GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Stepping into a lion's den without a two-time All-American and two-time conference player of the year would be cause for pause for many programs.
 
But not for No. 8 MSU Denver.
 
The Roadrunners, playing without Rylee Hladky, put up a wall at the net and stunted No. 11 host Colorado Mesa on Friday night, using 14 team blocks and a 19-kill effort by Riley Anderson to defeat the Mavericks 3-1.
 
"I'm proud of our team for getting a gritty road win against a Mesa team that had been really efficient offensively throughout the preseason," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "I'm proud of our defensive effort, specifically the 14 blocks, which is a great number. We were able to shut down a couple of their hitters and that helped contain their offense as a whole."
 
The 25-22, 25-18, 19-25, 25-20 decision extended MSU Denver's RMAC-record streak of consecutive victories in league play to 43, dating to the 2020 season when the Roadrunners lost a match at the same Brownson Arena where they ventured Friday.
 
Without Hladky against a previously undefeated team, perhaps this could have been the night for the streak to end.
 
But the Roadrunners would have none of it.
 
Mesa (11-1), which had been sixth in Division II in hitting percentage at .286, was limited to .153 hitting.
 
Maddy Williams nearly doubled her previous career high with 11 blocks (one solo), and Mikayla McClinton matched her 2019 career high with 10 blocks.

It was the first time the Roadrunners had two players with at least 10 blocks in a match since Aug. 29, 2008, in a five-set loss to Hawaii-Hilo, when Anna Mapes and Emily Greenhalgh each had 10.

"Maddy is doing a great job of getting a great lineup and then pressing over," Glenn said. "She's such a big presence at the net that it's hard to get around her. Mikalya is blocking next to her, which helps. We knew they would attack certain things and we executed our gameplan well."

 
And, oh by the way, active Division II blocks leader Ember Canty (McClinton is second) became the program's rally-scoring era career leader with an even 400 blocks after turning aside three attacks, breaking a tie with Julie Casseaux (2008-11).
 
Offensively, it was the Anderson show again as she produced her 19 kills on 41 swings and registered a .317 hitting percentage (six errors). She also added 11 digs for her third double-double of the season.
 
"She had a great offensive night," Glenn said. "She has so much range that if you stop one thing, she goes to something different. She did a really good job from start to finish of finding ways to score."
 
Delaney Eckhardt (22) and Amela Qershia (20) combined for 42 assists and helped the Roadrunners hit .227 overall, including a combined .367 in sets two and four. Abbie McCrimmon had 14 digs.
 
"One of the things we're trying to focus on as a team is being unified in tough moments, and this was a huge step forward," Glenn said.
 
MSU Denver wraps up its road trip with a 4 p.m. game Saturday at Westminster (4-8), which knocked off Colorado School of Mines on Friday.