FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu September 12, 2016 ‘Jackets fall in 4 sets to Battlin’ Bears MSUB Volleyball on Facebook | MSUB Volleyball Stack on ISSUU | Box Score
MSUB volleyball dropped a four set decision at Rocky Mountain College on Monday.
MSUB’s Stormy Siemion collects her fifth double-double of the season in a four set loss at Rocky Mountain College BILLINGS, Mont. - The MSU Billings volleyball team dropped a four set non-conference match to Rocky Mountain College at the Fortin Center Monday by scores of 27-25, 14-25, 25-16, and 25-15. The Yellowjackets are back in Billings after an eight match road trip to Hawaii and California. MSUB senior Stormy Siemion finished with her fifth double-double of the season recording 13 kills and 18 digs. Ashlynn Ward tied Siemion in kills at 13. Freshman Angala Jensen finished with a match-high 41 assists. Senior Kylee Cornelio tied a match-high of 28 digs while freshman Faith Taylor added 12. Montana State University Billings moves to 1-8 on the year while Rocky Mountain College improves to 4-10. The Yellowjackets had moments of sustained play, but were unable break-up the Battlin’ Bears offense and net play. Kylie Hadley produced a match-high 14 kills and was just shy of a double-double adding in nine digs. Hadley was the sole player on the RMC squad to finish in double-digit kills, but the Battlin’ Bears used solid defense and varied shots across
the court to keep MSUB on its heels. Holland Ferguson ended the match with 28 digs and Ruby Kallenbach added 17. Hailey Copinga completed a double-double of 18 assists and 15 digs. Annie Cooke had 14 assists. The Battlin’ Bears ended the match with a 13.0-3.0 block advantage. Andraya Hawks had 7.0 block assists with Copinga and Tess Hellerud each recording 4.0. Rocky ended with a .147 (42-20-150) attack percentage to .090 (50-34-177) from MSUB. The beginning of the match was a back and forth affair. MSUB’s Lexa de Jesus swung for a statement kill to give MSUB the lead 4-3. Siemion was blocked on the outside, but made the adjustment with a corner roll shot and a point for the ‘Jackets. A service ace from Jensen moved the score into double-digits. Rocky’s Savannah Smith helped RMC climb into the lead with an overshot put-back and a block in the middle. For MSUB, Casey Rich earned two points off the middle and a service ace from Siemion earned a 15-11 lead for the ‘Jackets. Rocky powered high at the block and tied the set at 20 on a kill from Hadley. On a timeout from MSUB, Rocky took the lead on an outside block from Copinga. Ward struck hard to the cross court and a service ace from Cornelio earned MSUB a set point. RMC countered with a kill and an error from the ‘Jackets, provided the Battlin’ Bears with their first set point. Out of the middle, de Jesus hit hard into the open court. A block error from MSUB and a service ace from Kallenbach ended the first set for Rocky at 27-25. In the second frame, MSUB’s Bre Rodrigues capitalized on an overplayed ball at the end of a 4-0 run for an 8-4 Yellowjacket advantage. Ward smoked a ball into the open court and Siemion caught the RMC defense off guard, playing the ball on two. Three big plays from Rich out of the middle sent the score to 15-9. The teams traded service errors followed by an unopposed kill from Ward. A huge rally from both teams with defensive saves out of the net ended with a Siemion kill. MSUB used a variety of shots to come out on top in the second set. Jensen used an attack out of the middle, and Rich finished the set with a straight down kill from the center. Utilizing the block, Siemion earned the first point for MSUB in the third set by forcing a ball off to the outside. A big get from Rodrigues led to another point from Siemion, erasing a lead from Rocky. The Battlin’ Bears climbed back ahead on a smart kill from Hadley and a block from Hawks. Finishing out the 5-0 run, Hadley pushed a dink shot into the open court. Rich kept the ball alive with a nice move at the net, and Siemion finished the rally with an open roll shot to the center. Rocky kept up their run, with a 6-1 point spread. Ward closed the push from Rocky, sending a ball into the stands off the block. The Battlin’ Bears finished the set with a strike from Hadley down the line, and Copinga on short ball. In the final frame, two big blocks from Hellerud opened the scoring for Rocky. Out of a MSUB called timeout, Ward hammered the ball off a feed from Jensen. Three unforced errors from MSUB gave Rocky an 11-4 lead. Rich and Siemion fired back, closing the gap to four, 12-8. The ‘Jackets added two from Ward off the block and Jensen into the right side. Fighting hard, MSUB crept to three back at 16-13 on another kill from Ward. Hadley rattled off three points and Hawks closed RMC to within two points of the match. Siemion collected a point off the block and Rich needled a ball into the corner for MSUB. Rocky finished the match with two straight blocks for the win. THE BUZZ: The Yellowjackets are on an eight-match losing streak…Rich selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Match for her play at the net…MSUB is now 11-12 in matches played at Rocky…MSUB and RMC will meet again this year on Oct. 25, at Alterowitz. “I thought we competed well in a couple of the sets,” MSUB head coach Casey Williams said. “Overall we made too many errors and we had a hard time bringing the momentum back to our side. In the long run we got outworked in a
couple of the games. We are excited next to get into conference play and both of our matches this week at home are going to be against high-level teams.� UP NEXT: MSUB opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference action this week at home in Alterowitz. On Friday, Sept. 16, the Yellowjackets welcome Simon Fraser at 7 p.m. followed by a match against No. 19 Western Washington on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. Live coverage, including stats, video, and commentary provided by Aaron Like and Hannah Baley, can be found on the MSUB Stretch Internet Portal here. --msubsports.com | #JacketNation--