DENVER – No. 8 MSU Denver got the one that matters most.
 
After dropping a non-conference game to No. 12 Regis last week, the Roadrunners played the Rangers on their home court Saturday in the match that counts for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings and powered their way to a 3-1 victory (25-15, 19-25, 25-16, 27-25).
 
MSU Denver (18-5 overall) is now firmly in the driver's seat for a third straight RMAC regular-season title at 10-1 in league play with three home matches against second-division teams left.
 
Regis dropped to 18-6 and 10-2.
 
"How we performed against them last week didn't sit well with us," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "But we regained our confidence (two nights later) against (Colorado) Mesa, and today you could see it come to fruition, to play well, on the road, against our rival.
 
"It's probably not the last time we'll see them this year, and there are always constant adjustments being made by each team. That's what makes it fun."
 
Rylee Hladky, the two-time first team All-American and two-time RMAC Player of the Year, rose to the occasion with a season-high 20 kills on spectacular .486 hitting (two errors, 37 attacks) – easily her best match in what has been a difficult season due to injury and illness.
 
Hladky also added 11 digs and four block assists.
 
And she was at her best at the end, with nine kills in the final set.
 
"She played like her old self and then some," Glenn said. "She did a great job in every aspect – passing, serving, she blocked well and she attacked incredibly well against a really good team. She had a great night, and it was great to have that kind of production from her."
 
The Roadrunners held Regis to .103 hitting just nine days after the Rangers, with Mikalya McClinton (seven blocks) and Abbie McCrimmon (18 digs) leading the way.
 
Anderson recovered from her slow start to slam 10 kills over the final two sets and finished with 13, and Maddy Williams had eight kills.
 
Regis recorded 20 blocks, matching the most by an MSU Denver opponent since Fort Lewis had that many while defeating the Roadrunners on Oct. 25, 2013.
 
"Regis blocked extremely well, and we covered a lot of balls," Glenn said. "I thought we blocked pretty well (eight). It was two good blocking teams going after it."
 
MSU Denver dominated the first set, hitting .233 to Regis' .028, with Hladky and Maddy Williams each hammering three kills.
 
Regis hit .276 in winning the second set while causing Riley Anderson – who has been the Roadrunners' top offensive option this season – difficulty.
 
But Hladky hammered six kills in the third set as MSU Denver hit .333. Hladky was hitting .550 with no errors through three sets.
 
Hladky finally had two errors in the fourth set, but she also hammered nine kills on some of the most important points in the final frame, including five as the Roadrunners turned a 12-12 tie into an 18-15 advantage.
 
A kill by Anderson made it 23-21, and an ace by Anderson made it 24-21.
 
Regis fought off three match points to force a 24-24 tie, and another to make it 25-25. But Hladky answered with kills each time and the Roadrunners clinched the victory on a Regis hitting error.
 
"Our biggest focus was going after it and playing Roadrunner volleyball," Glenn said. "We wanted to be on the attack offensively. It was a fun match – there was a time during the fourth set when the fans of both teams were on their feet and the gym was on fire. It was so loud in there.
 
"That's when you say, 'How fun is this, and we get to play in that environment?' I'm pleased with how our team responded in the fourth set after we let them back in it. It would have been easy to hand it over to them, but we didn't. We found a way to win."