MSU Denver MSUD 21-1,14-0 RMAC

Regis (CO) Regis 16-6,12-2 RMAC

MSU Denver MSUD

21-1,14-0 RMAC

Final

Oct. 22, 2022

Regis (CO) Regis

16-6,12-2 RMAC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
MSU Denver MSUD	23	25	25	25	(3)
Regis (CO) Regis	25	19	14	16	(1)

Summary
Box Score

Billy Saunders, Regis Athletics

Klaudia Sowizral had nine kills Saturday in a 3-1 loss to MSU Denver.

Game Recap: Volleyball | Oct 22 | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

No. 18 Rangers nab first set, but unable to knock off No. 2 MSU Denver

DENVER, Colo. — The Regis Fieldhouse played host to nearly 600 fans and some premier Division II volleyball action on Saturday afternoon as crosstown rivals, and top-20 nationally ranked foes, No. 2 MSU Denver and No. 18 Regis University squared off in a match with major playoff implications.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, their bid to hand the No. 2 Roadrunners their first conference loss of the fall came up just short as Regis fell in four sets: 25-23, 19-25, 14-25 and 16-25.

"It was a great matchup, great rivalry and a match that is what college athletics is all about. I thought we had an excellent crowd for a Saturday afternoon and I want to give them props for coming out," said Regis head volleyball coach, Joel List. "The first two sets were really tight, but then in the third set we kind of wavered and just weren't quite there."

HOW IT HAPPENED: Feeding off the energy in the building, Regis (16-6 overall, 12-2 RMAC) took advantage of some early miscues by the Roadrunners (21-1 overall, 14-0 RMAC), jumping out to a 5-1 lead courtesy of five errors by MSU Denver.

"In that first set, MSU Denver was making some unforced and uncharacteristic errors, which is nerves, but that was the environment we knew we were going into," List said. "Both sides had a little bit of nerves, but I think we took advantage of the home court advantage."

The Rangers would never trail in the first set, limiting a powerful MSU Denver offense to a .167 attack percentage and keeping their at a jabs' distance en route to a 25-23 win.

Senior middle blocker Nadine Burbrink smashed down five of her team-high 15 kills in the first to help pace the Regis offense. Burbrink would finish the evening with 15 kills versus three errors on 27 swings for a sizzling .444 attack percentage.

"We needed someone to be able to go out and swing and she was working very hard. All those points came from different ways, whether she was behind the setter or in front of the setter," List said. "She scored in several different ways and that's what we needed. I think we kind of got one-dimension later in the match and that was a little to our demise, but Nadine wasn't that way in her attack."

The Rangers put themselves in a position to capture a commanding 2-0 set lead, holding a 16-14 advantage midway through Set Two, before the Roadrunners were able to flip the script. MSU Denver went on a 7-0 burst to capture a 21-16 lead, propelled by it's outside hitters Rylee Hladky and Kaylee Corsentino, who finished with 14 kills and 11 kills Saturday, respectively.

"Metro's outside hitters started scoring a lot more as the match wore on. We tried to adjust a couple things with our defense, but credit to them. They're a good team," List said. "Their outside scoring created that gap in the second set and we weren't quite able to adjust in time. That was a crucial set."

MSU Denver fed off the momentum change, storming out to a 7-2 lead in Set Three and a 10-5 lead in Set Four to hold off the Rangers.

With the win Saturday, MSU Denver now owns a two-game lead over Regis in the RMAC standings with four regular season games remaining, while the Rangers are now tied for second place in the standings with No. 20 Colorado School of Mines.

"Efficiency is our big takeaway. When you're playing good teams, they don't give you a lot of points. So if we make a mistake here or there, whether it's a block, serve error or missed defensive strategy, it all adds up and makes a difference," List said. "Against good teams, you have to figure out how to score all those little points. We talk about the inches it takes to win games and (Saturday) we just didn't grasp all those inches."

GAME NOTES:

Graduate student right-side hitter Klaudia Sowizral finished with nine kills in her first start after a two match absence.
Sophomore middle blocker Amelia Davis tallied eight kills on a .381 attack percentage, while senior outside hitter Halle Theis had seven kills.
Senior setter Mara LeGrand capped her strong weekend with two kills, 32 assists and 10 digs for her 10^th double-double of 2022.
Freshman defensive specialist Kylie Stremmel led all Regis players with 12 digs.

UP NEXT: The Rangers now prepare to head back on the road next weekend with matchups against New Mexico Highlands University (6 p.m. Friday) and Adams State University (5 p.m. Saturday).

Entering the stretch run of the regular season, List said the team knows it has some areas to address but is confident the Rangers will be able to learn from Saturday's loss and be a dangerous team come RMAC Tournament time in mid-November.

"These last two matches this weekend exposed a lot of things that we need to work on, and we kind of knew about these areas, but now it is apparent," List said. "We have a couple things to clean up, but as long as we make those adjustments I feel good about our chances moving forward into the conference tournament."

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