DENVER – The No. 1 MSU Denver volleyball team was on the brink of history.
 
Again.
 
And Alexis Benda wasn't going to miss it, injury or not.
 
"The day after it happened she said, 'I'm serving on Senior Night,'" MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "She was super determined. For all she's done for the program, that's the least we could have done for her."
 
As so it was that MSU Denver, in pursuit of its second perfect 18-0 record in conference play in six seasons, started the game with Benda, on Senior Night, serving one last time.
 
She put it in play, and – even with Benda unable to defend – MSU Denver got the first point. Benda subbed out, with teammate Caiden Rexius waiting for her at the substitution line with Benda's crutches.
 
"Right when my injury happened, I told Jenny, 'I'm ready to serve on Senior Night,'" Benda said. "So the past couple of weeks I've been working on how I was going to accomplish that. To be able to do that, to put the jersey on one more time, get to serve, especially on my home floor, it was an awesome feeling."
 
The rest of Friday's match with UCCS was anticlimactic – or at least as anticlimactic as a special team wrapping up an undefeated league season can be. More celebration than any sense of uncertainty.
 
There just was never any doubt that MSU Denver would sweep the Mountain Lions, win their 22^nd straight match to improve to 24-2, and stretch their streaks to 22 consecutive regular-season RMAC victories and 19 home wins in a row – extending the program record they had broken Thursday night. The winning streak is the second-longest in school history -- the 1978 team opened the year 36-0 after the 1977 team had won its final match of the season.
 
So it was one last celebratory trip around the regular-season dance floor for Benda, Rexius, injured Joli Sadler, Jessa Megenhardt and Avaline Lai.
 
"Every Senior Day has emotion attached to it, but with everything that has happened in the last couple of years, the commitment of these 'COVID' seniors to come back – that's how much they love the program and how much they love the sport," Glenn said. "The amount of time and effort they've put in during a time where it hasn't been easy, it speaks volumes about who they are, their character and commitment.
 
"This one tugs on the heart a little more because of what they brought to the program, and then to have two of them who are injured and don't get to finish out their career – it doesn't ever seem fair or right. But to see the love and support for them really is a testament to what they've helped build here."
 
Said Rexius: "Earlier we had a chat with all the seniors, talked about all the memories and everything we've been through. That helped us because we knew tonight wasn't just about us, but it was about getting another team win and doing it for everyone on our team as well. There were definitely lots of emotions, especially since we've been here so long. It was a great night."
 
Said Megenhardt: "It was a crazy day. We're not done, but this was just the day to celebrate us. We talked as seniors and let out our emotions, so that was really helpful. Then we could just focus on volleyball."
 
Indeed the Roadrunners aren't done, as the top seed for the RMAC Tournament and since they are currently residing at No. 1 in the South Central Regional rankings, MSU Denver has the potential to play as many as six more matches at the Auraria Event Center.
 
"We can be a little emotional tonight, but the beauty is we're not done – we're not even done on our home floor," Glenn said. "So we continue to have our eyes fixed on the big goal. We can cry when it's over, and hopefully then they are happy tears."
 
Emotion aside, or perhaps ablaze, MSU Denver merely hit .517 in the opening set (17 kills, two errors, 29 attacks), setting the stage for the 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 coronation.
 
"It was very emotional at the beginning, but then we realized we had a job to do," Lai said. "We still had to get that 18^th win."
 
Rylee Hladky had a match-high 10 kills on .409 hitting, while Lai had nine kills and five blocks assists hitting at a blistering .571 clip. Megenhardt set 20 assists for a Roadrunner offense that was hitting better than .400 well into the third set before setting for .360. Ember Canty (who had six kills on .545 hitting) had eight block assists to match a career high. Ashlyn Cianciulli had a match-high 14 digs.
 
And so the Roadrunners, who had already clinched the program's fifth-ever regular-season RMAC title and 11^th overall conference crown, joined the 2016 team as undefeated league champions from MSU Denver.
 
Comparing and contrasting her first MSU Denver team and her current one, Glenn – 94-8 in regular-season RMAC play – found similarities and differences.
 
"They are similar in composure, similar in expectation to win, similar in that you can be down 10 points and know you're not out of it," Glenn said. "Our style of play is a little different – we were in a 5-1 that year and a 6-2 this year. It's a different heartbeat in the sense of what this team has had to go through. Lots of similarities, lots of differences, but both charted a similar course."
 
Going 18-0 in league play is no easy accomplishment.
 
Said Sadler: "It's awesome. We've put in so much work and dedication, I can't think of another team that deserves it more. It's just so exciting for everybody. We just really deserve it."
 
And while there is potentially so much more ahead for this team, Friday was also a chance to reflect.
 
"The team and the family I've been a part of these last four years has been amazing," Lai said. "I couldn't ask for better teammates. I have their back and they have mine. I know I'll be in touch with them for a long time."