DENVER – Stunned by South Dakota Mines last Saturday, the MSU Denver volleyball team is looking to get back on track this weekend.
 
And the Roadrunners will be required to recover quickly, because coming to the Auraria Event Center on Friday for a 7 p.m. Military Appreciation Night Match is Dixie State, the team right behind them in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.
 
"I fully expect this team to respond and get back to our ways," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "There was a lot of disappointment from that match and that has led to some determination. I think they recognized that a match like that was coming – we hadn't played our best volleyball for a few matches. We recognized that we have to show up and bring our best every night."
 
MSU Denver wraps up the weekend with a 5 p.m. match Saturday against Westminster on Gold Crown Night.
 
"I think we realized that in the practices leading up to that (loss), we weren't playing at our best," senior middle blocker Alyssa Kelling said. "So that's lit a fire under us. We came back and realized that we have to keep working on things and keep focused. We haven't arrived in any sense. We have a lot of talent, but if we don't bring it, then any team in the RMAC can beat us."
 
MSU Denver (12-4 overall), though technically second in the RMAC at 7-1, is just behind Regis (8-1) in the league standings and has beaten the Rangers in a head-to-head meeting. Dixie State (12-5) is third in the RMAC at 7-2. Westminster is 2-14 and 0-9.
 
So, because the Roadrunners played so well in both the non-conference portion of the schedule as well as the early part of conference play, they are still in a strong position to challenge for the RMAC regular-season championship and a potential berth to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"It's definitely a lesson learned," junior outside hitter Alexis Benda said. "But I don't think it hurt our confidence. A lot of the things we struggled with were our strengths. And those strengths haven't gone away just because we lost a match."
 
Said Kelling: "We understand that we're a really good team. And the loss was more of a wakeup call than anything. We don't feel defeated. We're more motivated to continue to get after it."
 
MSU Denver still leads the RMAC in aces per set (2.14), though Dixie State has pushed the Roadrunners back to second in blocks per set, with a 2.5 average compared to MSU Denver's 2.3.
 
Dixie State's Lauren Gammell leads the RMAC with 1.3 blocks per set.
 
"They have a good team," Glenn said. "They're offense is very good and they're solid defensively. They are solid in every position.
 
 "I fully expect it to be a great match and for them to bring their best."
 
The Roadrunners don't lose league matches very often – Glenn is 56-6 in RMAC play – but will have to avoid any lingering effects from Saturday's loss.
 
"As much as we want that one back, we can't change it," Glenn said. "All eyes are on Dixie, because that's the most important match on our schedule right now."