Alva Review-Courier -

SEATTLE – American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason No. 11 Cal State San Bernardino (1-0) proved to be too much for MSU Denver (RV; 0-1) in the season opener for both schools Thursday night, defeating the Roadrunners in straight sets (18-25, 17-25, 22-25). The Red & Blue fought hard to take the match to a fourth set, going on a 5-1 run deep in the final frame, but fell short in the first game of the dual-site Falcon-Wildcat Invitational.

"Tonight was not our best performance," third-year head coach Jenny Glenn said following the match. "We were high-error as a group and we can't afford to give up points against good teams. We will look to play more efficient volleyball tomorrow."

Senior Santaisha Sturges (Parker, Colo./Regis Jesuit) paced the Roadrunners with a team-high nine kills, while fellow seniors Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) and Stephanie Laraway (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood) added eight and seven kills, respectively. Sophomore defensive specialist Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) led the squad with 16 digs, while Laraway posted six blocks to lead the team. Sophomore Jessa Megenhardt (Berthoud, Colo./Berthoud) and junior Morgan Weatherwax (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) split setter duties, as Megenhardt recorded a team-best 12 assists while Weatherwax chipped in nine.

Set One: MSU Denver jumped out to an 11-7 lead on the strength of two kills each from Sturges and Duryea, forcing the Coyotes to take a timeout. Cal State San Bernardino then went on a 13-4 run to take a 20-15 lead, controlling the remainder of the frame to win 25-18.

Set Two: While action was tight early with CSUSB leading 6-5, the Coyotes quickly went on a 9-3 run to make it 15-8. After the Roadrunners got within five at 18-13, the Coyotes notched six straight points to force a set-point situation at 24-13. MSU Denver rallied for four consecutive points, but Cal State San Bernardino eventually took the set, 25-17.

Set Three: Starting with more back-and-forth action early, set three was the most competitive of the night. A Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View) kill gave MSU Denver the serve with the Coyotes leading 10-8, but Cal State San Bernardino responded with a 6-0 run to double up the Roadrunners, 16-8. MSU Denver battled back with a big 7-1 run of its own, getting within two at 17-15 before the Coyotes called a timeout. A 5-1 Coyote run after the break made it 22-16, which was too big a lead for MSU Denver to overcome as CSUSB eventually took the set, 25-22, for the sweep.

The Roadrunners will be back in action tomorrow night in their second match of the Falcon-Wildcat Invitational, traveling to Ellensburg, Wash., for a matchup with Central Washington, who received 11 votes in the preseason edition of the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. First serve is set for 7 p.m. MT. Fans can watch the action live, follow live stats or visit the tournament central site at the links above. Follow @MSUDenverVB and @MSUDenverSports on Twitter for more information.