DENVER  - No. 25 Metropolitan State University of Denver earned a 24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24 win over Black Hills State on Saturday afternoon at the Auraria Event Center. The Roadrunners improved to 15-3 overall and 9-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while BHSU dropped to 6-13 and 4-6.
 
Savannah Garcia (Platteville, Colo./Valley H.S.) had a career-high 29 digs to help hold the Yellow Jackets to a .156 hitting percentage.
 
It was a balanced night for the Roadrunners offensively as five players reached double digits in kills. Michaela Smith (Littleton, Colo./Regis Jesuit H.S.) led the way with 13, while Kylee Hoagland (Mead, Colo./Skyline H.S.), Summer Greager (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs Christian H.S.), Vasati Fiatoa (Las Vegas, Nev./Bonanza H.S.) and Lauren Quijano (Wildomar, Calif./Elsinore H.S.) each had 10. Greager had a double-double with 10 digs and Fiatoa added seven blocks.
 
The Roadrunners hit .233 in the match behind 40 assists from Brandi Torr (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva H.S.) and nine from Betty Van Lith (Eagle, Idaho/Eagle H.S.).
 
BHSU overcame a 20-18 deficit in the first set, scoring four straight points to win 26-24. Garcia had eight digs in the first.
 
The Roadrunners responded with a strong second set, hitting .273. The Yellow Jackets held an 18-16 lead, but MSU Denver scored seven straight points to pull away.
 
After building a 17-13 lead in the third set, the Roadrunners gave up four straight points to tie the score. MSU Denver recovered to lead 22-18 during a four-point run that included back-to-back service aces by Smith.
 
In the fourth set, MSU Denver broke away from an 8-all tie to lead 15-10. However, six straight Yellow Jackets points gave them a 17-16 lead.
 
The Roadrunners will play at Regis University on Friday.