DENVER – MSU Denver is hoping for a shot at volleyball redemption this week.
 
The last time the third-ranked Roadrunners played at Colorado Mesa's Brownson Arena, they suffered their only loss of the season on March 4, a jarring 3-1 setback to the Mavericks, who have since risen to No. 2 in the national rankings.
 
Colorado Mesa (14-0) went unbeaten in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play (11-0), earning the right to play host to the RMAC Tournament. MSU Denver (13-1 overall, 11-1 RMAC) is the No. 2 seed.
 
If all goes according to plan, the Roadrunners would face Colorado Mesa again in the RMAC championship match on Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
But first things first. MSU Denver plays Colorado Christian in a 1:30 p.m. quarterfinal on Thursday.
 
"We had to be perfect in our conference to get the chance to host, and we didn't do that," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "But it's good for us to go on the road. We're a good road team and we play well outside of our gym. We're looking forward to going back to that gym. Obviously the loss we had there wasn't a positive one."
 
The Roadrunners' potential semifinal opponent has already been determined, since third-seeded and 25^th-ranked CSU-Pueblo has advanced due to COVID-19 concerns within the sixth-seeded South Dakota Mines program.
 
A second neutral-site matchup, with CSU-Pueblo, would be Friday at 5 p.m.
 
"It would be nice to play at home," outside hitter Avaline Lai said. "But going back to their gym is just as ideal. We've worked as hard as we can to prepare for the first round, the second round … no matter how far we get."
 
Should they get to the final, Colorado Mesa is the likely opponent. Pre-tournament No. 4 seed and national No. 22 Regis withdrew due to COVID-19 concerns, leaving national No. 15 Colorado School of Mines as the new No. 4 seed.
 
"Tournament time is when the rubber meets the road," Glenn said. "And that's something we're challenging them with, being champions in moments where it is uncomfortable, being warriors when it's uncomfortable. We haven't had a lot of moments this year when our backs have been against the wall. We have to thrive when it's uncomfortable, because it likely will be uncomfortable many times this week."
 
The Roadrunners have played in four straight RMAC finals, but haven't won the title since 2013.
 
"Since we've gotten here, we've all talked about winning an RMAC championship," Lai said.