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Metro splits at home
Metro wins first game, continues 8-game losing skid to UNK Lopers
By Pablo Cruz
pcruz1@mscd.edu

Photo by Chuck Iversen • civerse1@mscd.edu Metro outside hitter Stefanie Allison blocks a spike by a Nebraska-Kearney player in a game Sept. 16 at the Auraria Event Center. The UNK Lopers continue their eight-game unbeaten streak against Metro, outplaying the Roadrunners 3-1.

Saying farewell to four-match tournaments, the Metro women’s volleyball team battled against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents Chadron State on Sept. 15 and Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 16 at the Auraria Events Center. It was hit-and-miss for the Roadrunners as they split the weekend matches.

Metro gave their fans a short but sweet victory over the Chadron State Eagles with a 30-24, 31-29, 30-20 sweep. The ’Runners battled back and forth until they were able to pull ahead with six straight points to take the first set.

“It feels good, because that’s our goal,” middle blocker Sheena Bohannon said. “Every time we come out, we want to win the first game. We want to come out strong and intense and play hard. I’m excited.”

Bohannon, who led the team with 11 kills in the first game, just returned from a weeklong absence after coping with the death of a loved one. Bohannon said the time off allowed her injured hip to heal and served as a “nice little rest.”

The second game was the turning point of the day. The ’Runners fell into a five-point deficit, but battled back and took a 25-24 lead, which changed numerous times before Metro finished with a 31-29 win.

The ’Runners cruised to a 10-point win in the third set to finish off the Eagles and complete the sweep.

“It feels good because we haven’t won on a Friday,” defensive specialist Bri Olster said. “It is a big thing going in Saturday.”

Ostler contributed 17 digs on the defensive end.

“It feels great,” middle blocker Kelly Angel said about the sweep. “Because it’s something that we’ve really worked on mentally, coming out strong and focusing and putting the game away in three, which is what we did. We’ve worked really hard and practiced at it, so it feels really good.”

On Sept. 16 the No. 22-ranked Nebraska-Kearney turned in a one-sided performance as the Lopers took three of four games to blow away any momentum Metro had gained the night before.
In the first set Metro was able to build a five-point lead but could not hold on. The exhausted ’Runners fell 30-28.

Down but not out, the ’Runners took the second set with a score of 30-24.

The Lopers rebounded to finish off Metro 31-29 and 30-19 in the third and fourth sets, respectively.

“We just stopped battling,” head coach Debbie Hendricks said. “We battled every game but the fourth. We stopped battling and that was reflected in every phase of our game.”

With the split, the Roadrunners’ overall record falls to 6-7 and 3-3 in the RMAC.

Metro will head on the road to Regis University on Sept. 22, and then to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs to face off against the Cougars on Sept.23.