DENVER – With numerous Roadrunners volleyball alumni from the program's 50-year history in attendance, the Metropolitan State University of Denver volleyball team dropped a competitive contest to crosstown rival and NCAA Division II No. 21 Regis in five sets Saturday night at the Auraria Event Center (25-15, 22-25, 27-25, 17-25, 10-15). While MSU Denver (7-5, 3-1 RMAC) held momentum early, Regis (8-5, 3-1 RMAC) quickly rebounded and ended up on the winning side of the gritty match.

"I thought we played with a lot of effort and passion tonight," MSU Denver head coach Jenny Glenn said following the loss. "We played hard. We rattled (Regis) a little bit, and they kind of hit the reset button to start the second set. You expect them to come back and challenge you. That's the thing about volleyball. You get to kind of reset between each set. So I thought they came back, and that's what good teams do."

The spirit of celebration of the MSU Denver volleyball tradition was not lost on current MSU Denver players despite an important early-season matchup with a rival school. Though Saturday's result was unsatisfactory, the Roadrunners are already looking ahead.

"It's a fun opportunity to even play volleyball here," senior outside hitter Santaisha Sturges (Parker, Colo./Regis Jesuit) said following the match. "(Regis) is always one of our biggest games of the season. Coming out and wanting to compete and get this win on our home floor was the mindset we had tonight. We're going to take it one practice at a time and keep getting better. (Regis) is in our past now."

Glenn is looking ahead, too.

"We need to get better at finishing things," Glenn said. "Going from start to finish and being the same team from start to finish. While I was really pleased with our effort, we know exactly what we need to do to get (Regis) the next time."

Sturges had the hot hand for the Roadrunners on Saturday night, recording her fifth double-double of the season with a team-leading 19 kills as well as 13 digs. Fellow senior Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) recorded 16 kills and 13 digs for a double-double of her own, her third consecutive such performance and fifth overall this season.

Sophomore libero Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) led the team with 28 digs, the second-highest total of her career, while fellow sophomore Kayla White (Montgomery, Ala./Montgomery Academy) added 14 digs to tie a career-best. Junior middle blocker Alyssa Kelling (Merton, Wis./Arrowhead) led the Roadrunners with five digs, while junior setter Morgan Weatherwax (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) had a team-high 28 assists. Regis outhit MSU Denver, .204 to .168, and recorded 66 kills to the Roadrunners' 56.

All generations of Roadrunners volleyball alumni graced the stands for Saturday's nail-biter. The de facto founder of the MSU Denver volleyball program and its first head coach, Pat Johnson, even energized the crowd with a series of impressive dance moves. A reception followed the match to celebrate 50 years of MSU Denver volleyball. Despite a Roadrunners loss, the Auraria Event Center was filled with avid program supporters and former players that came together to create an incredible atmosphere.

MSU Denver is back in action next weekend for two road contests. The Roadrunners will travel to Gunnison, Colo., for a matchup with Western State Colorado University on Friday night at 7 p.m. MT before a Saturday evening contest (5 p.m.) in Grand Junction, Colo., against Colorado Mesa.

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Set-by-Set Breakdown

Set One: While action was tight early, MSU Denver opened up a 9-5 lead and never looked back. The Roadrunners were dominant for the rest of the set, hitting .323 for the frame and finishing with their biggest lead of the set at 25-15.

Set Two: It appeared that MSU Denver had all the momentum at the beginning of the frame, as the Roadrunners jumped out to a 7-4 lead after a Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) service ace. Regis stayed close, however, tying the match at 12. Two Kelsey Green kills gave Regis a 19-15 lead and MSU Denver couldn't respond. Regis took the set, 25-22.

Set Three: The competitive spirit remained in set three, another closely contested frame. Two Regis attack errors gave MSU Denver the 9-8 lead. The two teams exchanged points before the Roadrunners took off on a 4-0 run for a 22-18 set advantage. Regis hung around until back-to-back Santaisha Sturges (Parker, Colo./Regis Jesuit) kills sealed the set for MSU Denver, 27-25.

Set Four: The fourth frame was all Regis, as the Rangers scored five straight points to take an 11-6 lead early on. MSU Denver stormed back to tie the set at 14, but Regis quickly regained the lead and never looked back. The Rangers registered 13 kills to MSU Denver's six, eventually taking the set, 25-17.

Set Five: With the match knotted at two sets apiece, the gridlock continued deep into the fifth set as the teams fought to a 9-9 tie. Regis then took off on a match-sealing 4-0 run to lead 13-9, a disadvantage that was insurmountable for the Roadrunners. Despite five kills from Sturges, the Rangers took the final frame 15-10 to give MSU Denver a heartbreaking loss.