FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu
August 25, 2015 Yellowjacket volleyball season preview
MSUB head coach Lisa Axel sees a lot of positives during the Yellowjacket preseason. With more new players than returning, this season will be a mesh of experienced ability combined with untested talent. BILLINGS, Mont. – Coming off a season where the team had the program’s best win in its history, the MSU Billings volleyball squad looks to a few new players to build on a key core base. The 2014 Yellowjacket volleyball program picked up some significant wins against conference opponents last season, including #11 Western Washington, and MSUB finished sixth overall in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with an 8-10 record, 13-14 overall. With 11 teams competing in the GNAC this year, the Yellowjackets were picked to finish ninth in the conference in the preseason coaches’ poll released Monday. Alaska Anchorage came out atop the poll with 92 points, edging out last year’s top-finishing team Northwest Nazarene which came in second with 85 points. “We need to be consistent,” MSUB head coach Lisa Axel said. “We had some huge wins last season and then we faltered during some matches. We were able to play at that high level, but it’s a hard conference. There are no off nights where you have an easy opponent; everybody is a tough opponent. We need to go into each match in battle mode every time we step out onto the court.”
Anchoring the aggressive-minded Yellowjackets is four-year starter Kyndal Williams. The two-year captain has been the setter for MSUB her entire collegiate career, and is looking forward to stepping out onto the court for her last season in a Yellowjacket uniform. “We have set pretty high goals for our team this season, but that is because we know we can achieve them,” Williams said. “We have a lot of talent and we like to set high goals because it is a way to challenge ourselves.” Williams, who earned GNAC honorable mention honors last season, finished her junior campaign third in the league in assists (10.54 per set). She is also currently third in career assists at MSUB with 2,997, 785 behind Yellowjacket Hall of Fame member Natalie Bills (2003-06). The senior leader is joined on the 2015 team by returning outside hitters Stormy Siemion (2.17 kills per set) and Ashlynn Ward (2.24 kills/set) as well as defensive specialists junior Kimmy Kirk (2.56 digs per set) and sophomore Mataia Roderick (2.48/digs per set). Ward is the team’s top returning offensive threat totaling 215 kills last season on a .210 attack percentage. The Rexburg, Senior captain Kyndal Williams Idaho native finished last season 21st in hitting percentage and 22nd in kills per set in the conference. She and Siemion are the only two returning attackers at the net, but both are confident in their team’s ability to adjust to the newcomers. “It’s nice to have this preseason time to do team building exercises and I think everyone is starting to click really well together,” Siemion said on the team’s chemistry during the first week of practice. The Huntley Project product is a full-court player for the Yellowjackets, seeing action in almost every match her first two seasons with MSUB. Siemion finished last season with 113 kills and averaged 2.17 digs per set, 23rd in the GNAC. Joining Ward and Siemion this season at the net are three new middles in transfer Audri Marrs (Sr., 5’11”, Parker, CO – Metro State Denver) and freshmen Taylor Albertson (6’0”, St. Helens, OR) and Miranda McConnell (6’1”, Sandy, UT). Marrs played for one year at Metro State under then assistant coach Axel, and is transferring to MSUB for her final season of eligibility.
Junior outside hitter Stormy Siemion
“She brings the experience factor,” Coach Axel remarked on her reunion with Marrs. “She is also mentoring our two new middles. Both Taylor and Miranda are extremely athletic, they are picking it up fairly quickly, but Audri has been a big help getting them adjusted.” With the loss of first-team all-GNAC selection Chelsey Walter, all three new players will need to step up and be prepared for the fast-paced schedule and style of play Coach Axel is looking for from her team.
“The biggest question right now for our team is our middles,” Axel commented on the trio. “How fast we can get them firing on all cylinders is a process. The main thing is that they need to be able to block for us and be more offensiveminded, but give us some time. We will have people that will step up and do the job we need them to do.” On the right side this season is transfer Abbie Mikelson (Jr., 5’11”, Battle Mountain, NV – Feather River Community College). Joining Ward and Siemion on the outside, and vying for time in the back, is freshman Taylor Sherman (5’8”, Parker, CO). Mikelson comes to MSUB from a quality program that is coming off an undefeated conference championship season. She totaled 212 kills on a .222 hitting percentage and 50 block assists on a team overall record of 25-4. Sherman, like Siemion, is an all-court player putting up quality stats in both the offensive and defensive courts. “We have a lot of talent, even with a lot of new players,” Williams commented on the 2015 team. “We’ve set the tone of taking it one step at a time, but we’re here to work hard, and we want to start off the season really well.” “We want our identity this year to be a team that works hard and plays unbelievable defense,” Coach Axel said. “We won’t let the ball drop on our side without an all-out effort and we will battle for every point. We have hitters who can take some big swings for us as long as we can put them in quality situations.” In the defensive court for the Yellowjackets are returners Kirk and Roderick. Both players saw significant time in the back court last season. Kirk saw action in 25 matches and Roderick played in all 27 matches last season as a freshman and was the most consistent server for MSUB. “Kimmy has the most experience in the back,” Axel said. “She does a really good job on defense and is a consistent passer. Mataia helps set the tone for the defense; she goes after every ball and has a great serve for us.” Rounding out the roster for the Yellowjackets this season is the final signee of the team - setter Mason Steel. The 5-foot-8 junior is a transfer from Utah State University Eastern. She spent two years as a setter for the Eagles and last season averaged 3.69 assists per set.
#1 Mataia Roderick and #8 Ashlynn Ward
“This group has such great team chemistry on and off the court,” Axel said. “This has already helped the team find its rhythm faster than in previous seasons. We have a tough road at the beginning of the season with two very difficult tournaments, but we are getting some nerves out of the way in a couple of preseason scrimmages before we head to California.”
MSU Billings opens the season with an exhibition match against Rocky Mountain College on Sept. 1 in the Fortin Center. The ‘Jackets then hit the road for a two-week long stretch with the Route 92 Tournament in California Sept. 4-5, followed by the PacWest/GNAC Crossover event in Seattle Sept. 10-12. The opening home match for the Yellowjackets is Thursday, Sept. 17 against Central Washington at 7 p.m. All of MSUB's home contests and select road matches will feature live video streaming as well as live statistics, available via MSUB's Stretch Internet portal. Links to the live coverage can be found at msubsports.com.
Asked what fans can expect from the 2015 ‘Jackets, Coach Axel responded with a very fun, aggressive-style team that gives its all for every point. “People will come in and see a team that’s going to work hard and is going to put on a great show for the fans in the stands. It is such a fun and exciting atmosphere that our players put on, we can’t wait to show people what we are capable of.”
2015 MSUB Yellowjackets Volleyball Roster No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 14 16
Name Mataia Roderick Taylor Sherman Taylor Albertson Kyndal Williams Mason Steel Stormy Siemion Audri Marrs Ashlynn Ward Miranda McConnell Kimmy Kirk Abbie Mikelson
Pos. Ht. LIB/S 5-3 OH/DS 5-8 MB 6-0 S 5-9 S/DS 5-8 OH 5-8 MB/RS 5-11 OH 6-1 MB 6-1 LIB/DS 5-5 RS/OH
Cl. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. 5-11
Exp. Hometown (Previous School) 1V Rexburg, ID (Madison) HS Parker, CO (Chaparral) HS St. Helens, OR (St. Helens) 3V Helena, MT (Helena) TR South Jordan, UT (Utah State University Eastern) 2V Huntley, MT (Huntley Project) TR Parker, CO (Metro State University) 2V Rexburg, ID (Madison) HS Sandy, UT (Jordan) 2V Colorado Springs, CO (Rampart) Jr. TR Battle Mountain, NV (Feather River CC)
Head Coach – Lisa Axel. Assistant Coach – Lianne Vicchio. Pronunciation Guide Mataia Roderick – muh-TAY-uh ROD-rick Kyndal Williams – KIN-dull Stormy Siemion – SIM-ee-in Abbie Mikelson – MICK-ull-son
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