DENVER – A disappointing finish to last weekend has the Metropolitan State University of Denver volleyball team refocused.
 
"From our standpoint, that did not sit well," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said of a three-set loss at Colorado Mesa. "It was a rock-bottom moment in a lot of ways for our team. Now it's all about how we respond to that. We talked about how this could be a big part of our story."
 
MSU Denver (8-6 overall, 4-2 and fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) returns to action at the Auraria Event Center this weekend, with matches Friday at 7 p.m. against South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (4-11, 1-5 and tied for 13^th) and Saturday at 5 p.m. against Black Hills State (5-8, 2-4 and tied for 10^th).
 
The Roadrunners split two road matches last weekend. But, one night after holding Western State Colorado to a -.051 hitting percentage that was the lowest by an MSU Denver opponent since the 2011 season opener, the Roadrunners saw a solid Colorado Mesa team hit .270, the second-highest against MSU Denver all season.
 
"There are some things we need to change in how we are training, and we're putting some things on the athletes that they need to take care of and we as coaches are taking responsibility for the things we need to take care of," Glenn said. "That Saturday match was a tough environment. But we can't make it bigger than it was. It brought out some things that we know are there. We have a lot of season ahead of us, a lot of opportunities to put ourselves in a good position again."
 
Seniors Santaisha Sturges (Parker, Colo./Regis Jesuit) (sixth in the RMAC with 3.4 kills per set) and Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) (seventh with 3.3) have led the way for the Roadrunners offensively. Freshman Avaline Lai (Boulder, Colo./Fairview) had a strong weekend off the bench, playing in three of the team's six sets and record 10 kills and six blocks while hitting .529.
 
South Dakota Mines is led by freshman Dana Thomson, who averages an RMAC-best 4.6 kills per set. The Hardrockers have solid defensive statistics, as they rank fourth in the league with 16.0 digs per set and are seventh in opponent hitting percentage at .195.
 
Black Hills State, led by Makayla Bell's 1.0 blocks per set (fifth, RMAC), ranks third in the league with 2.1 blocks per set.
 
"South Dakota Mines has a new coach, so you're always expecting new things," Glenn said earlier this week, just as the Roadrunners were developing their scouting report. "Black Hills State is a team that always runs a lot of crossing patterns and just comes at you and looks different. So, if you don't adjust quickly, or don't get them out of system, you're going to be in for a long night."
 
Five of the Roadrunners' six losses have come against teams among the top 30 in voting for the national top 25 poll, including losses to teams currently ranked Nos. 1 and 2. So there's no panic, maybe just a little more inward attention.
 
"We're definitely taking it one match at a time and focusing on South Dakota School of Mines," Glenn said. "This week also needs to be a week where we kind of find our groove and our identity as a group. With a lot of changes and some tough bumps on the road, we need to find that turning point where we feel comfortable on the floor and develop a lot of confidence in our level of play."