DENVER – MSU Denver setters Jessa Megenhardt and Joli Sadler will likely never put up the gaudy assist numbers that others around the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference can.
 
They have to share the wealth. And the Roadrunners are getting rich because of it.
 
"They've done a great job in allowing us to be in a 6-2, which provides a lot of offensive options for us," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Jenny Glenn said.
 
Between them, Megenhardt and Sadler have directed an MSU Denver attack that ranks third in the RMAC in hitting percentage (.238) and fourth in kills per set (13.2).
 
By employing two setters in the 6-2, MSU Denver is able to take advantage of its deep stable of hitters by rotating six of them through the lineup. In the 6-2, a team is always able to have a setter playing in the back row, while always having three hitters in the front row.
 
The Roadrunners are hoping to have more of the same heading into two more key road matches this weekend.
 
MSU Denver (16-4 overall, 11-1 RMAC) plays Friday at 7 p.m. at UCCS (9-12, 7-6) and Saturday at 5 p.m. at Colorado School of Mines (15-6, 8-5).
 
The Roadrunners are technically in second place in the RMAC behind national No. 10 Regis (18-3, 12-1), though MSU Denver holds the tiebreaker over the Rangers after cruising to a four-set road win at Regis on Oct. 27.
 
MSU Denver and Regis play a non-conference match Tuesday at the Auraria Event Center that has potentially huge implications for seeding for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
 
But this weekend takes priority.
 
"We always have the mindset that every match is big," Sadler said. "So UCCS is our biggest match right now, and what comes after comes after."
 
Sadler and Megenhardt have proven to be a lethal 1-2 combination for the Roadrunners, not just as setters, but also as servers. And that's where they can rack up some numbers: Megenhardt leads the RMAC and ranks sixth nationally with 0.59 aces per set. Sadler is fourth in the RMAC and 141^st nationally with 0.39 aces per set.
 
Last weekend, MSU Denver had to make some adjustments and Sadler wound up with the majority of the assists – she had 37 in a three-set sweep of New Mexico Highlands, an 11.3 per set rate that is comparable to what top setters in 5-1 systems for quality teams would ordinarily have.
 
"It was fun," Sadler said. "We all kind of embraced the challenge, and that's what made it so fun. I don't think any of us were scared, and we all trust that any of us can go in at any position. We just played volleyball and it was fun."
 
For the season, Megenhardt averages 6.0 assists per set, with Sadler at 5.2 – their combined average of 11.2 would rank second in the RMAC if compiled by one player.
 
"Last weekend, we adjusted super well, and that's a strength of this team," Megenhardt said. "No matter what's coming at us, we're going to come back even harder."
 
Glenn said there's more to running a 6-2 than just having two setters.
 
"Any time you run a 6-2 you want your setters to be similar," she said. "And they are similar in some aspects. It's funny because they are different in so many ways, too, but at the same time they complement each other really well. Jessa is feisty and fast and Joli is calm and chill.
 
"They've done a really good job of supporting each other and learning from each other. They can watch each other and try to emulate what they see from the other. It helps them see what's working."
 
Megenhardt is a returning veteran, while Sadler joined MSU Denver as a junior college transfer. Megenhardt was one of three setters last season as the Roadrunners used a 5-1 early in the year, then switched to a 6-2 but still alternated back and forth among three setters, trying to find the right fit.
 
Megenhardt made off-season improvements and has been more effective and more consistent in 2019.
 
"We worked a lot on my deception, and being able to move the ball around a lot more," Megenhardt said. "That's helped me a lot."
 
Said Glenn: "She has just finally settled into her role here. She knows what the expectation is. She knows how I work and how our system works. Last spring was great for her and she really made a lot of strides."
 
The Roadrunners have also added additional offensive firepower, and their returning players have also improved.
 
"It's been awesome being able to move people around," Megenhardt said. "Having all the options we do, teams don't know what's coming at them each weekend."
 
Sadler said running the show last Saturday was a bit of an adjustment.
 
"At the beginning of the season I was setting a lot of different people," ahw said. "But once we got our fixed rotations it started to be the same ones. But they are all really good at giving feedback and what they like. Our communication helped us get the connection going."
 
The Roadrunners hope to be firing on all cylinders Friday against UCCS.
 
"UCCS is dangerous," Glenn said. "They run a really fast offense. It's always a tough battle between our programs, and we're playing at their place, where we haven't been since 2016. It should be a fun match."
 
It's a second straight weekend on the road for MSU Denver, which got used to playing in different places in the preseason when the Auraria Event Center was undergoing renovation in preparation for next month's NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
After the four-match road trip, MSU Denver has three consecutive road matches starting Tuesday.
 
"Last week was so emotional, and the travel took a little bit of a toll," Glenn said. "But this group handles a lot really well. More than anything, we have that late-season fatigue that every team deals with. I enjoy going on the road myself. MSU Denver teams, I think, tend to handle the road better, just because we're all used to commuting."