MSUDenverVB: Roadrunners Start Fast, but Can't Finish in Falling to Central Washington
August 26, 2018
ELLENSBURG, Wash. – After a promising start, the Metropolitan State University of Denver volleyball team couldn't hold off host Central Washington on Friday night and dropped to 0-2 to start the season.
The Roadrunners claimed the first set but couldn't keep up with the Wildcats in the 3-1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-16, 25-20) setback at Nicholson Pavilion during Day Two of the Falcon-Wildcat Invitational.
"Tonight was a step forward for this group, although we still didn't get the outcome we set out for," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "We improved in areas of our game that we struggled in last night (in a loss to 11th-ranked Cal State San Bernardino). Central Washington is a very good team that puts a lot of pressure on you offensively and is difficult to score on."
Alexis Benda (Las Cruces, N.M./Oñate) had 11 kills and Alyssa Kelling (Merton, Wis./Arrowhead) had nine for the Roadrunners, who couldn't overcome a rough stretch in the second and third sets and started slow in the fourth set before finishing well. Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) had 21 digs, and Morgan Weatherwax (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) set 25 assists.
Makala Swart had 15 kills to lead Central Washington (1-0).
MSU Denver has started the season 0-2 for only the second time in the past 11 seasons – but the 2015 team did recover to go 20-12 and reach the NCAA Division II tournament, part of a streak of 18 straight postseason trips.
Like MSU Denver, Central Washington received votes in the AVCA preseason Division II national Top 25 poll. The Wildcats are picked to finish second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Set One: Benda had five kills and Kelling added four to pace the Roadrunners, who hit .235 for the set. MSU Denver raced to leads of 7-3, 10-4 and 14-6. But the Wildcats clawed back into the set, pulling within 14-11 and 15-12, before MSU Denver regained control.
Set Two: MSU Denver committed 10 errors and hit -.100 in the set, as Central Washington jumped out to leads of 5-0 and 11-3 and never looked back.
Set Three: The host school raised its level of play in the third set. After surrendering the first two points, Central Washington scored five in a row to take control and eventually led 15-5. The Wildcats hit .238 in the set, their best of the night. After falling behind, MSU Denver began to play more efficiently but couldn't cut into the deficit.
Set Four: After immediately falling behind 5-0 and still trailing 8-3 and 13-7, the Roadrunners sprang to life and scored the next five points to pull within 13-12. But they could never get the set tied and couldn't get another point after coming within 22-20. Led by Benda's four kills, MSU Denver had its best attacking set of the night, hitting .256.
The Roadrunners complete their stay in the Falcon-Wildcat Invitational on Saturday, facing Fresno Pacific at 11 a.m. MDT and Seattle Pacific at 5 p.m. MDT. 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.
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