DENVER – The MSU Denver volleyball team will play its first match as the No. 1 team in the country on Friday, but its 7 p.m. date at Adams State isn't necessarily a coronation.
 
Though just 8-11 overall and only 4-6 and tied for seventh in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Adams State has already sprung one of the biggest upsets in Division II this season, knocking off then-No. 2 (and current No. 4) Angelo State (Texas) in a three-set sweep in early September.
 
The Grizzlies no doubt have similar intentions against MSU Denver.
 
"Adams State plays very feisty volleyball and is a very athletic team that can be pretty physical at the net as well," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "Any team that can do that can extend rallies, and that's a team you have to pay attention to. I think it'll be a tough match. We expect a full gym there with a rowdy crowd. The good news for us is that we've faced that type of environment before and have continued to adapt."
 
The match at Adams State is the opener of an MSU Denver road trip that also includes a 5 p.m. match Saturday at New Mexico Highlands (7-13, 3-7).
 
MSU Denver (16-2, 10-0) took over No. 1 for the first time in program history when Monday's American Volleyball Coaches Association poll was released. The Roadrunners have won 14 straight matches, including contests with teams currently ranked No. 3 (Central Missouri), No. 5 (Concordia-St. Paul, Minn.), No. 7 Colorado School of Mines and No. 8 Wayne State (Neb.).
 
"It's awesome, just to get the recognition," senior outside hitter Alexis Benda said. "And for our alumni it's huge for everyone involved, not just this team. The whole school really."
 
MSU Denver's only two losses were in five-set matches the opening weekend of the season in a tournament at Western Washington and even then the Roadrunners held two match points in each of those defeats. MSU Denver is 5-1 against ranked teams, with one of the losses against the aforementioned Western Washington, which was playing its second match in two days against a Roadrunners team that was playing its fourth match in two days.
 
"I'm really proud of this team," Glenn said. "It's a culmination of all the work we've put in to get to this point. We had an extremely difficult pre-season, playing a lot of ranked teams and we've been very consistent. I think we've put the body of work in to get to this position. As we all know we still have a lot of work to do, but it's great to get the recognition at this point in the season."
 
MSU Denver had been ranked No. 2 for three weeks before moving up this week after former No. 1 Washburn (Kan.) lost and the Roadrunners outlasted then-No. 6 Mines.
 
So moving up one spot hasn't really changed much for the team.
 
"This team has already been handling the target on our back," Glenn said. "We're going to get everybody's best match when we step on the floor – whether it's a ranked team or an unranked team. We're trying to do the same."
 
Said Benda: "It's awesome to be No. 1 right now. But I'd like to be No. 1 at the end of the season with a national championship. That's still the mission at the end of the day. But right now, it's not getting too far ahead of ourselves."