DENVER – The No. 6 nationally ranked MSU Denver volleyball team opened play in the Colorado Premier Challenge Friday evening at the Auraria Event Center, highlighted by a career night from Annika Helf as the Roadrunners split their two matches on Day One.
In their first match of the day, the Roadrunners pushed No. 25 ranked Wayne State (Neb.) to the limit before falling in five sets (22-25, 25-19, 25-11, 20-25, 16-18) on Friday at the Auraria Event Center.
The match belonged to the senior, Helf, who turned in a career performance with 30 kills on .481 hitting. That total marks both a career high and the most kills by a Roadrunner in a single match since 2016. She is just the second Roadrunner to record 30 kills in a single match in program history. Julie Green-McFarland posted 33 kills back during the 2006 season against CSU Pueblo.
After dropping the opening set, MSU Denver roared back with dominant wins in the second and third frames, including a near-flawless third set where the Roadrunners hit .739 as a team. Wayne State rallied to take the fourth and narrowly edged MSU Denver in the decisive fifth, 18-16.
MSU Denver outhit the Wildcats .275 to .227 and finished with 78 kills to Wayne State's 52, but couldn't quite capitalize late. Karyna Werley added a career-best 11 kills and four aces, while Alivia Huxoll and Alyssa Boyte chipped in nine kills apiece.
Setter GabriElle Brewer distributed 37 assists, another career-high, and the Roadrunners' defense was led by Brooke Gennerman and Helf, who combined for 27 digs. The 75 assists as a unit was just three shy of the program record.
The Roadrunners bounced back in the evening session, sweeping Lewis 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-14) to improve to 5-1 on the season. Helf continued her strong play with 10 kills and 13 digs, while Werley, Brooke Gennerman, and Alyssa Boyte each chipped in nine kills apiece. Brewer once again directed the attack with 21 assists, and the Roadrunners outhit Lewis .231 to .167.
With two marquee performances on their home floor, the Red and Blue showed both firepower and resilience to close the day out on a high note. The Roadrunners will continue action tomorrow, as they await for the time and the opponent they will be matching up against.
