DENVER – As exhibitions go, Metropolitan State University of Denver's matchup with Division I power Colorado State probably served its purpose.

In falling to CSU, 3-0, (25-15, 25-22, 25-13) Wednesday night at the Auraria Event Center, MSU Denver showed stretches of high-level play to reinforce their confidence in having another strong season as an annual Division II power. And there were enough points, too, that showed the Roadrunners that there are some things to work on.

"At times I thought we played really well and really aggressive and we caused problems for them," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "And there were times we allowed them to stay in system and it was difficult for us."

The Roadrunners pushed 25^th-ranked CSU to the end in the second set, forging ties at 18-18, 19-19 and 20-20 before fading.

"We know we did a lot of good things," senior outside hitter Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) said. "We know we let an opportunity slip – especially in that second set, when we might have had a chance to take that one from them.

"But overall we wanted this to be a fun game where we learned a lot about ourselves. We did a good job, for the most part, of competing. It's a learning moment, and we're excited to get back in the gym and work on things."

Breana Runnels had 13 kills to lead Colorado State, and Paulina Hougaard-Jensen added 12 while hitting .435. After the second-set scare, the Rams cruised to a big third-set lead and never looked back.

Glenn said the Roadrunners, looking for production from their right-side hitters and breaking in a new setter, saw some positives in those areas.

"A couple of positions really stepped up for us," she said. "We got a lot of production out of our right-side attack, which is an area we've been trying to decide upon from a lineup standpoint. Some of our younger kids really did a nice job of just attacking the match."

Freshman Avaline Lai (Boulder, Colo./Fairview) had team highs of six kills and a .357 hitting percentage, and junior college transfer Morgan Weatherwax (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) dished out 15 assists. Senior middle blocker Stephanie Laraway (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood) had five kills.

"We went into it with nothing to lose," Duryea said. "Obviously they are bigger, and they're a really good team. But we weren't intimidated. We took it as have fun, let's learn, this is a great opportunity."

Now, it's a matter of sustaining that high-level play throughout the course of a match.

"From a physicality standpoint, I was pleased with how we attacked the match in certain areas," Glenn said. "But our composure in tough situations is an area we'll address."

The Roadrunners take the court again Saturday at 5 p.m. for an exhibition against their alumni, then open the season Aug. 23 against Division II No.  11 Cal State-San Bernardino in a tournament in Seattle.