DENVER – No. 1 MSU Denver's seniors aced their final exam on Saturday at the Auraria Event Center.
 
Which means there will some graduate level work at the same venue in a couple of weeks, a possibly beyond.
 
With a 3-0 sweep of Fort Lewis on Senior Night, MSU Denver clinched the top seed and the right to host the three-day Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament beginning Nov. 10, and also clinched at least a share of the RMAC's regular-season championship with two matches still left to play.
 
MSU Denver is also battling for the right to host the South Central Regional – effectively the first three rounds of the NCAA Division II Tournament – on its home floor as well. That eight-team tournament starts Nov. 17.
 
"It's nice that we were able to get business done this weekend and win these two and take that off our plate," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said.
 
Seniors Kaylee Corsentino, Ashlyn Cianciulli and Kelsey Gordon were all honored in a pre-match ceremony.
 
"It's hard to be sad when we're coming back in two weeks," Gordon said, smiling. "But it's a good sentiment to have, and it's always good to have family here.
 
"I couldn't have asked for a better experience here. That was something that was big for me in my choice. This has been an excellent second home for me and I'm so fortunate to be coached by Coach (Jenny) Glenn and have the best teammates in the world out here."
 
While Gordon came to MSU Denver this season as a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility remaining, both Corsentino and Cianciulli are in their fourth year with the program (they have elected not to use an extra season granted to them with a COVID-19 waiver).
 
"It was very emotional," Corsentino said of the pre-match ceremony. "I'm just glad I was able to get into this program and make the memories I did these last four years. I'm very grateful that Jenny took me in, and I've made lifelong memories and lifelong friends."
 
Said Cianciulli, who had a match-high 21 digs: "It's been a phenomenal journey. I'm kind of sad that it's almost come to an end. MSU Denver has taught me a lot of life lessons and taught me how to be the woman I am today. I'll never regret it."
 
After the ceremony, the Roadrunners got down to business.
 
"Our seniors were great tonight," Glenn said. "I don't think they let the ceremony affect them and they all came out and played really well. Off the court, the growth they've all made in their time here has been great to see and experience."
 
MSU Denver improved to 23-1 overall and 16-0 in the RMAC with its 17^th straight win as it attempts to complete a second straight undefeated RMAC regular season. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners' regular-season RMAC winning streak dating to 2020 grew to 38 matches – they would tie the league mark Friday at UCCS with a win, and would then break it with another win in next Saturday's regular-season finale at CSU Pueblo.
 
MSU Denver would also clinch the outright conference title with a win against UCCS, but even if the Roadrunners drop their final two regular-season matches they are assured of the top seed and the right to host the league tournament based on tiebreakers.
 
"It's awesome to be able to have the tournament on our home floor, especially when it's a Thursday-Friday-Saturday format this year," Glenn said. "We love bringing it back to MSU Denver where our fans can come and support us. It's super exciting to clinch that piece."
 
Said Corsentino: "This is where we practice every day, and at the end of the day it's going to benefit us. We know the ceilings, we know that walls … we know everything."
 
On Saturday, the Roadrunners met with some first-set resistance before eventually pulling away 25-18, 25-10, 25-15.
 
"They're very scrappy," Gordon said of Fort Lewis. "If you hit routine shots, they're going to pick them up. They keep you on your toes, and you have to make sure you elevate your game."
 
In the second set, MSU Denver held a 16-1 lead against a Fort Lewis team that entered the night tied for eighth in the RMAC – and thus a potential first-round opponent in the league tournament.
 
"They came out swinging and were being aggressive," said Corsentino, who had 10 kills on .400 hitting. "They were a feisty team and they came after us, but we did a good job of turning it around."
 
Particularly effective were middle blockers Ember Canty and Mikayla McClinton. Canty had eight kills on .583 hitting and matched a career high with eight blocks – her seven block assists were a season high. McClinton had nine kills on .571 hitting and added two service aces.
 
McClinton, who had one block assist, has now tied Lauren Quijano (2011-14) for 10^th in program history with 276 career block assists, while Canty moved into a tie for eighth with Lisa Jones (2007-10) in that category at 285. Canty also broke a tie with Stefanie Allison (2003-06) and stands alone in fifth place in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) with 46 career solo blocks.
 
"We scored really well out of the middle, and that's something we've been working on," Glenn said. "You've seen the development of that the last couple of weeks."
 
Amela Qershia set 24 assists for a Roadrunner team that hit .264, breaking a streak of six straight matches of at least .323 hitting. Fort Lewis hit .009, the 17^th straight time (coinciding with the win streak) MSU Denver has held a team below .200. The Roadrunners are in the top 10 nationally in both hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage.