DENVER – Avaline Lai's athletic resume grew by a few lines this week.
 
Not only was sophomore right-side hitter named to the All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference first team and recognized as the RMAC's Offensive Player of the Week, she has also earned MSU Denver's Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
 
"It sounds cheesy, but I really couldn't do it without the team," Lai said. "They have my back in everything that we do together, and that's helping me go after the ball and go after teams, because I know that when I'm hitting, they're right there behind me to cover it if I hit into the block. And if I'm blocking, I know they're right there behind me to dig the pass.
 
"That's the biggest thing that's helping me out – we're playing together, we're talking, making eye contact. It's making a huge difference, especially at the end of the season."
 
The next stop in Lai's late-season run – which includes hitting .500 or better in three straight matches – is a huge Friday night matchup with Dixie State in the RMAC Tournament semifinals.
 
Automatic berths in the NCAA Division II South Central Region go to the champions of the RMAC and Lone Star Conference tournaments, and the other six at-large spots are awarded to teams based on their regional ranking.
 
Despite finishing a clear second in the RMAC, MSU Denver is only eighth in the regional rankings. Dixie State, which finished alone in third place, is currently on the outside looking in at No. 9. And there's still a chance that a Lone Star team that isn't ranked among the top eight in the region could steal a bid by winning the conference tournament.
 
"I'm definitely looking forward to coming out, pressing the pedal and trying to get on them from the start," Lai said. "We have to be aggressive, because that's an aggressive team. They have big hitters and big blockers, and so do we. So we have to be aggressive in all aspects of the game it will be a fun night."
 
MSU Denver (22-6) won the regular season meeting against Dixie State (20-7) in four sets, rallying from a 22-14 first-set deficit to win the opener 25-23, losing the second set 15-25, and then cruising to wins of 25-21 and 25-15 in the final two frames. It was obviously a match with huge swings of momentum.
 
"They're a good team, with a good offense that comes at you," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "They're a highly emotional team and they're going to make us earn our points for sure. We're going to need to be sharper than we were (Tuesday), and it's an important match for us. We've got to get after it."
 
Lai had eight kills in the Oct. 18 meeting, but she also had six blocks (one solo), demonstrating the versatility she features at the net.
 
Her game seems to have reached another level over the past few weeks though. In her last 10 matches, Lai is hitting a blazing .373 while averaging 3.6 kills per set.
 
And the last three matches? Try .534 hitting and 3.9 kills per set.
 
Can this continue?


"I hope so," Lai said, laughing. "Really, it's the passers and the setters who are helping me out. They are working so hard back there, and I just want to do whatever I can for them to keep this .500 going. I hope everyone hits .500."
 
Lai continued to pass around praise to her teammates for her success, specifically setter Joli Sadler.
 
"I just feel like Joli is setting me up great right now," Lai said. "We're really connecting right now, and we've found it towards the end of the season. That's definitely helping me get those kills. She's running a great offense, spreading balls to the outsides and the middles and it's leaving me with one blocker up on me."
 
Lai's ability to dominate hasn't gone unnoticed.
 
"She's doing a great job for us," Glenn said. "She's someone who, if we can get the ball to her, it gives us a great chance of scoring. She's making pretty good decisions from an offensive and defensive standpoint."
 
Freshman teammate Kaylee Corsentino put it more succinctly.
 
"Ava is an animal," Corsentino said.
 
Corsentino described Lai's determination to record a block against Black Hills State's Madison Hoopman during Tuesday's RMAC Tournament quarterfinal match as a case in point.
 
Lai got it done.
 
"Honestly both of their outsides are good hitters," Lai said. "And No. 9 (Hoopman) was really working her shots and hitting line and hitting cross. She was definitely a hard person to block and No. 8 (Kindra Cerrone) had her shots, too. (Alexis) Benda and I were determined to get a block on them, or at least get a positive touch against them off our hands."
 
And, once it happened?
 
"I was happy, of course," Lai said. "It was nice to just change the energy because everything was hectic and tense and a little chaotic, because that team did come after us. But I think any type of big kill or big block that we had definitely changed momentum."
Said Corsentino: "She got her, and she got her many times after that. She's so aggressive. And she's a leader, too, and really helps me on the court."
 
Lai's momentum-changing plays include her ability to powerfully deliver kills when she seemingly hits the ball straight down.
 
"Jenny definitely tries to have me hit as straight down as I can," Lai said. "It's the connection with Joli and I – when the ball is on (target) and my timing is good and the set is perfect, she leaves me with an open net."