DENVER – Now this is the way the season is supposed to start.
 
The 11^th-ranked MSU Denver volleyball team opens play this weekend with four matches at the Western Washington Invitational – including a showdown with the 14^th-ranked hosts at 8:30 p.m. MDT on Saturday – then returns home for next weekend's Colorado Premier, where multiple matchups with nationally-ranked opponents are the standard.
 
"Last year we missed this tournament (because the fall season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic)," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "And the Premier was canceled, too. These first two weekends are where a lot of memories are built, and it's where you figure out a lot of things about yourself as a team. We're excited to get back out there playing."
 
The Roadrunners, 15-2 overall and 11-1 for second place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the abbreviated season last spring, open play Friday with matches against Sonoma State (Calif.) at 1:30 p.m. MDT and Central Washington at 6 p.m. MDT before gearing up for a 11 a.m. MDT match Saturday against Chaminade (Hawaii) and then the main event with Western Washington.
 
Sonoma State is picked to finish fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association after going 19-10 in 2019 (the Seawolves didn't play at all in 2020-21 due to COVID). Central Washington received votes in the national preseason poll and is picked to finish third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference after going 18-11 overall in 2019. The Wildcats were 1-6 in the spring.
 
Chaminade, also receiving votes in the national preseason poll, is picked to finish second in the Pacific West Conference. The Silverswords were 3-1 in the spring after going 22-8 in 2019. And Western Washington is the preseason choice to win the GNAC after going 9-2 in the spring following a 27-3 campaign in 2019.
 
"We're about as ready as we're going to be at this point," Glenn said. "This is a really good tournament and we'll be playing four good teams out of the gate."
 
MSU Denver appeared primed and ready for a truly special season as the fall of 2020 approached. But while the regular fall season and the NCAA Tournament were canceled, the Roadrunners were at least able to keep training. And then evidence of what could have been came in the spring, when MSU Denver roared past defending national runner-up Nebraska-Kearney and posted four other wins over Top 25 teams while reaching as high as No. 3 in the national ratings.
 
But when the RMAC Tournament ended – the Roadrunners fell in the finals – so did the season.
 
"It was disappointing to not be playing for an NCAA championship, and in a lot of ways that group was primed and ready to make a run – especially after seeing the (2019) National Championships on our home floor (MSU Denver hosted the quarterfinals, semifinals and final) for motivation," Glenn said. "But at the same time this group is really motivated, too."
 
MSU Denver returns all but one key player from last season in pursuit of a trip to its 21^st straight Division II Tournament.
 
Outside hitters Rylee Hladky and Avaline Lai were All-RMAC first team picks last season (Lai has earned the distinction twice), middle blockers Ember Canty and Mikayla McClinton were both All-RMAC second team, and setters Jessa Megenhardt and Joli Sadler were each All-RMAC honorable mention.
 
Outside hitters Alexis Benda and Kaylee Corsentino both have plenty of starting experience, as do liberos Ashlyn Cianciulli and Caiden Rexius.
 
"We're experienced in some areas and new in some others," Glenn said.