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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
Metro's volleyball team split their two road matches against Mesa State Oct. 3 and Fort Lewis College Oct. 4 to stay in contention for home court in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
If the competition from the two teams the Roadrunners were facing wasn't hard enough with both teams sporting a combined 12-2 record in the RMAC, the road trip to Grand Junction on Friday only to have to make it to Durango the following night was a fight in itself.
"It was a grueling road trip," Metro head coach Debbie Hendricks said. "We had to travel through the night (after the Mesa State game) ... and it was just taxing."
The Roadrunners (8-7, 6-2 RMAC) were to set to battle on Friday and have been butting heads with conference foes without a single senior. But the team looked a little older this past weekend, defeating a very tough Mavericks squad on their home floor.
Both teams entered the contest with identical 5-1 records in the RMAC, but it was the road team, who blasted out of the gate taking the first two games. The 'Runners quickly grabbed the first two games by scores of 25-16 and 25-23.
But Metro showed flashes of those rookie mistakes after allowing the Mavericks to rally in the next two games to force a game five.
To start the fifth game, the Roadrunners took full advantage of six Maverick attack errors to jump out to a 7-1 lead. It was just the spark needed for Metro to take the final game and the road victory.
"We came out strong, but we lost momentum." Hendricks said. "They played very well in those two games. But it was our turn to respond, and we played lights out."
The young squad also did a stellar job of holding Preseason All-RMAC first team player Jessica Bird, the Mavericks' middle blocker, to only five kills and forced her to commit five errors. Metro also had 11 blocks on the evening.
Needless to say, the nine-year head coach was proud of what her team accomplished in hostile territory in front of 500 fans.
"I was," Hendricks said. "We served aggressively, we ran our offense effectively and we blocked well."
While the win was a fulfilling one for Metro, it was on to Durango, where they looked to upend the top team in the RMAC West Division. The Skyhawks were picked to win the West Division by the preseason polls, and they had yet to disappoint, racing out to a 7-1 record.
Metro may have been overmatched by Fort Lewis, as the 'Runners were quickly swept [3-0] by the home team at Whalen Gymnasium. It took only an hour and a half for the Skyhawks to dispatch the visiting team.
"I would have liked for us to play better against Fort Lewis," Hendricks said. "But it is always tough when you have to play back-to-back nights in the RMAC."
Fort Lewis was led by Offensive RMAC Player of the Week Jessica Bailey, who registered 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage. It was the second time Bailey has won the award. Outside hitter Chelsea Flaming led the team with 15 kills.
The Roadrunners failed to record a double-digit kill total from anyone on the team and the sloppiness returned as they committed 23 attack errors. Newcomers Amanda Cook and Bri Morley led the team in kills with eight and nine respectively, but also faltered with seven attack errors apiece.
The 1-1 weekend improves Metro's record to 6-2 in the RMAC, but they have the uninviting pleasure of playing three games in three days. It is more of a RMAC Tournament style of schedule, and it may prove difficult for a team with so many new faces to adjust to.
"I'm not worried," Hendricks said. "Our team we have to rise against a different kind of challenge this weekend. We are going to prepare, and I think we match up well with all three of those teams. It will be a little bit new for some our players, but I like the order in which we will see those teams."
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