DENVER – Big-time volleyball in an old-school gymnasium is in store this weekend for second-ranked MSU Denver.
 
After a Friday night matchup on the road against an improved Chadron State team, the Roadrunners bus back to Denver and head over to Golden, Colo., on Saturday for a 5 p.m. match against 21^st-ranked Colorado School of Mines.
 
The Saturday match will be played at Mines' historic Volk Gymnasium (built in 1959), as the Orediggers regular venue of Lockridge Arena is in use for that institution's homecoming festivities.
 
Get there early Roadrunners fans – capacity at Volk is 750. The entrance to the building is at 14th & Illinois Streets. The setting is intimate – and loud. 
 
"It'll be a fun environment," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "Those kinds of environments can bring a lot of energy. We're looking forward to it."
 
While the showdown with the Orediggers stands out, that's not to overlook Friday's opponent.
 
Chadron State, which plays host to the Roadrunners at 6 p.m., is 7-10 overall but won five of its first six Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contests before dropping two on the road last weekend against teams it had beaten at home.
 
"Chadron State is playing well," Glenn said. "And they have weapons and different positions. They're athletic, and they can cause problems."
 
MSU Denver, meanwhile is 15-1 overall and 8-0 in the RMAC.
 
The Roadrunners have won 30 straight RMAC regular-season matches dating to the 2020 season (which was played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19), the third-longest such streak in league history. The RMAC record of 39 straight regular-season league wins was set by Nebraska-Kearney in a streak that started in 2003 and ended in 2006.
 
So, yes, the Roadrunners could set the record during the final regular-season match of the season.
 
But there's no doubt that, if MSU Denver survives Friday, Mines will have something to say about the Roadrunners' chance at history.
 
Mines, 12-4 overall and 7-1 in the RMAC heading into a Friday home match (also at Volk) against Colorado Christian, is riding a seven-match winning streak and is 3-2 against nationally-ranked teams.
 
The Orediggers ended MSU Denver's 24-match winning streak (third-longest in RMAC history) in last year's RMAC Tournament championship match – the third straight time they have beaten MSU Denver in the RMAC Tournament title tilt.
 
And while Glenn is 102-8 in regular-season RMAC matches, and 114-14 when including the league tournament, she's 5-8 against Mines.
 
"It's always a good battle with Mines," she said. "Obviously they return their setter (RMAC Setter of the Year Drew Stokes) and their libero (Elle Duis), and those are key positions that create stability coming back from last year's team. They have some of their hitters back and they have a lot of good, new faces in their lineup.
 
"It's a fun matchup at this point in the season. They always run a very efficient offense, and it's a good test for our defense."
 
The drive and return trip to Chadron, Neb., and back makes for an interesting travel weekend.
 
"It will be a tough road trip, but we've only had tough road trips," Glenn said. "Chadron is always a tough place to play – they have a nice facility and good crowds. Then it's back home to Denver late, get up and scout the next morning and play a 5 o'clock match.
 
"But we'd be shocked if we got home, or to our next match, before 1 in the morning. So this weekend isn't anything we haven't prepared for in our current travel schedule."
 
While many of the MSU Denver players scrimmaged against Mines at Volk during the fall of 2020 when COVID-19 pushed the start of the season to the spring, that was also in an empty facility. The temperature should be high on Saturday.
 
"It has more of a Hoosier-esque feeling," Glenn said. "Lower ceiling, smaller facility, tight quarters. Hopefully we can fill it with some of our fans, too."