Metro ready for post-season
Volleyball goes on the road to defend RMAC title
by Nate Timmons
The Metropolitan
This time last year, the top seeded Metro volleyball team was getting ready to host the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament. This season, however, the 'Runners earned the fourth seed and must go on the road to defend their conference title.
The Roadrunners (16-13, 13-6 RMAC) closed out the regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Chadron State Eagles.
The 'Runners were sad the season was over, but anxious for their playoff opportunity, freshman Julie Green said.
The big three outside hitters for Metro again led the offensive onslaught against the Eagles (11-15, 6-12 RMAC). Sophomore Sheena McLaughlin registered a match-high 20 kills on a .317 hit percentage. Not to be outdone, Green and sophomore Stefanie Allison added 17 and 15 kills each.
The win allowed Metro to avenge its heartbreaking loss to Chadron back on Sept. 17 when the Eagles came into the nest and beat Metro in five games, 3-2. The Roadrunners rallied to win the third and fourth games, but their comeback fell short as Chadron won the fifth and deciding game, 11-15.
This time around it was Metro winning the first two games, 30-27 and 32-30. Chadron attempted to imitate the 'Runner rally by winning the third game 30-25. The Eagle rally fell short as Metro dominated the fourth game with an impressive 30-12 routing.
In the win, Metro potentially suffered a big loss. During the first game against Chadron, junior middle blocker Renee Hazlewood sustained a knee injury that sidelined her for the rest of the match. Head coach Debbie Hendricks said Hazlewood would undergo an x-ray to find out the extent of the injury. Her status for the RMAC tournament will be announced later this week.
Metro will face the fifth seeded New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls in the first-round of the RMAC tournament. The 'Runners defeated the Cowgirls (13-13, 11-8 RMAC) in three straight games on Oct. 8.
New Mexico did not play up to their capability in their first match, according to Hendricks.
"We've got to make sure we don't look past them," Hendricks said.
The Roadrunner game plan is to serve aggressively and get the Cowgirls out of their system, Hendricks said. An advantage for Metro could be that the team played in Kearney, Neb. just two weeks ago and the Cowgirls have not played in Kearney all season. The crowd at the Health and Sports Center should be packed with fans and be a factor during the games, according to Hendricks.
"That's something we need to capitalize on," Hendricks said.
The 'Runners game starts at 4 p.m. Nov. 12 in Kearney, Neb. To stay updated on the RMAC tournament results log on to www.gometrostate.com. |
