DENVER – No. 4 MSU Denver started strong and finished just as impressively Friday night, surviving a mid-match dip to earn a 3-1 win at No. 21 Regis.
 
In the 25-16, 17-25, 25-19, 25-18 win, the Roadrunners got back on track after trailing 13-8 in the pivotal third set.
 
"The serve and pass game was a back and forth battle," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "I am proud of our group for getting gritty in the lanes and making good adjustments as the match wore on.
 
"Regis was serving aggressively and we had started to become passive, which led to some passive decisions in the front row, and our offense became more predictable and easier to defend because they knew where the ball was going. We started earning some points at the service line and chipped away, and all of a sudden it became even and the momentum shifted."
 
MSU Denver (12-1 overall, 10-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) finished the third set on an 11-2 run.
 
Rylee Hladky, kept in check during the first set, finished with 15 kills and four blocks (one solo), while Avaline Lai had 11 kills on .474 hitting to go with four blocks (one solo), Kayla White had 10 kills and 16 digs, Mikayla McClinton had seven kills and seven blocks and Ember Canty had five kills and seven blocks (one solo). Kaylee Corsentino had three kills and five blocks, while Alexis Benda played two sets and had five kills.
 
MSU Denver finished with 16 blocks, matching the most for the program since getting 16.5 in a five-set match with Colorado Christian on Oct. 3, 2014. It was the highest block total for MSU Denver in a four-set match since getting 17 against Regis on Sept. 22, 2007.
 
"We had a great blocking night," Glenn said. "That's something we've tried to work on in practice, because we've had some matches recently where we didn't feel we were turning back as many as we should be. We were more aggressive as blockers and had good hands above the net."
 
Joli Sadler set 27 assists, while Jessa Megenhardt had 18 assists and two service aces. Libero Ashlyn Cianciulli matched White with a team-high 16 digs.
 
Left-side hitters Hladky and White dominated the first matchup between the teams, a 3-1 MSU Denver win on March 12, but in the first set right sides Lai and Corsentino and middle blockers Canty and McClinton hit a combined .650 with 13 kills and no errors in 20 attacks while also combining for eight blocks (two solo). The Roadrunners hit .400 in the set, with 16 kills and two errors in 35 attacks.
 
But Regis (10-5, 9-3) held MSU Denver to .000 hitting while winning the second set and took its big third set lead before the Roadrunners stormed back.
 
MSU Denver hit .333 in the final set.