Box Score

DENVER - No. 15 Metro State swept Western New Mexico 25-19, 25-18, 25-17 on Saturday evening at home to improve to 3-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this season.  It is just the second time since 2003 that the Roadrunners have opened RMAC play with three straight wins.  Metro State went 5-0 to start the 2008 season and finished 16-3 in RMAC play.  The Roadrunners opened 2003 with four straight wins and went 18-1 in RMAC matches that season.

WNMU dropped to 2-1 in the RMAC and 4-4 overall with the loss on Saturday.  The Mustangs still hold onto first place in the West Division.  Metro State improved to 8-3 overall.

Metro State had an excellent night serving, dropping 10 aces with just five errors.  It's just the fifth time in the last three seasons that the Roadrunners that they have had more aces than errors in a match.  They are 5-0 in those matches.  On Saturday, Lisa Jones (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East H.S.) and Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) each had three aces, while Anna Mapes (Chaska, Minn./Chaska H.S.), Sarah McGaffin (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon H.S.), Alex Green (Peoria, Ariz./Cactus H.S.) and Ngoc Phan (Lone Tree, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) each had one.

Offensively, Metro State had another solid night, though its hitting percentage dropped below .300 for the first time in conference play, hitting .223 on the night.  Morley led the team with 10 kills, while Emily Greenhalgh (Conifer, Colo./Conifer H.S.) had eight, Jones had seven and Julie Causseaux (Dumas, Texas/Dumas H.S.) had six.

Setters Darcy Schwartzman (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest H.S.) and McGaffin also had an excellent evening.  Schwartzman played the first two sets, dishing out 20 assists with six digs and three kills.  McGaffin played the third set and had 12 assists and five digs.

Metro State hit .263 in the first set, its highest hitting percentage of the three sets, while holding the Mustangs to just .146, also their highest of the night.  It was also the only set Metro State trailed in.  The Roadrunners fell behind 11-10 before rallying for four straight points and seven of the next eight points, taking a 17-12 lead as WNMU committed four errors.

Metro State jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second and led 16-8 after a kill from Causseaux that followed three straight attack errors by the Mustangs.

The third set was the same story as the second with Metro State jumping out to another big lead at 15-9 after scoring five straight points.

The Roadrunners will have a quick turnaround, traveling across town to face rival Regis University at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.  The Rangers share a five-way tie with the Roadrunners, Nebraska-Kearney, Colorado Mines and Colorado Christian in the East Division for first place at 3-0 in RMAC play after the first weekend.