Defense key to five-game win streak
'Runners volleyball climbs to third place in RMAC East Div.
by Nate Timmons
The Metropolitan
Metro volleyball tallied three sweeps over the weekend against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents to extend their win streak to five matches.
Carol A Djekic / The Metropolitan
Metro junior Sheena McLaughlin and freshman Andra Pedersen jump to block a spike by CU-Colorado Springs Lindsey Hillegass Thursday, Oct. 7. The Roadrunners won the match 3-0.
"I'm not going to lie," said junior defensive specialist Sarah Robbins. "We are on a roll."
Metro (10-10, 7-4 RMAC) has won six of their last seven matches to get back to .500 and position themselves for a playoff run. "I'm very proud of this team ... we keep working hard," said head coach Debbie Hendricks.
Thanks to the recent win streak, Metro sits in a third place tie with Regis in the RMAC East Division. Hendricks said her team knew how important the weekend was for their playoff future. Only the top eight teams in the RMAC earn a spot in the conference tournament, Hendricks said.
Thursday, Oct. 7, Metro swept the CU-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions (11-7, 6-4 RMAC) 30-24, 30-23, 30-23. The Roadrunners' offense was led by junior outside hitter Sheena McLaughlin with 16 kills on a .231 hit percentage. Freshman outside hitter Julie Green added 15 kills with a .387 hit percentage.
The key statistic, however, came from the 'Runners' defense. Libero Taryn Drescher, setter Sarah Lively, outside hitters Stefanie Allison and Sheena McLaughlin and Robbins each recorded double digit digs. Defense is quietly becoming the team's strong point.
"Our defense is taking a big step," Hendricks said.
While watching the games, it might be easy to become a fan of the thunderous spikes that rain down and the fast paced offense Metro plays. But defense is where Metro has been tough recently.
This team has had no problem finding offense and trading points with their opponent, but now the defense is keeping more plays alive.
"We are finally coming together," McLaughlin said.
Metro faced the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls (8-9, 6-5 RMAC) Friday, Oct. 8. The game plan was simple. "We wanted to be aggressive from the beginning and jump on them early," Lively said.
The Cowgirls had a different plan and hung with Metro in the first game. The 'Runners grabbed their first lead late, 21-20, but put together a 9-6 run to win the first game 30-26.
Metro opened the second game with eight straight points and dominated the rest of the way for a 30-15 win. The third game looked like another easy win with the Roadrunners up 25-17, but New Mexico made a run. It wasn't enough as Metro closed out the match 30-25.
Green continued to hammer spikes off opposing players as well as the gym floor and led the team with 14 kills at an astonishing .414 hit percentage. McLaughlin led the defensive effort with 19 digs.
Saturday, Oct. 9, Metro faced the RMAC West leaders. The CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves (9-11, 9-3 RMAC) were riding their own four- game win streak coming in.
Hendricks realized the importance of the match Friday evening. "It's a must win for us," Hendricks said.
The match was Metro's third game in as many nights. Overcoming physical wear would be key.
"When you play three nights in a row...the team that can overcome the physical aspect can usually win," Hendricks said.
Maintaining momentum from the previous games would help lead Metro to victory. "We fed off the two wins," Robbins said.
The 'Runners took the first game 30-20. CSU-Pueblo was having trouble blocking and spiking against the taller Roadrunner team.
In the second game, Allison blocked two consecutive Thunderwolves attempts to give her team a 13-7 lead.
You could almost see the air deflating from Pueblo during the game. Metro took advantage and played with great energy to win 30-21 and go up 2-0 at the break.
Lively came out of the break and served up two big aces for Metro. The 'Runners could sense the sweep and jumped out to an 8-1 advantage. The Thunderwolves comeback attempt brought them to within three points (21-18), but Metro would not be denied. The Roadrunners closed out the match on a 9-2 run to earn the sweep 30-20.
A tireless work ethic has been credited for the Roadrunner turnaround. The players are taking notice. "We have learned to appreciate winning," McLaughlin said.
Metro looks to push their win streak to six in a row at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15 at Western State. Metro will be at Mesa State at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. Metro welcomes Division I opponent Northern Colorado to Auraria at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19. |
