DENVER – The No. 18 MSU Denver volleyball team opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a statement Saturday afternoon, rallying from an opening-set loss to defeat Colorado School of Mines 3-1 at the Auraria Event Center.
The Roadrunners dropped the opening set 25-20 before responding with three straight victories, taking the second set 25-21 before edging the Orediggers 26-24 and 26-24 in two tightly contested sets to close out the match.
With the victory, MSU Denver improved to 5-4 overall and 1-0 in RMAC play while snapping a three-match losing streak. Mines fell to 7-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
After struggling to find its rhythm early, MSU Denver settled in during the second set and steadily took control of the match. The Roadrunners hit .269 in the second set and finished with 19 kills, responding to the Orediggers' early advantage with one of their strongest offensive stretches of the afternoon.
The third set proved to be a turning point.
Neither team was able to create much separation throughout the frame, with the set featuring nine ties and four lead changes. MSU Denver ultimately held its nerve late, overcoming Mines to secure a 26-24 victory and take a 2-1 lead.
The Roadrunners again found themselves in a battle in the fourth set, but once again came through in the closing points. After another tightly contested frame that featured nine ties and two lead changes, MSU Denver finished off the Orediggers 26-24 to complete the comeback.
Brooke Gennerman powered the Roadrunners throughout the afternoon, delivering a career-high 25 kills on 71 attacks while hitting .225. Her 71 attacks were also a team high by a wide margin, as the sophomore continued her impressive start to the season.
Gennerman's 25 kills surpass her previous career high of 24 kills, which she recorded during last weekend's Colorado Premier Challenge. She entered Saturday as the RMAC leader in kills and added another impressive performance to her conference-leading total.
Gennerman wasn't alone offensively, as Kami Scott and Mayah Pridgett each recorded 11 kills, while Hayden Liebsack added 10 kills in three sets.
Pridgett was particularly efficient, hitting .280 on 25 attacks, while Scott hit .235 on 34 attacks.
The Roadrunners also produced a season-best effort at the net, recording 14 block assists. Trynity Martin and Scott led the way with four block assists apiece, while Pridgett added three block assists.
GabriElle Brewer continued to orchestrate the MSU Denver offense, finishing with 50 assists and two service aces. The Roadrunners finished with 68 kills on 200 attacks and hit .205 as a team.
Defensively, libero Mia Accomazzo paced the Roadrunners with 20 digs, while Megan Hagar added 18 digs. MSU Denver finished with 81 digs overall, helping the Roadrunners withstand several late pushes from the Orediggers.
Saturday's victory marked the first RMAC win of the season for first-year head coach Stacie Meisner and gave the Roadrunners a much-needed bounce-back performance following a difficult stretch at the Colorado Premier Challenge.
MSU Denver will look to carry the momentum into its next conference matchup when it travels to Colorado Springs to face UCCS Tuesday at 6 p.m.
