Box Score LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands volleyball team (4-6, 0-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fought to a decisive win in the second set, but Metropolitan State University of Denver (7-2, 1-0 RMAC) took control in the third and fourth frames as the Roadrunners claimed a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-11, 25-13) win over the Cowgirls Thursday night (Sept. 18) in the RMAC opener for both teams.
The Cowgirls fell behind 7-3 in the first set and could not take the lead. After a service error put the visitors up 5-3, Summer Greager – who recorded a match-best 12 kills and added 10 digs for the double-double – put MSU Denver up four with a kill. Down 16-13, freshman
Tianna Matthews tallied a kill and Greager hit an attack error, but the Cowgirls climbed no closer. Sophomore
Andrea Nunez led all hitters in the set with four kills, but MSU Denver outhit Highlands .258-.185 in the frame.
Nunez finished the match with a team-best 10 kills.
Like the first set, a team led throughout. This time, it was the Cowgirls turn as they never relinquished the lead and went on to win by seven. Nunez started off the set fast with a kill before a Nunez-freshman
Katie Trammel assisted block put the home team up two. After the Roadrunners tied it up, Highlands notched four of the next five points. Two MSU Denver errors put the Cowgirls up 4-2. After a sideout, Nunez recorded a kill and sophomore
Tarissa Mellin recorded her lone ace to make it 6-3.
Up 18-14 later in the second set, the Cowgirls put the Roadrunners away. Freshman
Shayli Schulz put herself on serve with a kill, followed by senior
Alicia Moreno's kill off an overpass and a Schulz ace put Highlands up seven. The lead ballooned to 23-15 on Moreno's ace as the Cowgirls won the set by seven.
Highlands hit a match-high .400 in the set to tie the match.
MSU Denver came out on fire in the third set. Schulz actually recorded the first point with a kill, but the Roadrunners preceded to score the next seven points, six on Greager's serve. Lauren Quijano put the visitors on serve and spikes by Kylie Haun and Julia Dorsey put MSU Denver up three. Quijano and Dorsey recorded an assisted block, followed by a solo rejection from Haun. A Highlands error and a kill by Dorsey ended MSU Denver's run and forced a Cowgirls timeout. The Roadrunners hit .550 in the frame compared to .000 for Highlands.
The fourth set was a game of runs with Highlands coming out on the short end. In the first six points, MSU Denver only had a service error and led 5-1. Highlands scored the next four points on a Moreno kill and three Roadrunner errors. MSU Denver took the next eight points and won the set by 12, never leading by less than six the rest of the way.
Highlands returns to action tomorrow when it hosts #16 Colorado School of Mines. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
