Opening stretch hard on team
by Nate Timmons
The Metropolitan
(Carol A. Djekic / The Metropolitan)
Nebraska-Kearney junior setter (7) Bethany Splide congratulates her teammate Erin Arnold (12) after a point against the Roadrunners. Splide is ranked 24th in the nation in assists per game with a 12.18 avg.
The 'Runners lost to two Top 25 teams over the weekend, No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney Lopers and No. 15 Fort Hays State Tigers (Kansas).
Metro (3-7, 0-2 RMAC) faced Nebraska-Kearney (10-0, 1-0 RMAC) Friday, Sept. 10 at Auraria in what is becoming an ugly pattern. The 'Runners were swept 3-0 by the Lopers. The team continues to compete in every game, but have yet to find a way to win, said head coach Debbie Hendricks.
Metro's schedule has been brutal so far. "We've played a strong schedule and that makes it hard for a young team to build confidence," Hendricks said.
The Roadrunners took on Fort Hays State (8-1, 1-0 RMAC) Saturday, Sept. 11 at home. In the first game, Metro used a Julie Green spike and an Andra Pedersen block to build a 16-14 lead over the Tigers, but it wouldn't last.
The Tigers put together a 12-0 rally to go up 26-16 over Metro. The 'Runners battled back to within four points of the Tigers, but it wasn't enough. Fort Hays closed out the first game 30-25.
The second game was a forgettable one for Metro. The Tigers won easily (30-13) and Metro needed to regroup. During the 10-minute intermission Hendricks had a talk with her team. Hendricks said she told her team to take some chances in the third game and to be more aggressive with their serving. 
(Carol A. Djekic / The Metropolitan)
The volleyball team cheers after winning a point against the No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Sept. 10. The Roadrunners night ended early after they lost in three straight games, 30-17, 30-16 and 30-26.
Fort Hays won the third game 30-18. "We didn't serve aggressively," Hendricks said, "They (Fort Hays) have some nice athletes and we didn't get them out of their system."
The coach addressed what her team needs to work on and what she thinks is coming together. Hendricks said her team needs to work on terminating the ball, but she liked the way her team defended and thought they displayed better ball control against Fort Hays.
The 'Runners will look for improvement, starting with their practices. "We need to practice with more intensity," said junior middle blocker Renee Hazlewood, "We just need to start playing like a winning team again."
Freshman outside hitter Julie Green has no doubt that the team can get back on track. "We all can do it," Green said, "We just need to step up . . . and play with a kick butt mentality."
Metro travels to Colorado Christian to play the Cougars at 7 p.m., Tuesday,
Sept. 14th. The 'Runners host Chadron State at 7p.m., Friday, Sept. 17th.
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