DENVER – The 2026-27 MSU Denver Athletics season is officially underway, and an action-packed weekend will round out the month of August as women's soccer, men's soccer and women's volleyball all open their seasons.
All three Roadrunner programs will begin their seasons on the road Thursday before women's soccer returns to Denver on Saturday for the first MSU Denver home game of the new academic year.
Women's Volleyball
The defending NCAA Division II national champion Roadrunners will begin their title defense on the road in a major early-season test.
MSU Denver, ranked No. 3 nationally in the AVCA preseason poll, opens the 2026 season Thursday against No. 10 Ferris State in Big Rapids, Mich., where the Bulldogs will host the Roadrunners on their home court.
The matchup begins a four-match tournament for MSU Denver, which will play three additional matches across Friday and Saturday. The Roadrunners will face Purdue University Northwest and Minnesota State on Friday before closing the weekend against the University of Illinois Springfield on Saturday morning.
The tournament will also mark the first matches for new head coach Stacie Meisner, who takes over the program following the departure of longtime head coach Jenny Glenn. Meisner will look to lead the Roadrunners to another strong start as they begin the defense of their national championship.
- Thursday, Aug. 27: No. 3 MSU Denver at No. 10 Ferris State – 4 p.m. MT
- Friday, Aug. 28: No. 3 MSU Denver vs. Purdue University Northwest – 11:30 a.m. MT
- Friday, Aug. 28: No. 3 MSU Denver vs. Minnesota State – 3:30 p.m. MT
- Saturday, Aug. 29: No. 3 MSU Denver vs. University of Illinois Springfield – 7 a.m. MT
Men's Soccer
After one of the program's most successful seasons in recent memory, MSU Denver men's soccer will also open its 2026 campaign on the road.
The Roadrunners enter the season coming off a 2025 campaign in which they were crowned RMAC Co-Regular Season Champions. Reigning RMAC Coach of the Year Nick Kirchhof returns to lead MSU Denver into the new season.
MSU Denver will play a pair of neutral-site matches in Salt Lake City, hosted by Westminster. MSU Denver opens Thursday against Western Oregon before taking on Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
- Thursday, Aug. 27: MSU Denver vs. Western Oregon – 4 p.m. MT
- Saturday, Aug. 29: MSU Denver vs. Northwest Nazarene – 12 p.m. MT
Women's Soccer
MSU Denver women's soccer will begin its season Thursday with a road trip to Angelo State before returning home Saturday night.
The Roadrunners will host Point Loma at Assembly Athletic Complex at 6 p.m. in the first MSU Denver home athletic event of the 2026-27 season.
The match also marks the beginning of an important second season for head coach Katie Hooker, who will look to continue building the program in Year 2 at the helm.
MSU Denver opens the week Thursday against Angelo State before welcoming Point Loma to Denver for Saturday night's home showdown.
- Thursday, Aug. 27: MSU Denver at Angelo State – 12 p.m. MT
- Saturday, Aug. 29: Point Loma at MSU Denver – 6 p.m.
With three teams opening their seasons, a top-10 matchup between the defending national champion volleyball team and Ferris State, and the first Roadrunner home event of the year set for Saturday night, the Roadrunners will have no shortage of action as the 2026-27 season gets underway.
