Sports

Big road wins for volleyball

By Jennifer Hankins
jhankin4@mscd.edu

On Sept. 13, in the Auraria Event Center, the Metro women's volleyball team was striking.

The Roadrunners' power and skills came alive in the three-game sweep against Colorado Christian University with conquering scores of 30-16, 30-5, and 30-15.

Both victories came in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.

"I think we played really well," said Roadrunner coach Debbie Hendricks. "We did not lose focus or get sloppy. We managed to keep control despite the other side and I think that shows some maturity."

Maturity is saying the least for the Roadrunners, who have come a long way since the tough losses they faced against University of Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State University on Sept. 9 and 10.

Six players had at least five kills each for Metro. The effort was led by Stefanie Allison and Megan Wittenburg, each with eight. Sheena McLaughlin and Renee Hazlewood had six kills individually. Taryn Drescher had 14 digs and freshman Kylie Schmeeckle served four aces, all in game three.

When asked about the 16 unanswered points in the second game, it was easy to see Hendricks was a proud coach of her offense.

"Stefanie did a fantastic job; she was really aggressive and did not break focus," Hendricks said. "The offense was really balanced. We executed a good flow and showed some great playing."

With the win over the Cougars, Metro advanced to 5-5 overall, 1-2 in the RMAC. Team members said they have a positive attitude and that they're continuing to progress and improve as the season rolls on.

"We got set back last weekend, talked about it and we focused on our troubles and responded to them," said Coach Hendricks. "We need to work on our unforced errors and have a more consistent attitude and aggressiveness."

After the win over the Cougars, the women's volleyball team went back to Nebraska to face Chadron State College on Sept. 16.

The Roadrunners earned their second consecutive sweep against the Eagles as they went on to defeat Chadron 3-0.

Metro hit an outstanding .656 in game one and swept Chadron 30-20, 30-23 and 30-16 in conference play at Armstrong Gym.

The 'Runners' players put up more big numbers in the win over the Eagles, who are now 1-10 in the 2005 regular season.

"The first game was one of our best all year," said Hendricks. "We moved the ball around well and our outside hitters played very well. Offensively, we were very effective in that first game."

Senior Sheena McLaughlin led the way for Metro with 16 kills in the match, while sophomore setter Gabriell Curtis provided a staggering 43 assists.

Metro was quick on offense and finished off its opponent in a mere hour and 27 minutes.

Junior Stephanie Allison was honored as an RMAC "Ace" Performer for her week-four effort. Allison had 8 kills against CCU and another 15 against Chadron State. Her attack percentage was a season-high of .283.

With the win on the road, the 'Runners worked their way above a .500 winning percentage. They are now 5-6 on the season and 2-2 in the RMAC.

The Roadrunners continue the RMAC season Sept. 23 at the Auraria Event Center when they host Colorado School of Mines.