DENVER – Under a new format for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball tournament this season, all seven matches of the three-day, eight-team gathering will be played at one site over three consecutive days.
 
The tournament host, as a result of winning the regular-season league championship, is none other than MSU Denver, which is beginning its third week as the No. 1 team in the country in NCAA Division II.
 
The extravaganza starts Thursday, with quarterfinal matches at the Auraria Event Center scheduled for noon. MSU Denver's quarterfinal matchup against Fort Lewis is slated for 5 p.m. The semifinals are Friday beginning at 5 p.m. (MSU Denver would play at 7:30 if it advances), while the championship is Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
The league tournament has been played previously in a Tuesday, Friday, Saturday setup, however the NCAA's new rule that disallows competition on Election Day led to the change.
 
One thing that does, for probably four and possibly five, RMAC teams this weekend, is offer a sneak preview into what next week's NCAA Division II South Central Regional will be like – three matches in three days for those hoping to reach the eight-team NCAA Championships.
 
"You hate assuming things, but this week is excellent preparation for next week," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "And we have a great opportunity by being able to host and have the same format."
 
MSU Denver has the inside track to host the South Central Regional as well, particularly if it continues to advance in the RMAC Tournament.
 
The Roadrunners have made the RMAC Tournament final in all six of Glenn's seasons as head coach.
 
But while winning the RMAC Tournament results in an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the stakes probably aren't as high for MSU Denver, second-seeded Regis, third-seeded Colorado Mesa and fourth-seeded Colorado School of Mines, who all seem to be positioned nicely for another opportunity to play next week.
 
"You try not to look too far ahead, because every match matters," Glenn said. "We want to be playing our best volleyball a week from now. So this does prepare you for the challenge of winning three tough matches in three days. It's a mental and physical grind.
 
"We want to win this tournament. It's an awesome thing to do, and while we've accomplished so many awesome things recently, this is one we haven't. I think winning the regular season shows that a team is able to be really good over a long period of time and not just three days, but the reality is, you have to be good over three days in the postseason (regional). So there's a benefit in being able to do both."
 
Among the impressive list of recent accomplishments for MSU Denver has been completing a second straight 18-0 run through regular-season league play. That helped the Roadrunners set an RMAC record with 40 straight regular-season league wins, dating to the 2020 season.
 
MSU Denver has won 19 straight matches to improve to 25-1 for the season.
 
But as teams are gearing up for postseason play, a wrinkle has been thrown into the schedule. The new NCAA rule means no team is able to practice on Election Day. And the RMAC Tournament rule is that Wednesday practices are limited to only 55 minutes.
 
"It's a double-edged sword," Glenn said. "It does force us to give kids more rest at a time of the season when they could use it. But then we also don't have much time to prepare. (Monday) was our only full practice before the conference tournament. So from a preparation standpoint, it's super challenging. But we have a veteran group that could benefit from the rest and using the extra time to get ahead of schoolwork and other off-the-court responsibilities so that those won't be distractions come match time."
 
Fort Lewis, the Roadrunners' quarterfinal opponent, finished the regular season 10-14 overall and was 8-10 in the RMAC to earn the eighth seed. Though MSU Denver beat the Skyhawks twice, Fort Lewis grabbed a set from the Roadrunners. Fort Lewis also pushed Regis to five sets and took a set against Colorado Mesa this season.
 
"Fort Lewis is an up-and-coming program in our conference that is taking strides and moving up in the standings," Glenn said. "They bring energy and aggression, and we saw the first time we played them that they are not afraid to come after you – they are a dangerous team at tournament time.
 
"Their coach (Giedre Tarnauskaite) is a competitor who I know will continue to move their program forward."
 
If the Roadrunners advance to the semifinals, their opponent would be either Colorado School of Mines or fifth-seeded CSU Pueblo – those two are the only teams to have pushed MSU Denver to five sets this season.
 
Mines is 20-6 overall after going 15-3 in the league and is ranked No. 22 in Division II, while CSU Pueblo is 19-7 and 12-6. CSU Pueblo, which would have been in the South Central Regional as the No. 8 seed had the tournament started last week, has been receiving votes in the national poll all season until the past two weeks.
 
The other side of the bracket features No. 14 Regis (20-6, 16-2) and No. 17 Colorado Mesa (20-5, 15-3).
 
"It's going to be an interesting tournament," Glenn said. "The RMAC is a really good volleyball conference. We're playing at a high level in our conference."