DENVER – It may have been Late Night at the Auraria Event Center, but it was a prime-time performance for third-ranked MSU Denver.
 
The top seed for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, MSU Denver's match against CSU-Pueblo didn't start until 9:12 p.m. Thursday night – 102 minutes late – because of an upset-filled day of marathon matches that preceded the Roadrunners taking the court.
 
Once tuned in, though, MSU Denver dispatched the eighth-seeded ThunderWolves in a quick 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-17, 25-23), defeating its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe for the fourth time this season.
 
"I'm glad it was done in three tonight with it being such a late night," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "It was a really long day. To wait around and not start the match until (after) 9 p.m. – that's half our bedtimes these days. The girls did a good job of staying focused and getting it done so that we can get some rest."
 
The Roadrunners advanced to a Friday night semifinal against fourth seed and national No. 11 Angelo State (Texas) scheduled for 7:30 p.m. but that could start late again depending the length of the other semifinal between upset winners West Texas A&M and Texas-Tyler.
 
Seventh seed West Texas A&M knocked off second seed and national No. 8 Colorado School of Mines in five sets, while sixth seed and 22^nd-ranked Texas-Tyler beat third seed Colorado Mesa in a long 3-1 match.
 
Angelo State went five sets for its win, beating fifth seed Regis as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference went 0-3 in matchups with Lone Star Conference teams. MSU Denver is the only RMAC team still standing.
 
"It will be fun to cross over with the Lone Star finally," Glenn said. "It's going to be a great matchup. They're a really good team with offensive threats in all spaces. They run a 6-2 to as well, so we're going to constantly have three attackers coming at us."
 
On Thursday, Rylee Hladky had a match-high 15 kills, Riley Anderson had nine and Avaline Lai added eight as MSU Denver improved to 27-3.
 
What was the key to killing time and yet staying ready to play a late-night match? Depends on the person.
 
"Half of the team took naps, and the other half did homework," Lai said.
 
Rumor has it libero Ashlyn Cianciulli spent some time playing Mario Kart.
 
Said Glenn: "I slept on the couch in my office. Then I watched a little (in the gym). I scouted a little for potential matchups. And we went outside and got some fresh air because it was a nice day."
 
Whatever everyone did, it worked.
 
"We were all so excited in the locker room before the match – I think it was the most pumped we've been all season, which is reassuring," defensive specialist Caiden Rexius said. "We had all our team chemistry, and we played our hearts out."
 
Once finally underway, Hladky demonstrated she was ready to roll, with six kills on .417 hitting in the first set. With 15 kills in just three sets, her 5.0 kills per set was the best among all players for the first day of the regional.
 
"Every kill she got was sizzling – the floor was on fire," Lai said. "She's so fun to watch and has so many abilities and is so diverse as a player. I love watching her. It's like seeing your little sister and saying, 'My gosh, you're so good.'"
 
Anderson joined in the fun as the match progressed – she had eight of her nine kills in the final two sets.

Cianciulli had 17 digs -- her rate of 5.7 per set was the best of any player for the first day of the regional. Mikayla McClinton had five blocks, and her average of 1.7 per set ranked second among all players for the tournament's first day. And Jessa Megenhardt set 21 assists and ranked fifth at the regional with 7.0 per set despite operating out of a 6-2.
 
As time passed, it became more clear that there would be no midnight madness and that MSU Denver would be able to wrap up its fourth win over CSU-Pueblo this season – including three in three weeks.
 
"Once you get to the NCAA Tournament, you have the freedom to just play your hearts out," Lai said. "There's nothing to lose. This team came after us, and they're always a fun team to play against."
 
The ThunderWolves had two match points against MSU Denver in a September meeting before falling in five sets, before losing 3-1 decisions in Denver in November. For CSU-Pueblo, its final two games of the season (the teams met in the RMAC Tournament semifinals) came against MSU Denver.
 
"It's tough (to play a team four teams), and it's a challenge to scout a team when you haven't seen any matches from them since the last time you played them," Glenn said.
 
When it all ended, it was just 10:46 p.m.
 
"Rest is really important right now coming off a long day," Glenn said.