DENVER, Colo. – The defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament Champions, the Regis University volleyball team (19-10, 14-4 RMAC) had their run cut short this year at the hands of the Metropolitan State University of Denver Roadrunners (20-8, 15-3 RMAC) in four sets on Tuesday evening. 
 
How it Happened: The No. 4 seeded Roadrunners came out and played their best match against No. 5 seeded Regis when it really mattered. After going 2-0 against MSU Denver this season, the Rangers had a rough time getting anything to go their way in a 3-1 loss.
 
The first set featured a .000 attack percentage from RU while the home side swung at a .303 clip. This led to more than three huge scoring runs for the Roadrunners who had a lead of nine, 20-11, before Regis was able to cut it to five points, 15-20, capped off by a big kill from freshman Kate Kleinschmidt. MSU Denver would not back down as they continued to roll offensively, eventually winning the opening set 25-16. 
 
With the first set in the books, the second set provided an opportunity for the Rangers to tie the game at one set apiece and mount their comeback. However, the home squad had other plans. Despite the hitting percentage improving for RU (.114) and declining for the Roadrunners (.235) the result remained the same. Regis actually found themselves in control 12-11 midway through the set, but an preposterous 9-0 run from MSU Denver flipped the entire match around. The home side went on to win the match 25-20 despite a late rally from the Rangers. 
 
With their tournament lives on the line, RU faced a critical third set that could make or break their season. In response, Regis catapulted out to a 7-1 lead to start the third set. After a few back-and-forth points, the home side began to pick up some momentum, creeping back to take a 17-16 lead. Trailing by one-point late in the match, the Rangers dug deep to pull off an 8-0 run bringing up set-point at 24-17. After a couple Roadrunner points, junior setter Silvia Basso found fellow junior Kelsey Green who gave RU their first win in three sets, 25-19. 
 
Again, Regis faced elimination in the fourth set. This time they scored the opening four points of the set, even taking a 5-1 lead right after surrendering a point. Once again, the resilient MSU Denver squad bounced back to tie the game at five points apiece. It was a up-and-down game for both squads. With set-point in hand, 24-21, that is where it all went wrong for the Rangers. Two kills by the Roadrunners, followed by two errors from the RU attack, and just like that the home team had a 25-24 lead. After a timeout from RU, MSU Denver ended the match with the final kill shot, taking the match with a 26-24 dramatic win in the fourth set. 
 
Game Notes: Junior Nikki Kennedy and sophomore Caitlyn Burroway finished with a team-high 11 kills. Junior Izzy Gosar had 10, but the next closest was Green who tallied five kills. Burroway added another double-double to her impressive season with 13 digs on the night. Basso also had 13 digs to go along with 39 assists, but it was senior libero Kristina Schell who recorded a match-high 20 digs in the game. Kennedy posted six total blocks in the match, with Green adding four and Gosar recording two. As a team, Regis combined to hit .136 on the night with 25 attacking errors.

Up Next for the Rangers: The fate of the Regis volleyball team is up in the air. With an early exit from the tournament, no one can say for sure if the team will earn an at-large bid to the South Central Regional of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. After all conferences finish their tournaments this weekend, the NCAA will have a selection show on Sunday, November 11 at 8 p.m. MST to announce the field.
 
The link to the selection show can be found here.