Box Score DENVER – The No. 4-ranked volleyball team found themselves back in the win column Saturday night, defeating Regis University 3-2 at the Auraria Event Center. It was their first game since falling to Colorado Mesa one week ago in Power Pod Play.
The win improved MSU Denver's record to 21-2 overall and 11-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Rangers fell to 11-12 with a 7-4 mark in RMAC play.
The Roadrunners raced out to a two-set lead after taking the first set 25-19 and the second 25-21. The team looked to be on their way to defeating Regis for the second time this season. Junior outside hitter
Annika Helf led the way with eight kills in those first two frames.
"I think we were just playing more comfortable on our side of the net," Head coach
Jenny Glenn said about the 2-0 lead. "We came out confident and did what we normally do."
The Rangers fell to the Roadrunners in three sets just 10 days prior. But the home team's miscues allowed their rivals to battle all the way back and force a fifth set.
"This has been our trend a little bit lately, unfortunately," Coach Glenn said. "We make untimely errors or back-to-back errors, and we've been low error the first part of the season. Sometimes when you are trying too hard to make something happen, you make errors. We got pretty-high error in those two sets."
It looked as if the momentum favored Regis heading into the final set, but Coach Glenn had her team ready to roll in the fifth, as the squad raced out to an 8-2 lead. Senior setter
Delaney Eckhardt started the set with two straight service aces, while the offense saw two kills apiece from senior outside hitter
Riley Anderson and freshman middle blocker
Alyssa Boyte.
"We just did a good job of fighting back," Sophomore middle blocker
Kryssa Moerman said. "We let Regis come back in that third and fourth set, but our confidence came back in the fifth. We knew what we had to do, and we did it."
MSU Denver cruised to the 15-5 fifth set win to remain perfect in conference play and to remain alone at the top of the RMAC standings.
"It's good for us to be in these situations, especially this late in the season," Glenn said. "We've played one other five-setter this year and we won it. I think this team is confident in endgame and confident in five-setters. I honestly spoke the truth asking, 'seniors, this is your senior night, do you want to win it', and I put it back on them, and I think you saw their passion come out in overcoming the overthinking we saw earlier."
Anderson led the way for the Roadrunners pounding out 16 kills, while recording eight digs and three block assists. The setting duo of Eckhardt and
Amela Qershia combined for 49 assists, three service aces and 16 digs.
Moerman shined in the victory smashing 12 kills in 18 attempts, recording just one error hitting .611. The sophomore added five block assists and got her team's bench out of their seats after an overpass led to a big crushing kill past the Rangers defense.
"I just think we've been wanting her to be more aggressive lately and she did that tonight," Coach Glenn said. "Everybody was pumped! I thought she played a really good game tonight in all aspects."
"It's been developing. You know, just being aggressive and confident and leaving it all out on the court," Moerman said."
The win came on the final regular season game at home this season. MSU Denver celebrated their five seniors: Anderson, Qershia, Eckhardt,
Maddy Williams and
Abbie McCrimmon. Coach Glenn was happy to see her team get the victory for those incredible seniors.
"They just have a special way of leading and they show up for each other," Glenn said. "They love each other well, they love their team well, they are joy to be around as a unit. They very much bleed Roadrunners volleyball and are very passionate about continuing that legacy even after they are gone and are just special in a million ways."
The Roadrunners will next play on Tuesday night against UC-Colorado Springs, a make-up game that was postponed after the weather moved the RMAC matchup.
