MSU Denver Athletics

DENVER - No. 22 Metropolitan State University of Denver used a 14-point run between the second and third sets to rally for a 23-25, 25-23, 25-10, 25-17 win over Colorado Christian on Tuesday evening in the first round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament. The Roadrunners improved to 22-5 overall, while CCU fell to 18-13.
 
MSU Denver will now hit the road and play in Grand Junction, Colorado, against No. 4 Colorado School of Mines in the semifinals of the RMAC tournament.
 
Lauren Quijano (Wildomar, Calif./Elsinore H.S.) led the Roadrunners with 21 kills and hit .350. Vasati Fiatoa (Las Vegas, Nev./Bonanza H.S.), in her first start in over a month since recovering from a leg injury, had 10 kills and six blocks. Kylie Haun (Simpsonville, S.C./Hillcrest H.S.) added nine kills and 13 digs.
 
Brandi Torr (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva H.S.) had 48 assists to help MSU Denver hit .200 in the match. She also had 13 digs on defense and four service aces.
 
Savannah Garcia (Platteville, Colo./Valley H.S.) led the team with 21 digs.
 
MSU Denver handed the Cougars 18 points via total errors (eight attack, five service, three receiving, two blocking) in the first set, falling 25-23.
 
The Roadrunners trailed 23-19 in the second set before rallying with six straight points to end the set and even the match at 1-1. Haun served the run, which included an ace. Quijano had three kills during the rally, including the first point.
 
The momentum carried over into the third set as MSU Denver jumped out to an 8-0 lead, a run of 14 consecutive points stretching between the second and third sets.
 
MSU Denver had another strong start in the fourth, scoring the first four points. After the Cougars evened the score at 10-10, the Roadrunners scored five straight points to pull ahead again.