DENVER - Alex Nuttall had 17 kills but the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs volleyball team nonetheless dropped a 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23) decision to the Metro State Roadrunners Friday evening at the Auraria Events Center.
Five Roadrunners scored in double-digit kills, led by Emily Greenhalgh's 18. Bri Morley (17), Anna Mapes (14), Julie Causseaux (13) and Lisa Jones (11) all reached double digits as well as Metro State built a 73-43 advantage in kills. That gap was offset by 27 Roadrunner hitting errors and 17 service errors.
Nikki Kinzer added eight kills for UCCS.
Molly Crockett, who has played sparingly because of injury, had six kills in just seven attempts.
The loss dropped UCCS to 6-7 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play and 12-10 overall. Depending on the result of the Fort Lewis/Western State match, also on Friday, the Mountain Lions are either tied for the eighth and final RMAC playoff spot or one game behind with five matches remaining.
Neither team led by more than three in a nip-and-tuck first set. After 10 ties, the final one at 23, the Mountain Lions got a kill by Nuttall and a Metro State attack error to take the set.
The Roadrunners led for most of the second set and were ready to put it away at 24-17 when UCCS reeled off six consecutive points, three on Nuttall kills. A kill by Casseaux ended the threat and the set in Metro State's favor.
The Roadrunners gained the advantage by taking the third set 25-22. With the score tied at 20, Greenhalgh and Casseaux combined on a block and Greenhalgh added a kill to put Metro up by two.
Molly Crockett answered with a kill for UCCS, but that was followed with a service error and a setting error to give Metro a 24-21 edge. Nuttall got a kill for the Mountain Lions, but Lisa Jones followed with a kill to give the Roadrunners the set.
UCCS used a 6-1 run to get back into the fourth set, tying it at 21. After a Metro State point, back-to-back kills by Nuttall gave UCCS a 23-22 lead. The Roadrunners recorded the final three points, however, to win the set and the match.
