She started her volleyball career at Metro by winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference freshman of the year honor. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. She has won two RMAC championships and last year’s player of the year vote. She was even named to the All-American second team.

by Steve Stoner - The Metropolitan

Metro volleyball setter Devon Herron returns for her senior year to help lead the Roadrunners to another successful season.

Growing up in Spokane, Wash., she started playing volleyball in fifth grade with her friends, and unlike most of her friends, she stuck with it. In high school she earned and an all-state mention. She has spent half of her life playing volleyball.

She is setter Devon Herron, and she is ready to kick butt this year, her senior year. Her teammates and coach all expect great things from her and Herron said she is ready to produce.

“She’s the best setter I’ve ever played with,” said Herron’s teammate and roommate Shawna Gilbert. “She’s constantly working hard.”

Herron said all those years of volleyball have shaped and molded her life along with making her a stellar setter.

“Volleyball as a whole at Metro has changed my whole life and shaped my personality,” she said.

She said that playing volleyball under head coach Debbie Hendricks has lead her to understand competition and playing with and against different people. It has taught her about building friendships and trust and how to deal with laughter and tears (sometimes at the same time).

“You create memories you never forget,” Herron said.

Herron, who is known by Gilbert as outgoing and confident, said she has not always been like that.

“Before volleyball I was shy and intimidated by people,” Herron said.

Gilbert said, “I’ve seen a big change in her. She is more confident, a leader of the team.”

Hendricks said the leadership among the team is “amazing.” Along with the other three seniors, it is that leadership that Hendricks is counting on this year to lead the team to their third RMAC championship and a strong showing at regionals.

Herron said volleyball has taught her to be disciplined so that she can help set the team toward victories. But she also said the discipline applied to other aspects of herself as well.

“I learned to stand up for myself,” she said. “I’ve become more structured and outgoing.”

She said Hendricks has taught her team that volleyball is like the rest of life.

“Volleyball, like life, is not always sugar-coated,” Herron said.

She said she has learned about teamwork, getting the job done and how to work with people in normal as well as tough situations.

by Steve Stoner - The Metropolitan

Metro's senior volleyball setter, Devon Herron works on her technique during practice on Aug. 26. The team will play their first series of the season Aug. 29-30 on the road at the University of Alabama Tournament.

“You can really relate everything to volleyball,” Herron said.

Herron said Hendricks is a major part of why she chose to attend and play volleyball at Metro. In fact, she had already committed to go to a different school (she declined to say which), when she was recruited by Metro assistant coach Todd Raasch. She decided to visit Metro, where she met Hendricks.

“I knew right away we were a lot alike,” Herron said. “I wanted to be around that.”

She said it has been great working with Hendricks, they both had the same first year at Metro and have been together since Fall 2000.

“She’s easily the best coach I’ve ever had in my life,” Herron said, adding that she is very demanding, but in a good way.

“I think we’ll be friends for the rest of my life,” Herron said about Hendricks.

Friendships are a big part of Herron’s volleyball experience. She values friendships with her coach, her fans and definitely her teammates.

“My team’s great,” Herron said. “Everyone is friends, especially the seniors. We’ve been working really hard together and we’re on the same page and have the same goals,” she said.

She said volleyball, school and a work-study job do not leave very much room for a social life,

“Volleyball takes up a tremendous amount of time, but it’s very worth it,” Herron said.

Herron said she still finds room for a little social time, particularly with her boyfriend.

She spends some of her time filing and running errands in Metro’s president’s office. She worked there last year when Sheila Kaplan was president and has been there since Ray Kieft has taken over as interim president. She said there hasn’t been a huge difference, but she said Kieft is “so friendly to the work-studies. He’s a neat guy,” Herron said.

At Metro, Herron is studying the sports industry, with her sights on someday working for or managing a major sports team like the Broncos or the Nuggets. Another possibility in Herron’s future would be to manage the venue that the teams play at. She imagines herself being in charge of Invesco at Mile High or the Pepsi Center.

“I definitely want to be involved in sports for the rest of my life,” Herron said.

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'Our players this season are twice as good than what we had last year..'
- Eric Butler, Men's soccer goalkeeper

Metro soccer season is fast approaching and with the disappointment of last season it couldn’t arrive soon enough for the players. With the first game of the season on Aug. 28, the Roadrunners are set with a young, fast lineup that intends to surprise the competition. This year’s team has a mixture of seasoned veterans and new talent that will make this season fun to watch.

Senior goalkeeper Eric Butler, who missed much of last season due to a right knee injury, has his eyes set on making this year a great one. “ We are a lot more offensive this year,” Butler said, “Our players this season are twice as good than what we had last year.”

by Shannon Davidson - The Metropolitan

Goalkeeper Eric Butler, who sustained many injuries last season will be rejoining the team in good condition this year.

When asked about what he noticed most about this year’s team compared to previous teams, Butler said that unlike last year, when most of the team wasn’t focused, this year’s team is coming into the season with a different mentality; focused on playing soccer and winning.

Butler noticed that soccer changed between his first year and this season. “When I was a freshman I was not nervous about playing, but I’m more nervous playing now than I was last season,” said Butler.

Couple Butler’s self-consciousness with his new position as team captain, and Butler is now experiencing being looked at as a leader.

“ My responsibility is to kind of make sure that the job gets done.” Butler said. “One of the first days of practice one of the freshmen arrived late. We address that and now he arrives early.”

The transition between playing then and now does not just mean how he plays on the field but also how he deals with school.

“I had a tough time handling school my freshman year, that was tough. Now school is my job.”

Being the goalkeeper does stop Butler from being in an offensive mind set.

“I can kick the ball pretty far, push team forward. Get the ball on Tony’s (freshman teammate Antonio Porras) foot. I’m really competitive and don’t like to lose.”

Asked about freshman Porras and what kind of player he is, Butler says that Porras is better than the majority of the players the Roadrunners had last year.

“He is one of our best players. He is our goal scorer.” Butler said.

Porras was recruited out of Heritage High School in Littleton. He decided to come to Metro after the soccer coaches watched him play, and because his friends also decided to come here.

The 5 feet 9 inch tall forward knows that the soccer environment in college is very different than in high school.

“It feels good… (competing against) different players who are a lot more physical.” Porras said.

Practices are different than what Porras had to deal with in high school, as well. The practices focus on trying to fix the problems that plagued the team last year.

“The practices work on a lot of defense and physical play.” Porras said.

There are many areas in which Porras wants to excel this year. One of his goals is to make sure that the team works well together. The practices are devoted to making the team come together.

“My perfect game would be if the team works well and we come away with a win,” he said. “I would have a couple assists or maybe a goal.”

Porras is all about being a team player and he knows about the past and hopes that he can bring this soccer talent into this year’s team. He views himself as both a scorer and an assister.

Porras will be seeing a lot of playing time since he already knows that he will be a starting forward. He said that now that he is in college that soccer would be a major focus throughout college. Porras agrees with Butler that this year’s team is more talented than last year’s team.

“This team will surprise a lot of people.” Porras said. “This is a hard-working team.”
Looking ahead to this season, don’t be shocked if the men’s soccer team blows away the competition, with a totally new-looking team, where there are 13 underclassmen on the roster.

This team doesn’t resemble teams of the past. With every player bringing a full commitment to the season it should be fun to watch. The explosive, fast-paced offensive talent of Porras, combined with the other young stars on the team, will force opponents to attempt to slow the team. Blend that with the return of a solid presence in front of the goal, and this team should be able to hold its own against anyone they play this season.  

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