Sweet regular season ends in sour DU loss

No. 11 Roadrunners head into RMAC tournament hoping for regionals

By Melisa Bundy
The Metropolitan

As the Dave Matthews Band blared from the speakers in the University of Denver Field House Nov. 11, the Metro womenâs volleyball team warmed up for a cooling off.

Metro played its last game of the regular season and lost 3-1 (17-15, 15-10, 13-15, 15-5).

In Game 1 the Roadrunners took control,  scoring five points before DU coach Beth Kuwata called a time out to slow Metroâs momentum.

Metroâs blocking helped the Roadrunners keep the lead. The Pioneers rallied to trail by three points. The teams battled back and forth with the Roadrunners continuing to lead until the Pioneers made their move, tying the match at 13-13. DU eventually won.

Metro struggled as DU took an early lead in Game 2 and kept it throughout, despite some great blocking from Metroâs Holly Rice.

The Roadrunners managed to win Game 3 before getting blown off the floor uncharacteristically in Game 4.

ãOne of our big problems was we made too many hitting errors,ä McDermott said. ãWe out-blocked them, and we had more aces than them.

ãWe couldnât stop their middle attack. Itâs the best middle attack Iâve seen all year.ä
 

Metro played without two of its starters: Shannon Ortell, who sprained her thumb during warm ups, and Audra Littou who had to come out because of a respiratory infection, McDermott said.

McDermott is less concerned with two starters missing a regular season finale against a non-conference foe than she is with the prospect of the players missing the Nov. 14-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.

At press time, both Littou and Ortell were expected to play. But McDermott said she could hold Ortel out of the first game Nov. 14 with Adams State.

If one of the injured players is unable to play, Janaina Peruzzo will fill in, McDermott said.

The Roadrunners will need at least one win in the RMAC tournament  to secure a place in the Nov. 21-22 Regional Tournament where the top four teams in the region will battle for a trip to the Elite Eight national tournament.

The Roadrunners enter the RMAC showdown ranked second in the region behind Regis.

ãI think we need to play with confidence,ä McDermott said. ãIf we just play like we can, we will be all right.ä

McDermott said she thinks her team has a chance of winning the conference tournament, which boasts five ranked teams in the eight team field.

But getting by No. 4 Regis or No. 13 Nebraska-Kearney would be a chore.

The Roadrunners have split two games with both Kearney and Regis. The win over Kearney was the first for Metro in eight years.

McDermott knows it will be tough but she remains  optimistic.
ãIt was pretty close last time (with Regis),ä McDermott said. ãThat wonât be an easy task.ä