sets against UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday.
Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) notched a career-high 37 digs, just four off the school record against UCCS.
Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) also had a season-high 64 set assists.
Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) led both teams in kills each night, totaling 18 on Saturday. Watanabe was named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday.
Morley enters the weekend leading the team in kills for the season with an average of 3.67 per set, while hitting .275.
Emily Greenhalgh (Conifer, Colo./Conifer H.S.) is second with a 3.07 average. Curtis is averaging 11.09 assists, while Watanabe averages 4.80 digs. Complete individual and team rankings in the RMAC are listed on page 4.
RMAC Players of the Week:
Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31. In four matches at the St. Mary's Invitational, Morley led Metro State with 4.08 kills/set, a total of 53 kills in 13 sets. She hit .370 (53k-9e-119a), while adding 17 digs and four blocks. She led the Roadrunners and their opponent in kills in each of the final three matches at the tournament.
Gabe Curtis (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) was named RMAC Setter of the Week on Sept. 7 after finishing third among all setters at the tournament in assists per set, averaging 11.64 assists, a total of 163 in 14 sets played. She added eight kills, two service aces, 27 digs and six total blocks as well. Her setting helped the Roadrunners to a .200 hitting percentage (192-84-540) in four matches.
Amy Watanabe (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 7 after placing third among all players at the tournament in digs per set, averaging 4.93 digs, a total of 69 in 14 sets. She also had three assists, three aces, two kills and only two receiving errors all weekend. Opponents hit only .171 against Metro State (152-68-490).
Watanabe earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors again on Sept. 21 after totaling 47 digs in two matches over the weekend and averaged 5.88 digs per set in those two matches. She also had two assists. In Metro State's 3-2 win over UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday, Watanabe had a career-high 37 digs, just four off the school record of 41. Her 37 digs tied her for the fourth-most in a single match in school history.
The four players of the week have already surpassed last season's total of one RMAC player of the week (Watanabe, Defensive POW, Oct. 13, 2008).
