DENVER — The No. 9 ranked MSU Denver volleyball team kept its postseason surge rolling Tuesday night, defeating No. 8 seed Adams State 3–1 (25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 25-20) in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals at the Auraria Event Center. With the victory, the Roadrunners move to 25-3 overall and 14-1 in RMAC play, earning their 15th straight win and fourth consecutive RMAC Tournament win dating back to last season. Adams State ends its year at 15-16 (9-7 RMAC).
The Roadrunners also saw their streak of 10 straight RMAC Tournament sets won come to an end in the third frame — their first postseason set loss since the 2023 RMAC Championship — but MSU Denver responded with composure to close out the match and extend their longest winning streak since rattling off 24 straight victories in 2022.
"Our setters did an awesome job distributing, we were able to move the ball and I thought the offense was great tonight doing so," head coach Jenny Glenn said postgame.
MSU Denver's attack was powered by a vintage performance from Annika Helf, who erupted for 22 kills on .395 hitting, her highest total since her 21-kill outing on September 13. The 22 kills are her second-most in a match this season, reinforcing her role as the Roadrunners' go-to scorer.
"It was great to see her [Annika] rise up tonight, we had a good matchup out there and she was taking advantage of it," Glenn added.
At the net, Alyssa Boyte delivered one of the most impressive defensive outings of her career, finishing with three solo blocks and six block assists for nine total blocks, helping MSU Denver compile a season-high 12 block assists and 4 solo blocks as a team. Her presence was central in holding Adams State to just a .159 hitting percentage.
Freshman Karyna Werley continued her postseason emergence with a balanced stat line of 10 kills, 19 assists, and three block assists, while Brooke Gennerman (9 kills, .364 hitting), Kryssa Moerman (6 kills), and Skyler Michael (5 kills) added important contributions. Setters GabriElle Brewer (27 assists) and Werley combined for 53 assists to guide an offense that hit an efficient .356 on the night.
Libero Mia Accomazzo anchored the back row with a team-high 16 digs.
With the win, MSU Denver advances to the RMAC Tournament semifinals and will host again Friday night, facing the winner of No. 4 seed Colorado School of Mines vs. No. 5 seed Colorado Mesa. The Roadrunners will also host the RMAC Championship match Saturday should they advance.
