DENVER – MSU Denver and Regis will square off Tuesday night in a key non-conference volleyball match that will have huge regional implications.
 
"We always love playing Regis," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "It's a good rivalry and a good matchup, and we expect it to be a fun match. Hopefully we'll have a good environment because we're excited to play them on our home floor."
 
Heading into the 7 p.m. match at the Auraria Event Center, Regis is 20-3 overall and 14-1 for first in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while Metropolitan State University of Denver is 17-5 and 12-2 for second.
 
Regis is ranked No. 9 nationally in NCAA Division II, while MSU Denver has been receiving votes for the national ratings.
 
MSU Denver went on the road and won the RMAC meeting between the teams 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-14, 27-25).
 
While Tuesday's meeting won't count in the league standings, it will influence the postseason.
 
Regis has the inside track to both the RMAC regular-season title and hosting the eight-team NCAA South Central Regional. Since the RMAC regular-season winner hosts the RMAC Tournament, and since MSU Denver will play host to the NCAA Championships for the eight regional champions (also known as the Elite Eight), Regis has the possibility of playing its entire postseason in Denver.
 
The Roadrunners, meanwhile, have an outside chance of playing the entire postseason not just in Denver, but in their own arena, should both Regis and one or two teams in the Lone Star Conference slip down the stretch.
 
"That's not something we spend any time talking about, just because we really do take things one match at a time," Glenn said. "Everything is so tight at the top (of the RMAC standings), even one slip-up (MSU Denver lost in five sets on the road Saturday at Colorado School of Mines) has created some difficulty for us. But even though this isn't a conference match, it is an important regional match and that's what we are focusing on."
 
The first official regional rankings of the season are due out from the NCAA on Wednesday.
 
Not only has Regis won 11 straight matches since falling to the Roadrunners on Sept. 27, the Rangers are riding a 26-set winning streak since dropping the second set at New Mexico Highlands on Oct. 5. They have swept eight straight matches.
 
MSU Denver had won five straight matches before losing Saturday. The Roadrunners had five set points in the opening frame but eventually dropped the opener and ultimately won two of the four remaining sets.
 
"Saturday was a disappointment match for us, and it just came down to some little things that we didn't do well that we felt like we should have performed a little better than we did," Glenn said. "But this group has done a good job of bouncing back after we've stumbled, and I expect that again."