FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu
September 8, 2015 Volleyball continues west coast trip with tournament in Seattle Tournament Website GNAC Release MSUB Volleyball Stack on ISSUU
Freshman Miranda McConnell tips over a block from Black Hills State
After participating in an opening season tournament in California, the MSUB volleyball has made their way up the coast to play in the GNAC/PacWest Crossover tournament hosted by Seattle Pacific. BILLINGS, Mont. – After starting their season at the Route 92 tournament in California, the Montana State University Billings volleyball team has made their way up the west coast and settled in Seattle for the GNAC/PacWest Crossover tournament Sept. 10-12.
The Yellowjackets began 2015 with four matches, three of which went the distance, and came out their first week of play with a 1-3 record. “Last weekend we started a bit slow and never really found our rhythm,” MSUB head coach Lisa Axel said. “With so many new players on our roster we were still trying to get everyone on the same page.” MSU Billings dropped its first two matches to Academy of Art (3-2) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-1) before bouncing back on Day 2. The ‘Jackets defeated Holy Names (Calif.) in the team’s second 5-set match of the tournament before falling in another close contest 3-2 with a final score of 15-13 in the final set against Cal State East Bay. For the opening week, junior Ashlynn Ward totaled 68 kills on a .287 hitting percentage. The outside hitter also came up with 21 digs, seven blocks and a handful of assists. Senior Kyndal Williams dished out 179 assists, including a 51 total match performance against Academy of Art. The captain completed her first double-double of the year against Holy Names with 38 assists and 13 digs. “Ashlynn did a great job for us on the outside and was able to put the ball away when we needed her too late in a match,” Axel said. “Taylor Albertson came in and really strengthened our right side attack in our match against Cal State East Bay.” Albertson put down 16 kills in the last match against the Pioneers. The freshman from St. Helens, Ore., played in three matches for MSUB, including holding down a .297 attack percentage against Cal State East Bay. This week the Yellowjackets are going up against four PacWest schools, including a rematch with Academy of Art to open the tournament. Freshman Taylor Albertson
“We are looking forward to this weekend as the competition will be very similar to our GNAC opponents,” Axel said. “It should be a battle every match.” Thursday, September 10 – 10 a.m. Pacific Time Opponent: Academy of Art University Live Stats/Video: AAU vs. MSUB 2015 Record: 2-2 Head Coach: Ray Batalon, 1st season 2014 Record: 13-15 The action for MSUB kicks off with a rematch against Academy of Art. The Yellowjackets lost in a tough 5-set opening season match from both teams. Ward and Miranda McConnell put down double-digit kills with 23 and 15 respectively. Kimmy Kirk with 23, Sherman with 17, and Ward at 12 all contributed more than 10 digs. MSU Billings served strong as the ‘Jackets struck 17 service aces across the five sets. The Urban Knights had three players with kills in the double-digits while Lyndsay Mlynar had a match-high 28 digs. In the final set, AAU marched out to an 11-6 lead, holding on for the 15-11 win.
The Series: (0-2) With the loss last week, the Yellowjackets have dropped both matches against the Urban Knights. MSUB lost 3-1 last year against AAU, and 3-2 at the Route 92 Tournament last Friday. Friday, September 11 – 9 a.m. Pacific Time Opponent: Azusa Pacific University Live Stats/Video: APU vs. MSUB 2015 Record: 0-4 Head Coach: Chris Keife, 11th season 2014 Record: 14-15 Azusa Pacific may be coming into its second tournament of the season without a win, but the Cougars played three of their four matches to extra sets, three of which were against nationally-ranked opponents. APU opened its season with a match against No. 14 (and Great Northwest Athletic Conference team of the week) Alaska Anchorage at the SpringHill Suites Invitational hosted by the Seawolves. The Cougars fell 3-1 on Thursday and then 3-2 against No. 15 Nebraska Kearney and Cal Poly Pomona on Friday. Azusa Pacific closed out the tournament with a straight sets loss to No. 17 Rockhurst. At the net, Ashley Midland is striking the ball at a .289 clip with an average of 2.40 kills per set. Katy Crouse and Mattie Shelford have taken 100-plus attempts at the ball. Crystal Dedes leads the team in blocks with 19. The Cougars have primarily run a 6-2 offense as senior setter Jewels Tavera is being bolstered by three freshmen on the roster. The Series: (1-1) MSU Billings is an even 1-1 against Azusa Pacific. Both matches were on neutral territory at tournaments played in California. MSUB won the first meeting in 1998 in straight sets, with APU taking the second match from 2013 3-0. Friday, September 11 – 6 p.m. Pacific Time Opponent: Hawaii Pacific University Live Stats/Video: HPU vs. MSUB 2015 Record: 2-2 Head Coach: Daryl Kapis, 9th season 2014 Record: 15-11 The Sharks opened their season at the Hawaii Invitational with an even 2-2 record, but did have a win over No. 12 Sonoma State in straight sets. HPU posted wins against Sonoma as well as GNAC member Saint Martin’s, but fell against Humboldt State and Simon Fraser by scores of 3-1. Senior Elizabeth Culpepper and junior Pomai Recca are leading Hawaii Pacific on the outside. Culpepper is averaging 2.71 kills per set while Recca is adding 2.64 kills per set. Recca is also averaging 2.93 digs per set while Amanda Moriaty is leading the team with 3.21. HPU is hitting .204 as a team with 12.36 digs per set. The Series: (1-19) The Yellowjackets have won just a single match in the 20 contests between the two teams. MSUB won match-up #16 from 2009 in five sets. The last time the two played, HPU completed the win from 2012 in straight sets.
Saturday, September 12 – 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time Opponent: Cal Baptist University Live Stats/Video: CBU vs. MSUB 2015 Record: 3-1 Head Coach: Branden Higa, 4th season 2014 Record: 16-12 At the Lancers opening tournament, CBU prevailed with a solid 3-1 record to start the season, dropping a five-set thriller to Cal State Chico 15-13 in the fifth set. Cal Baptist was selected to win the PacWest conference in the early preseason coaches’ poll. The Lancers return three allconference players from last year and have a deep roster with at least two players fighting for time in each position. CBU posted wins over Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay by scores of 3-1 and finished the Route 92 Tournament with a straight sets dominant performance over Cal State Dominguez Hills. Lauren Hacket with an average 3.94 kills per set and Jenna Perry with 3.38 kills per set leads the offense. At the net, Jessica Harris is providing blocking coverage at an average 1.5 blocks per set and had nine total against Chico State. The Series: (0-0) This will be the first contest between MSU Billings and Cal Baptist.
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