BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — After suffering a tough four-set loss to No. 10 Ferris State on Thursday night, MSU Denver volleyball responded exactly the way it needed to. The Roadrunners bounced back with a pair of dominant sweeps Friday at Bulldog Arena, defeating Purdue Northwest 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-10) before dispatching Minnesota State 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18).
The two victories moved MSU Denver to 2-1 on the young season and gave the Roadrunners six consecutive set victories to close the day.
GAME ONE: MSU Denver 3, Purdue Northwest 0
Against Purdue Northwest, the Roadrunners hit .348 as a team, steadily taking control after a competitive opening set. MSU Denver hit .182 in the first set, improved to .341 in the second and erupted for a .500 hitting percentage in the third
Sophomore Brooke Gennerman paced the Roadrunners with nine kills while committing no errors on 13 attacks for a staggering .692 hitting percentage. Kamdyn Scott added eight kills, while Hayden Liebsack contributed 11 kills on .500 hitting, two service aces and a block assist. Setter GabriElle Brewer orchestrated the offense with 31 assists.
But the biggest individual performance of the opening match came from Mayah Pridgett, who stuffed the stat sheet with six kills, three assists, two digs and seven service aces. Her seven aces tied the modern-era MSU Denver single-match record, matching Lisa Jones' mark from 2010 and Michaela Smith's from 2016.
Pridgett's serving helped the Roadrunners overwhelm Purdue Northwest from the service line, as MSU Denver finished with 12 aces to just one for the Pride. The Roadrunners also committed only one reception error compared with 12 for Purdue Northwest.
The defensive effort was anchored by libero Mia Accomazzo, who collected eight digs, while the Roadrunners' balanced attack kept Purdue Northwest from finding an answer. After the Pride stayed within three points in the opening set, MSU Denver pulled away in each of the final two frames, winning the third by 15 points.
GAME TWO: MSU Denver 3, Minnesota State 0
Minnesota State managed to stay within striking distance early in each set, but the Roadrunners consistently found another gear. MSU Denver won 25-19, 25-20 and 25-18 while hitting .291 for the match.
Gennerman took her performance to another level in the nightcap, blasting a team-high 18 kills on 41 swings while hitting .366. She also added a service ace and a block assist for 19.5 points.
Brewer continued to conduct the offense at a high level, setting a season-high with 34 assists while adding three kills on .500 hitting. The Roadrunners again received a major serving contribution, this time from Liebsack.
Just hours after Pridgett's record-tying seven-ace performance, Liebsack matched the seven-ace total of her own. She finished with 10 kills, seven aces, 15 digs and 17.5 points, giving her an impact on virtually every phase of the match.
Accomazzo also came up big defensively, leading all Roadrunners with 16 digs, while Trynity Martin added four kills and two block assists.
The Roadrunners hit just .103 in the first set before jumping to .378 in the second and an impressive .412 in the third. Minnesota State, meanwhile, hit .210 for the match and never reached the .250 mark in any individual set.
MSU Denver came back Friday and took care of business — twice. They will close out the Bulldog Classic tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. MT against University of Illinois Springfield.
