DENVER— The Colorado Mesa University volleyball team controlled the first set, winning it 25-18 but were the victim of 16 MSU Denver blocks as the Roadrunners roared back to take a 4-set (18-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-20) win in a nationally-ranking showdown between two of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's elite teams on Friday night here in the Roadrunners Auraria Event Center.
 
The Roadrunners, ranked second in the latest national poll, improved to 10-1 overall and to 3-0 in RMAC play while the Mavericks, ranked 18^th nationally, fell to 8-3 and to 2-1 in conference action.
 
The Mavericks hit .414 in the opening set but finished at just .123 as the Roadrunner blocking prowess disrupted the Maverick attack, holding the Mavs to a .046 percentage in the second through fourth sets, combined.
 
The Roadrunners, ranked second in the country in blocking coming into the night with an average of more than three per set, finished at .331 as Annika Helf put down 17 kills on .433 hitting while fellow outside hitter Riley Anderson recorded 13.  Freshman Alyssa Boyte also put down eight kills without a hitting error, good for a .727 attack percentage.  Kryssa Moerman was nearly as good with seven kills on .545 hitting.
 
The Mavs got a strong 11-kill effort from right side Sierra Hunt, who hit. 320, and another nine kills from both Stormi Tadlock and Sydney Leffler, although Leffler was guilty of nine hitting errors as well.
 
Maverick setter Sabrina VanDeList recorded 37 assists and 13 digs, good for her third double-double of the season, while libero Allison Waller added 12 digs.
 
The Mavs recorded just four blocks, three of which came in the opening set, and one service ace.
 
The Roadrunners recorded two blocks in the opening set, four in both the second and third and six in the final set as Boyte and Moerman both finished the night with seven.  Maddy Williams was involved with six while Helf added four, including two solos.
 
Additionally, the Mavericks were guilty of 14 unforced hitting errors.
 
The Mavericks recorded 15 of their 47 total kills in the opening set as Leffler put down four while Hunt and Nicole Martin added three apiece.
 
The Mavs led the frame for most of the way and were clinging to a 19-17 lead when Tadlock put down a kill before recording a pair of back-to-back blocks to help the Mavericks to what was a 7-point set win.
 
The start of the second was also tight and tied at 6 before a 9-2 Roadrunner run gave the hosts a large lead that they never relinquished.
 
The third set was also tied at six before another 7-1 Roadrunner run led to another dominant win.
 
The fourth set was the closest of the night and featured 11 separate ties, including at 17-17, before kills by Moerman and Helf helped the Roadrunners go up 19-17.  The two teams then exchanged the next four points before two Roadrunner blocks, followed by a service ace put the Roadrunners ahead 24-19.
 
Tadlock answered with a kill before Helf finished the match off for the Roadrunners.
 
CMU will return to the court on Saturday at 5 p.m. when they head to Golden for an encounter at the Colorado School of Mines.