FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, September 4, 2015 ‘Jackets fall twice on opening day of Route 92 Showdown
MSUB battles the Academy of Art into a fifth set before falling, and the Yellowjackets lose to Cal State Dominguez Hills 31 in their second game of the day on Friday. BELMONT, Calif. – Starting off its 2015 regular season with a pair of tough NCAA Division II matches, the Montana State University Billings volleyball team fell to California opponents Academy of Art University and Cal State Dominguez Hills on the first day of the Route 92 Showdown hosted by Notre Dame de Namur University on Friday. The Yellowjackets (0-2) battled the Urban Knights tough in a five-set thriller, falling 3-2 in their first match of the season. MSUB returned to the court to challenge Cal State Dominguez Hills Friday afternoon, and the Toros downed the Yellowjackets in four sets, 3-1. “After Day 1 of our tournament, we have made some adjustments and the team is really looking forward to Saturday’s games,” commented MSUB head coach Lisa Axel. Kyndal Williams finished the day with 92 assists in the two matches, and was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day for MSUB.
Match 1 – Academy of Art 3, MSU Billings 2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-11) The Urban Knights stormed out to a 9-3 lead in the fifth set, and carried enough momentum to hold off the Yellowjackets and close out the first match of the season for both teams. The 15-11 victory in the decisive frame came after AAU rallied for a narrow 25-23 win in Set 4 to even the match at 2-2. “We had our opportunities in this match but we could not capitalize,” said Axel. “We played well for a couple of points and then let up. We are looking forward to the next match to work on playing at a high level all the time.” Ashlynn Ward led all players with 23 kills, and Miranda McConnell was also in double digits in that category with 15. Freshman Taylor Sherman notched six service aces, and Williams turned in 51 assists for the ‘Jackets. Kimmy Kirk led the Yellowjackets with 23 digs on the match. For the Knights (1-0), Alana Lucas had 50 assists and Stine Raben (16), Bailey Soolsma (12), and Sydney Koehler (11) were all in double digits in kills. Lyndsay Mlynar led all players in the match with 28 digs, and AAU had an attack percentage of .273 compared with MSUB’s .206. The Yellowjackets started strong by winning the first set 25-18 and set themselves up in a good position with a 25-21 win in Set 3. Junior Kimmy Kirk.
The ‘Jackets found themselves in a 7-3 hole early in the first set, but a big rally of seven points in a row turned the deficit into a 10-7 lead. MSUB stayed aggressive offensively, as a putdown by Ward capped off a 9-3 run and moved the score to 19-10.
The Urban Knights refused to let up, battling back to the tune of 24-18. A setting error by AAU gave the ‘Jackets the first set however, as MSUB set the tone early in the match. The ‘Jackets led by as much as 14-6 in the second set, but the Knights won 10 of the next 13 points to make the score 1716 in favor of MSUB. The tables turned with a four-point burst that put AAU up 21-19, thanks in part to a kill and an ace by Koehler. Neither team led by more than three points until midway through the third set, when the ‘Jackets won four in a row to pull in front 18-11. Despite allowing AAU to tie the score at 21-21, MSUB closed the set strong by winning the final four points and taking a 2-1 edge. Kills by Audri Marrs and Ward were sandwiched by a service ace from McConnell to solidify the win for MSUB in the third frame. The fourth set followed a similar theme to the third, with action flowing back-and-forth until midway through. This time, it was AAU which built a 16-9 edge, after a seven-point run was capped by a kill from Raben. Following their opponent’s lead from the third set, MSUB refused to give in and knotted the score at 22-22. The Knights had the final say however, as two more kills by Raben sent the match into a fifth set. AAU started the fifth with a bang, bursting ahead to a 9-3 advantage that proved to be insurmountable. MSUB cut the deficit to within two points at 13-11, but a kill from Hanna Kahn ended the dramatic first match of the season.
Match 2 – CSU Dominguez Hills 3, MSU Billings 1 (25-21, 30-32, 25-19, 25-20) Despite trailing 18-13 in the first set, the Yellowjackets rallied to bring the score to as close as two points, 20-18. The Toros closed the frame by winning five of the final eight points however, and Morelia Castro slammed home the setwinning kill. It was CSUDH’s turn to close a significant gap in Set 2, turning a 19-13 deficit into a 23-21 lead over a 12-point spread. Nine tie scores led the teams into the 30s, where a kill by Marrs and an attack error sealed a victory for MSUB and evened the match at 1-1. The Toros set the tone by taking an early 5-1 lead in the third set, and the ‘Jackets never got closer than within three points for the rest of the set. Fighting for its life in the fourth frame, MSUB rallied from an early 9-2 deficit to pull within a single point, 15-14 after a kill by Abbie Mikelson. CSUDH began to pull away again however, as a kill by Rylee Kiger capped a 6-2 run and made the score 21-16. The spread proved to be too large for the ‘Jackets, as the Toros closed out their first victory of the season and moved to 1-0 overall. McConnell paced MSUB with a dozen kills, while Marrs had 11 and Ward added 10. Marrs and Mikelson each had five blocks in MSUB’s second game, while Williams had 41 more assists and Kirk added 22 digs. Stormy Siemion had 15 digs for MSUB, and sophomore Mataia Roderick added a dozen. Kiger led all players with 17 kills for CSUDH, and she also paced her squad with 31 assists. Cecelia Lucas topped the match with seven blocks, and Dana Brown and Cathryn Lopez had 16 digs apiece for the Toros. COMING UP: MSUB returns to the court on Saturday to challenge Holy Names University and Cal State East Bay on the final day of the Route 92 Showdown. Saturday’s games will take place in Pioneer Gym in Hayward, Calif., with start times of 12:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Mountain time. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--