DENVER – MSU Denver hit the road and picked up two victories to open the season on Friday at the Concordia-Portland (Ore.) Volleyball Classic.
 
Freshman Rylee Hladky had 16 kills in a 25-18, 24-26, 25-14, 26-24 victory over Western Oregon in the Roadrunners' opening match, then Kayla White and Alexis Benda each had 10 as MSU Denver defeated the host Cavaliers 25-20, 25-22, 25-23 in the nightcap.
 
"Today was a good start to the season," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "We played two teams that forced us to serve and pass well in order to win. We took great strides forward as a unit. I am proud of how we handled adversity and found ways to win."
 
Not only did Hladky smash a match-high 16 kills in her collegiate debut, she also hit .379. Another freshman, middle blocker Mikayla McClinton, also had a strong first match, hitting .385 with seven kills and three block assists.
 
Meanwhile, veterans White and Alyssa Kelling also turned in strong efforts. White had a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs while hitting .345. Kelling had six kills while hitting .333.
 
Setters Joli Sadler and Jessa Megenhardt had 27 and 20 assists, respectively. Libero Caiden Rexius had a match-high 16 digs.
 
The Roadrunners hit .333 for the match, including .400 in the third set.
 
Against Concordia-Portland, White posted another double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Benda hit a team-best .333, while Megenhardt had 21 assists. Rexius matched White with 13 digs, and Hladky had three service aces while adding six kills.
 
"Our pin hitters (White and Hladky) stabilized us and did a great job in six-rotation roles," Glenn said.
 
The Roadrunners hit .250 for the match while holding the Cavaliers (0-2) to .143.
 
The wins were a great start, but the competition is expected to be stronger in Saturday's second and final day of the tournament.
 
While Western Oregon and Concordia-Portland are picked to finish in the lower half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, MSU Denver will square off with national No. 20 Cal Poly Pomona at 12:30 p.m. MDT and a solid Cal State Monterey Bay team at 4 p.m.
 
Cal Poly Pomona beat Western Oregon 25-21, 25-13, 25-14 on Friday, while Cal State Monterey Bay went five sets to defeat Concordia-Portland 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 15-13.