LEXINGTON, Ky. – MSU Denver has returned to No. 1 in the country in NCAA Division II volleyball.
 
The Roadrunners, winners of 15 straight matches, improved to 21-1 overall and 14-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with victories last weekend. Meanwhile, previous No. 1 Wayne State (Neb.) lost in five sets at No. 5 Southwest Minnesota State.

"It's a great honor to get the recognition at this point in the season," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "I think the No. 1 ranking is a function of the work that we've put in to this point, but we know we still have a lot of season left ahead of us, and we're looking forward to continuing our mission."
 
MSU Denver, which needs just four more wins to set an RMAC record for consecutive regular-season league victories at 40, spent five weeks at No. 1 last season before ending at No. 3 in the national poll. The Roadrunners opened this season at No. 3 and have spent most of the year at No. 2.
 
Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.), the only team to beat MSU Denver this season, is now ranked No. 2. Concordia-St. Paul has lost twice to Wayne State, which dropped to No. 3. The Roadrunners received 26 of the 47 first-place votes, with Concordia-St. Paul getting three and Wayne State -- which previously had been the unanimous No. 1 -- getting 18.
 
MSU Denver concludes its regular-season home schedule this weekend with matches Friday at 7 p.m. against Western Colorado and Saturday at 4 p.m. against Fort Lewis.