DENVER – If the final week of the regular season is a tuneup for tournament play, then just figure that MSU Denver passed inspection.
 
The Roadrunners cruised to a 3-0 victory over Chadron State with particularly dominating first and third sets Thursday night at the Auraria Event Center, and a second set that wasn't too bad either.
 
"Our offense was firing better than it has in a while, so that was really fun to watch," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Jenny Glenn said.
 
The same teams play again tonight at 7. This time, it's Senior Night for outside hitters Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) and Santaisha Sturges (Parker, Colo./Regis Jesuit) and middle blocker Stephanie Laraway (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood).

MSU Denver improved to 18-8 overall and, at 14-3, moved up to a tie for third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, though Colorado Mesa holds the tiebreaker. A win tonight over Chadron State (8-18, 6-11 and tied for 10th) would give MSU Denver homecourt advantage for the first round of the RMAC tournament.
 
On Thursday, sophomore Kayla White (Montgomery, Ala./Montgomery Academy) led the way with career bests of 13 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. But she was only one of six Roadrunners with at least six kills in the 25-14, 25-21, 25-16 victory.
 
"We came out to play in the first set," White said. "We all played with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence. That was nice. It felt really smooth. We were flowing together as a team. And even when we did struggle in the second set, we fought back."
 
MSU Denver hit .382 in the first set and .274 overall, after hitting .229 or less in five consecutive matches.
 
Jessa Megenhardt (Berthoud, Colo./Berthoud) set 29 assists, three short of her career best and the highest total she's recorded in a three-set match.
 
"You're always looking at who your hot hitter is, and you're also seeing what the blockers are doing on that side," Megenhardt said. "We had a really good scouting plan from our coaches. We started in and worked our way out. We really executed that well."
 
The Roadrunners jumped out to a 6-0 first-set lead and rarely looked back the rest of the night. Quick points that ended with kills bouncing off the floor seemed to be the rule and not the exception.
 
"It's every athlete's dream to play in a flow, where everything is smooth and calm," White said. "You and your teammates are responding to each other really well. There's no miscommunication. And I felt like the first set was like that."
 
Glenn said she wasn't surprised with the high-flying White's outburst, which also included a career-high tying four block assists.
 
"She's been making steady progress these last couple weeks," Glenn said. "From a mindset perspective, from an aggressive perspective, she's been playing really well. She had a great matchup, too."
 
She got plenty of support, as Duryea had a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs while hitting .296, Alyssa Kelling (Merton, Wis./Arrowhead) had six kills and six total blocks while hitting .400, and Avaline Lai (Boulder, Colo./Fairview) – second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in hitting percentage in league matches – hit .600 with six kills in about 1 ½ sets.
 
Sturges and Laraway each had six kills, Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) had a match-high 18 digs, and Mikaela Kubiak (Kalamazoo, Mich./Portage Central) set 15 assists to combine with Megenhardt for 44.
 
"It was some of the best all-around volleyball we've played," Duryea said. "Offensively it was a really good night for us. We were firing from different areas. It was a fun match."
 
Now the Roadrunners turn around tonight for another matchup against Chadron State.
 
"It's a little different, but we've done it with Colorado Mesa the last couple of years, only with a couple of days in between," Glenn said. "It's not that unusual. We'll make quick adjustments, just like they will, and we'll come out and battle again tomorrow."