In the third game of the night, No. 4 Mesa State College defeated No. 5 Regis University in five sets. This was an incredibly close match, because both teams poured their hearts into every point. There were some long rallies, great hitting on both sides of the net, and great defense as well.

Top-seeded Western New Mexico University was able to topple No. 8 CSU-Pueblo in four sets. I was a bit apprehensive before this game, because Pueblo had beat Western here earlier in the season. And while the ThunderWolves fought hard, the ‘Stangs were able to pull it out.

So, tonight’s semi-final schedule is:

5:30 p.m. No. 3 Metro State vs. No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney
8:00 p.m. No. 4 Mesa State vs. No. 1 Western New Mexico

Be sure to check back tonight for more on the tournament, and pick up a copy of today’s Silver City Daily Press for comprehensive coverage of all of Thursday’s games.

I didn’t make it to the first match of the 2006 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball championship tournament, but third seed Metro State defeated No. 6 Fort Lewis College in five games, 22-30, 30-26, 28-30, 30-28, 15-11.

The second match of the afternoon featured Nebraska-Kearney, the No. 2 seed, and No. 7 UC-Colorado Springs. The Lopers handily defeated the Mountain Lions in three games, 30-24, 30-21 and 30-17.

More photos and an update on the Mesa State/Regis University and WNMU/CSU-Pueblo games later tonight.