DENVER – It's No. 4 MSU Denver vs. No. 21 Regis in volleyball again, and this time it's for real.
Well, at least real in terms of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings it's real.
MSU Denver cruised to a 3-1 win (19-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-13) when the teams played a non-conference matchup March 12 at the Auraria Event Center, but the scene shifts to the Regis Field House on Friday at 7 p.m. for the match that will count in the RMAC standings.
How much different does this one feel?
"It does feel a little bit different, just because we know it will affect the standings," MSU Denver coach
Jenny Glenn said. "And of course any time you have a chance to play Regis you are excited, so in a lot of ways we'll prepare the same way. Any time you go on the court, you're playing to win, regardless of the opponent.
"And we'll be going back to their gym, and we haven't been back there since we lost there (a 3-2 defeat in the 2019 NCAA Tournament)."
Since the first matchup, MSU Denver (11-1 overall, 9-1 RMAC) has played just once, winning Saturday at Westminster. Regis (10-4, 10-2) has played three times, knocking off then-No. 5 Colorado School of Mines 3-2 before losing to unranked (though 26
th among teams receiving votes) CSU-Pueblo 3-1 and bouncing back to sweep Colorado Christian.
"Any time you play a team nearly back-to-back, it can be good or it can be bad," Glenn said. "The team that lost typically has the advantage because it can make the most adjustments. So we're trying to stay one step ahead, to understand the things that worked and what they might try to attack.
"We want to be our best on our side of the net, play with a high IQ and have the ability to adjust as we go."
Speaking of adjustments, outside hitter
Rylee Hladky has taken her game to a higher level as the season has progressed, and she is the reigning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week.
The sophomore leads the league in points per set (3.9), is second kills (3.3 per set), fifth in service aces (0.45) and ninth in digs (3.75).
"Something clicked for her a couple of weeks ago," Glenn said. "She is hitting high and hard, and she's such a learner that each week she picks up something different. She has a desire to grow as athlete and a desire to get better every day, and that's why she's playing at the level she's playing at right now."
