MSUB Volleyball Recap 10/3/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, October 3, 2015 ‘Jackets start strong, fall to Simon Fraser in 4 sets Saturday night

After cruising to a 25-11 victory in Set 1, the Yellowjackets drop three straight as Simon Fraser comes from behind for a 31 GNAC victory Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym. BILLINGS, Mont. – Despite a strong 25-11 triumph in Set 1, the Montana State University Billings volleyball team could not carry the momentum throughout the match in an 11-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-21 loss to visiting Simon Fraser University Saturday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at Alterowitz Gym. SFU’s Emma Jennings led all players with 19 kills in the match, as the Clan improved to .500 on the season at 7-7 and 3-3 in conference play. The ‘Jackets had three players in double figures in kills, but fell to 2-12 overall and 1-5 in GNAC play with the loss.

Momentum shifted in between the first and second sets, as the key to SFU’s victory came in building large leads early in the pivotal second and third sets. Five straight points to open the second and four straight to open the third set the tone early in each game, and the Yellowjackets fell into too deep a hole to dig out of each time.

“I thought we came out and played very well in the first set, and our hitters were doing a great job finding the open floor,” said MSUB head coach Lisa Axel. “SFU came out in the second set and made adjustments. They blocked amazingly, and got their hands on a lot of our attacks, but we kept swinging.”

Runs of 6-1 and 5-2 in the fourth set helped SFU distance itself, but the ‘Jackets fought strong until the end. Ashlynn Ward led the ‘Jackets with 15 terminations, while Taylor Albertson and Audri Marrs had 11 apiece. Senior setter Kyndal Williams had 44 assists for the Yellowjackets, and Kimmy Kirk led the team with 14 digs. Freshman Taylor Sherman had a dozen digs and five kills for the ‘Jackets.

“Audri Marrs had a great night offensively, and she was able to put the ball away consistently,” Axel said. “We just need to go back into the gym this week, and work on being more consistent. We need to play at a high level and make adjustments during matches in order to be successful.”

The teams traded points early on, with the first kill of the match by Sherman making the score 5-4 in favor of the ‘Jackets. Fresh into the match, a nice diving effort by Stormy Siemion helped keep the ball alive and came in the middle of a six-point MSUB run.

Senior Audri Marrs.

Ward’s fifth kill of the first set helped the ‘Jackets extend their lead to 15-8, forcing SFU head coach Gina Schmidt to burn her second timeout of the match. Miranda McConnell’s first putdown of the evening was a loud one, as she slammed the ball down from the right side and increased MSUB’s advantage to 17-9.

Albertson had a pair of kills late in the first set, the latter of which came after a receive error by the Clan as she forced the ball down and inched MSUB closer to a set victory, 21-10.

Sherman followed with a solo block two points later, and Albertson put down the set-winner as the ‘Jackets took the first game 25-11.

The Clan found energy in between sets, storming to an 11-3 advantage to open the second frame. Back-to-back kills by Audri Marrs on the slide and Ward from the left side gave MSUB life as they kicked off a 4-1 run.

A big block from Christine Howlett and Tessa May silenced the push by the ‘Jackets however, as SFU built its edge back up to 16-7. The room proved to be enough for the Clan, as SFU took the second set 25-18 and the teams headed to the locker rooms having won one set apiece.

SFU opened Set 3 in similar fashion, building a 4-0 edge into a 12-7 lead midway through. Marrs and Williams teamed up for a block coming out of a timeout, but Madison Power responded with a kill to make it a 15-9 lead for the visitors.

In the decisive set May and Jennings combined for a big block early on that pushed the Clan up 8-3.

Another kill by Ward helped MSUB stay alive and pull within five points at 15-10 in the fourth, but SFU won three of the next four points to take a commanding 18-11 lead.

The Yellowjackets put together a final push and cut the score to 19-16 after an attack error, and MSUB stayed within three points to the tune of 22-19. SFU didn’t let the lead slip however, and Jennings put away the match-winner with a cross-court kill for the 25-21 win in Set 4.

Danielle Curtis led all players with 47 assists on the match, as she distributed the ball well throughout the night to Jennings and May. Alison McKay had a match-best 20 digs for the Clan, and Jessica Young (15) and Jennings (11) were also in double figures.

The Yellowjackets held an advantage in blocks 8-7, thanks in large part to three solo stuffs by McConnell. Despite hitting .438 in the first set, the Yellowjackets hit just .106 in the second set as momentum changed hands quickly. Conversely, the Clan hit just .030 in the first set and turned it around with a set-best .423 in the third.

THE BUZZ: Marrs’s 11 kills tied for her season high…Williams was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…it was the third match in a row MSUB was either even with or led its opponent in blocks.

COMING UP: The ‘Jackets return to the road to face Saint Martin’s University and Seattle Pacific next weekend. MSUB will challenge the Saints on Oct. 8 and the Falcons on Oct. 10.

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