Sports

Metro volleyball loses two games against conference rivals

By Jenna Woodman
jwoodma5@mscd.edu

The No. 25 ranked Metro women's volleyball team went on the road last weekend against two of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's top teams and came out 0-2 against the tough competition

Starting off conference play against the nation's No. 3 ranked team, the University of Nebraska-Kearney, is never an easy task, but the Roadrunners were determined not to let the game slip away easily.

The first game ended in favor of the Lopers as they beat the 'Runners 30-23. Metro then came back in the second game to add a 30-23 win to its side of the scoreboard. The following two games brought scores of 30-17 and 30-25 in favor of UNK.

"We played really well in the second game," said head coach Debbie Hendricks. "We might have been a little overwhelmed by the environment and we didn't play the way we have been playing lately. That was disappointing."

Middle blocker Megan Wittenburg led the Roadrunners with a team-high of 15 kills in her determined effort against the Lopers. Senior Sheena McLaughlin followed Wittenburg's lead with an additional 14 kills for Metro.

Continuing the season against Fort Hays, the 'Runners entered the Gross Coliseum hoping to win. Though Fort Hays won the first game, it was by a narrow margin. The Tigers pulled through with a 31-29 victory and carried the winning momentum into the second game for a 30-21 victory and 30-22 in the third.

So far in 2005 the Roadrunners are 4-5, compared to 2004 when they went 3-6 in the opening nine games.

Metro returned home for one game against Colorado Christian University on Tuesday Sept. 13. The Roadrunners' next game is on Friday Sept. 16, when Metro again travels to Nebraska to face Chadron State College.