Volleyball team ruptures five-game losing streak
Roadrunners pick up first win since Sept. 3 just to fall short again
by Nate Timmons
The Metropolitan
The Metro volleyball team (4-8, 1-3 RMAC) picked up a much-needed win and lost a thriller this past week.
The 'Runners cruised to a 3-1 victory against the Colorado Christian Cougars (2-10, 0-4 RMAC) Tuesday, Sept. 14.
The Cougars snuck by Metro in the first game 33-31, but the young Roadrunners bounced back. Metro took over, thanks to Andra Pedersen's 22 kills, and swept the next three games (30-27, 30-26, 30-19). The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the 'Runners.
"After the first game we relaxed and allowed ourselves to get on track," said head coach Debbie Hendricks.
(Matt Jonas / The Metropolitan)
Junior Renee Hazlewood and sophomore Stefanie Alison jump to block a spike in the 2-3 loss to Chadron State Sept. 17. Coming into the game, the Roadrunners hadn't lost to the Eagles since 1986.
Friday, Sept. 17, Metro faced the Chadron State Eagles (7-4 , 2-1 RMAC). The 'Runners dropped the first two matches (23-30, 23-30) and found themselves in a familiar hole. This time, however, Metro was able to climb out. "We saw something out of the team that we haven't seen yet," Hendricks said.
In game three, the two teams played to a 13-13 tie. Then Metro gained the lead, a lead they would never relinquish.
The 'Runners stretched their advantage to five (26-21) after Julie Green thundered down one of her 18 kills. The Eagles would not go down quietly and pushed to within two (29-27), but Sheena McLaughlin put the game away with one of her nine kills.
Game four belonged to the Roadrunners. It was a game of multiple point runs for Metro. Using a 6-0 run, the 'Runners built a 16-8 lead. After trading points with the Eagles, Metro made a 4-0 run and led 24-15.
Metro was able to score points in numerous ways because the offense was firing on all cylinders. Momentum belonged to the 'Runners, up 27-23, when the referees made a wrong call.
After a short delay, the officials corrected themselves and awarded Metro a point after a Chadron service error.
Metro was able to overcome the delay and win the game 30-26.
The fifth and deciding game went to Chadron State 15-11. Hendricks liked what she saw in games three and four. "We saw our style for two full games," Hendricks said.
The young team gained experience in the five-game match, but Hendricks still would like for her team to play a more consistent game. "The key word right now is consistency," Hendricks said.
Metro plays in Golden against Colorado School of Mines at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24. |
