LHU Box Score

SMSU Box Score

Video Highlights vs. SMSU

DENVER - No. 9 Metro State swept two more teams on Friday, winning 25-15, 25-15, 25-22 over Lock Haven (Pa.) and 25-22, 25-19, 25-14 over No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State to advance to the Gold Bracket at the Colorado Premier Challenge.  The Roadrunners improved to 6-0 on the season and they have yet to drop a set in those six matches.

Metro State will play No. 4 Washburn (Kan.) University at noon on Saturday at Regis University.  It is Metro State's first trip to the Gold Bracket of the Premier since 2005.  The Roadrunners captured their only Premier championship in 2003.

Metro State breezed through the first two sets against LHU, hitting .400 in the first and holding Lock Haven to a .000 hitting percentage in the second.  Overall, the Roadrunners hit .296 and held LHU to just .051.  Emily Greenhalgh (Conifer, Colo./Conifer H.S.) led all players with 12 kills.  Shayne Kovach (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument H.S.) hit .778 with seven kills in nine attempts with no errors.  Daleah Whitaker (Denver/Lakewood H.S.) was also strong in the middle with eight kills and one error in 10 attempts, while totaling six blocks.  Lauren Quijano (Wildomar, Calif./Elsinore H.S.) added nine kills from the right side.

Defensively, Ngoc Phan (Lone Tree, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) had 19 digs.  Darcy Schwartzman (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest H.S.) had 26 assists and Vanessa Gemignani (Colorado Springs/Doherty H.S.) had 12.

In the marquee matchup in the evening, it was all Metro State after an early battle.  The Roadrunners improved their hitting percentage throughout the match, hitting .237 in the first, .394 in the second and .419 in the third for a .343 overall hitting percentage.

SMSU held a 19-18 lead before Metro State scored five of the next six points for a 23-20 lead as the Roadrunners took advantage of three hitting errors by the Mustangs.

Southwest Minnesota State got off to a strong start in the second, leading 9-8.  But the Roadrunners scored 12 of the next 16 points to lead 20-13.

The third set was all Metro State as the Roadrunners never trailed after falling behind 1-0.

Bri Morley (Parker, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) led the team with 12 kills and Greenhalgh had 10.  Alysa Heath (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield H.S.) provided eight kills from the right side and Julie Causseaux (Dumas, Texas/Dumas H.S.) had seven in just 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage.

Alex Green (Peoria, Ariz./Cactus H.S.) led the team with 13 digs as Phan had just seven, her first single-digit dig total since Oct. 1 of last season, a span of 23 matches.

Schwartzman had 26 assists.