DENVER – They shot off fireworks from the top of the building after the match, but there was quite a display inside the arena beforehand.
 
The second-ranked MSU Denver volleyball team staged an epic comeback Friday night, rallying from two sets down to defeat Colorado Mesa 20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-11 before a raucous Homecoming Weekend crowd at one of the most electric home events in several years at the Auraria Event Center.
 
"The crowd was incredible tonight," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "The energy from the gym … people were up and dancing. I usually don't notice anything that goes on, but I could feel a little tonight. It was great to see alums, our faithful regulars and families, there were a ton of other (MSU Denver) sports teams showing their support, other high school teams … it was a great day to be a Roadrunner."
 
All-RMAC outside hitter Rylee Hladky posted a career high in kills for the third straight match – with 22 on sizzling .370 hitting – Alexis Benda added 12 kills, and freshman middle blocker Maddy Williams sparked off the bench in the second set and stayed in the rotation the rest of the way while posting career bests of six kills, six blocks and two service aces.
 
MSU Denver won its ninth straight match to improve to 11-2 overall and 5-0 in the RMAC and is now 4-2 in five-set matches this season and had two match points in both of the losses.
 
"I think (five-set experience) helps because obviously the fifth set is pretty nerve-wracking," Williams said. "With us having so much experience already, we know what's coming and we know how fast the set is going to go."
 
The Roadrunners won after losing the first two sets for the first time since rallying against Colorado School of Mines in the 2018 RMAC Tournament semifinals.
 
"We've been in an abnormal amount of five-setters this year," Hladky said. "So it was, 'All right, here we go again.' We know what we're doing. We know how to win fifth sets. We have that confidence. There's no fear."
 
The Roadrunners, who love to serve aggressively, had seven service errors through two sets and were also struggling against the serve of Mesa (8-4, 3-2). The Mavericks hit .280 through the first two sets, while MSU Denver was at .178.
 
"What we did was self-destructive," Hladky said. "It all starts with our serve and pass. They were serving well and pushing us back, and we weren't reciprocating. So we were getting passive, and they were just banging balls at us.
 
"Jenny said it was in our control if we would just serve and pass."
 
Sure enough, the Roadrunners started turning it around. And they started feeding off the energy of the crowd.
 
"I think we let our environment get to us the first two sets, which is an ironic thing to say when you're playing at home," Glenn said. "There were a lot of people in the stands, and it felt like things were happening fast. Mesa came out attacking us and pushed us back a little bit, particularly in serve and pass. That never goes in your favor."
 
The 6-foot-4 Williams, who typically plays behind All-RMAC second team middle blockers Ember Canty and Mikayla McClinton, began making her presence known, with all six of her kills and all six of her blocks in the final three sets.
 
"She's the greatest human of all time," Hladky said. "I love that girl. She just came in and did her job, and that's what we needed."
 
Said Glenn: "Our bench has been clutch for us, especially of late. We have a lot of depth. Our challenge side in practice continues to push our starters and is gaining confidence."
 
How does Williams stay ready?
 
"Just knowing that we can go in at any time, being prepared and knowing what's happening on the court," Williams said.
 
Hladky, meanwhile, continues to be among the RMAC's most dangerous attackers.
 
"I was really proud of her tonight," Glenn said. "She didn't have a great match the first time we played Mesa (aa 3-1 win on Sept. 16), but we changed some things and things opened up for her. And she took advantage of that. She did a really good job of executing and staying composed throughout the match."
 
So a night that started slowly finished with a bang. Well a series a bangs actually, if you include the post-match fireworks.
 
"This team doesn't quit," Glenn said. "It takes a lot of guts to turn a match like that around, because it wasn't going in our favor and our mindset wasn't in the right place. That just shows what this team is capable of when it's pushed and when its backs are against the wall."