DENVER, Colo. (Nov. 19, 2021) – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team dropped a tough loss to No.1 MSU Denver in four sets on Friday night at the Auraria Event Center.
 
The ThunderWolves took a 1-0 lead over the Roadrunners after taking a 25-22 win in the first set. The Pack registered 3 blocks on the set and held MSU Denver to a .058 hitting percentage, their lowest of the match. But that wasn't enough to get the top ranked Roadrunners to crack.
 
After dropping the first set, MSU Denver responded by scoring the first four points of the second set. A block from Payton Stack (Sr., Casper, Wyo.) and Jazzy Espinoza (Jr., Cheyenne, Wyo.) gave the ThunderWolves life and forced MSU Denver Rylee Hladky to send a ball into the net and tie the game at 6-6.
 
Later in the set, back-to-back kills from Megan Mattingly (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz.) followed by an Espinoza kill from the middle sparked a 4-0 run for the ThunderWolves to give them a 15-11 lead, but the Roadrunners quickly tied the set at 15 with their own 4-0 run.
 
The ThunderWolves could taste a 2-0 advantage after Stack put down another ball from the right-side and sparked a 6-1 run for the Pack that gave them a 21-16 advantage. The Pack pushed to 24-19 before the Roadrunners scored 6-straight points to take a 25-24 lead. A stack kill followed by an ace from Hannah Delor (Jr., Marysville, Mich.) gave the Pack set point yet again, but the Roadrunners never gave up. The ThunderWolves had seven set points in the set before 3-unanswered points from the Roadrunners finally gave them a 29-27 edge.
 
The third set belonged strictly to the Roadrunners who jumped out to a 19-7 advantage. The ThunderWolves did try to gain some momentum heading into the fourth set and used a 6-1 run to cut the deficit down to 23-16 before the Roadrunners closed it out with a 25-18 win.
 
MSU Denver again jumped out to a 6-0 lead before a block, this time from Espinoza and Maddy Wisniewski (Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.), gave the Pack their first point of the set. The Pack fought back into the match as Wisniewski later put down a ball that cut the lead down to 12-22. A kill from Delor gave the Pack their first lead of the set at 18-17 but the Pack couldn't take advantage as the Roadrunners answered with 4 straight points to take a 21-18 lead.
 
Still, the ThunderWolves weren't giving up just yet.
 
Stack put down three kills on the right-side to give the Pack a 22-21 advantage as the squad looked to send the match to a decisive fifth set, but the Roadrunners had other plans. The top ranked team in the country ended the set with a 4-1 run and survived the ThunderWolves with a 25-22 win.
 
Elaine Thibadeau (Jr., Monument, Colo.) played her heart out in the back row for the ThunderWolves as the junior picked up a career-high 31 digs on the night and added 6 assists while Stack and Wisniewski put down 13 kills each. Delor recorded 7 kills while also racking up a career-high 24 digs and a service ace.
 
Even though the run for the RMAC title came to an end for the Pack, the team will tune in to the 2021 Selection Show to see if they land a spot in the NCAA DII national tournament. The show will be aired Monday, Nov. 22 at 5:30 pm.