Box Score DENVER – As the No. 1 team in the country and one that has won six five-set matches, losing the first two sets Friday in the RMAC Tournament semifinals to CSU-Pueblo probably wouldn't have been that big of a deal.
 
So trailing 24-19 in the second set after already dropping the first, you would think maybe MSU Denver would be thinking about waiting to regroup once the third set started.
 
Nope.
 
That's just not how the Roadrunners operate.
 
"It's all about the mentality of how we've trained," setter Jessa Megenhardt said. "We never want to give up. That's not how we play. Fighting through that, even if it's just getting the momentum back, that's what we want to do at the end of the set."
 
A ground-shaking kill by Haley White started an improbable comeback, then Megenhardt served five consecutive points. Ultimately the Roadrunners fought off seven set points to win the second 29-27, seizing control of the match before taking a 3-1 win that allowed them to advance to Saturday's tournament championship against 10^th-ranked Colorado School of Mines.
 
"I gave Jessa the green light to serve and said, 'Go for it,'" MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "And she did an awesome job. That's a tough situation to serve out of, but she was composed through that. Not only did she put the ball in play, she got them out of system and put a lot of pressure on them.
 
"We played really good defense, and that was a good moment for us to let go of the result and focus on one point at a time and let that carry us through the rest of the match."

Said outside hitter Kaylee Corsentino: "We train for that in practice, so we're used to the pressure and used to not taking any plays off. It was such a great feeling when the set was over to say, 'Yeah, we did that.'"
 
Rylee Hladky had a match-high 15 kills and a career-high 25 digs, while Corsentino had a career-high 14 kills for the Roadrunners, who improved to 26-2 overall with their 24^th straight victory. The Roadrunners extended their school-record streak of home victories to 21 dating to the start of last season in winning 22-25, 29-27, 25-18, 25-23.
 
As usual, CSU-Pueblo, fighting to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive, made MSU Denver work for everything it got.
 
The ThunderWolves, who had two match points against the Roadrunners before falling in five sets in a September matchup, held MSU Denver to .131 hitting and forced the Roadrunners to make 105 digs – the team's most in any match since 2017. Three of MSU Denver's four highest dig totals this season have been against the ThunderWolves.
 
"We knew it would be a battle," Glenn said. "They're a really good defensive team from a blocking standpoint and back-row defense standpoint. They made it really difficult. Every time we play them, our hitting percentage is low (three of the five lowest figures this season). They do a great job of defending and making us mix up shots."
 
While the efforts of Hladky – honored before the match the RMAC's Player of the Year, Academic Player of the Year and Summit Award winner – are pretty much standard these days, stepping up big were the likes of Corsentino, White and Riley Anderson.
 
Corsentino hit a solid .263 while having a career-high 38 attacks.
 
"She was awesome tonight," Glenn said. "She's been moving back and forth between the left and right sides, doing whatever we've asked of her. We knew we had a good matchup on the right side, and she exploited it. She did a good job of using the scouting report and taking big swings."
 
Said Corsentino: "We knew it would be a battle. This is our third time playing this team, so we know each other. Our passers were giving us good passes, and Jessa was giving me great sets."
 
White had four career kills -- two of them this season -- before her slam the started the second-set comeback. She finished with four kills and threw in her first career solo block as well.

"She's gotten some time since Alexis Benda's injury in different situations," Glenn said. "She's just continuing to get better, which is really fun. She's actually a middle, but we've been training her on the right lately.
 
"What I love about Haley is that she goes onto the court with a smile on her face and she's just excited to play volleyball. She's not overthinking and not too worried about anything – she just wants to go do what we ask her to do."
 
Anderson had eight kills, matched a career high with four block assists, and had two service aces.
 
Additionally, middle blocker Mikayla McClinton had six kills and four blocks (one solo) while hitting .357, and Megenhardt set 31 assists – her second-highest total of the season.
 
"Our defense was out of the world," Megenhardt said. "Our passers were doing great, and our hitters were making me look good."
 
So now, for the third season in a row, its MSU Denver and Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC Tournament's championship match.
 
"Colorado School of Mines is a team that always plays really well in the tournament," Glenn said. "They are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country. It's going to be a battle, going to be what it should be in a championship match. It's going to be a lot of fun."