DENVER – They say seven is a lucky number.
 
But sometimes luck is where hard work intersects with opportunity. Sometimes you are also the No. 1 ranked team in the country, too.
 
And finally, in its seventh straight trip to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament championship match, the top-ranked MSU Denver volleyball team came away as the tournament champion.
 
The Roadrunners started strong and finished just strong enough Saturday night to hold off a strong effort from No. 14 Regis 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 25-16, 25-21) and at long last grabbed that elusive title.
 
"It's been frustrating, but I woke up this morning and I felt like we were going to win today," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "I just have a lot of confidence in this group. I trust them in tight situations because they've shown over and over that they are going to show up. Whatever the situation is, they are going to bring their best – so you can live with the result.
 
"When you're surrounded by a team like this, and a coaching staff like this … it gives me a lot of confidence as a head coach."
 
MSU Denver improved to 28-1 with its 22^nd straight victory – the third-longest winning streak in program history. The Roadrunners will almost certainly serve as the No. 1 seed and tournament host for the Division II South Central Regional, beginning Thursday on the same Auraria Event Center floor.
 
And while that eight-team tournament is the beginning of the road to a potential national championship, this conference get-together has been a bit of a thorn in the side of the Roadrunners, who have made it to the final in all seven seasons that Glenn has been head coach – a stretch that includes three 18-0 regular-season runs through conference tournament play.
 
In the grand scheme of things, when you're already all but assured of a trip to the regional, the RMAC Tournament doesn't mean that much. But when you are as competitive as you can legally be and when you haven't won it … well, it means a lot.
 
"After being on the other side of that (post-match celebration) for the past three years, it feels amazing to finally be the team raising up the trophy and getting that accomplishment done," libero Ashlyn Cianciulli said. "To have it with Jenny is even better, because she deserves to win – and our whole program deserves to win. It's super exciting that we got to accomplish that."
 
MSU Denver's first RMAC Tournament championship since 2013 was its seventh overall. And, for the first time since 2003, the Roadrunners have won both the RMAC regular-season and tournament titles in the same season.
 
"It's been a long time coming," Glenn said. "It's something that has eluded us the last seven years. I'm really proud. This group deserves it. They've set their goals high. Our goal was to take it this weekend, and we did that."
 
On a day when two-time RMAC Player of the Year and tournament most valuable player Rylee Hladky was held somewhat in check (10 kills, three service aces), Riley Anderson – who rotates with Hladky as the team's left-side hitter – was dominant with a season-high 18 kills.
 
It was Anderson's biggest match since getting 19 kills as the Roadrunners won the prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge in 2021.
 
"I find it really exciting, to be completely honest," Anderson said. "Playing these really difficult teams gives us a challenge, and I think it's really fun to go out there and play."
 
Said Glenn: "It was a really big match for Riley. She carried us through a lot of out-of-system situations."
 
Anderson joined Hladky and Ashlyn Cianciulli on the all-tournament team, with another spot going to Kaylee Corsentino, who had another strong effort with nine kills on .348 hitting. Corsentino's right-side cohort, Kelsey Gordon, had nearly identical totals – nine kills while hitting .350.
 
Middle blockers Mikayla McClinton (eight) and Ember Canty (four) combined for 12 kills while hitting a combined error-free .571. McClinton hit .667 on her 12 attacks.
 
"We've always had a great front row – all three options every time," Anderson said. "We can set the middle whenever we want, set the right side whenever we want. We can all get kills. Trusting every single position is really crucial for our team."
 
After MSU Denver cruised to the first-set win, Regis hit .300 in the second set for a close win. But the Roadrunners hit .448 in winning the third set and then withstood a late Regis rally in the fourth.
 
Cianciulli had 17 digs, while Delaney Eckhardt had a team-best 24 assists. Ember Canty had four blocks (one solo).
 
"That's what a championship should feel like – back and forth," Glenn said. "Both teams were very gritty at different moments. The first set felt pretty good, but then it got pretty uncomfortable the next three.
 
"I was really proud of our group for maintaining composure and showing our mental toughness in end-game situations. When we needed to win, we got it done."
 
Pairings for the South Central Regional are scheduled to be released Sunday at 8:30 p.m. MST.