FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu August 31, 2015 MSUB volleyball opens season with exhibition at Fortin Center
Last season’s RMC vs. MSUB match at Alterowitz
The Yellowjacket volleyball program is looking forward to an exciting opening start to the season as MSUB heads to the Fortin Center on Tuesday for a match against rival Rocky Mountain College. BILLINGS, Mont. – After putting in two solid weeks of hard work, the Yellowjacket volleyball squad is ready to open the season with an exhibition match against Rocky Mountain College at the Fortin Center on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. MSU Billings has been busy since the opening day of practice on August 17, and the team is ready for match play with one of two contests scheduled this season against the Battlin’ Bears. “I always enjoy playing Rocky before our season officially gets started,” MSUB head coach Lisa Axel said. “We are still able to work on a couple of different line-ups as the match does not count for us. Rocky is such a competitive team that they really get us prepared for our tough preseason schedule.”
After dropping two matches to start the season, the Battlin’ Bears have been on a roll, winning their last seven consecutive contests. Led by head coach Laurie Kelly in her ninth season, the Rocky volleyball team is coming off a 2014 season where the squad advanced to the NAIA national tournament finishing the season with a 32-3 overall record. Rocky ended the national tournament with a quarterfinals appearance losing out to Viterbo 3-1. Last season the Battlin’ Bears were ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the national tournament, and this year start the season with a coaches’ preseason poll ranking of No. 5 in the country. The Battlin Bears lost six members of their roster including All-American middle hitter Yang Yang, but return several key athletes including senior setter Tori Bertsch, outside hitter Ahlea Billis and middle blocker Mariah Stiffarm. Rocky is starting off this season with a 7-2 record. The team has been to two tournaments - the Biola Summer Slam Tourney in La Mirada, Calif., and the Big Sky Classic in Butte, Mont. After dropping matches against The Masters College (3-2) and No. 2 Biola (3-2), the Battlin’ Bears have rattled off seven straight wins.
Junior Ashlynn Ward
MSU Billings returns five players and added six to the 2015 roster. Senior captain Kyndal Williams is set to lead a team that finished the 2014 season 13-14 overall and 8-10 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. A GNAC honorable mention last season, Williams averaged 10.54 assists per set during the season, 3rd in the conference. Outside hitters Ashlynn Ward (2.24 kills per set) and Stormy Siemion (2.17 kills per set) are returning to an offense that averaged 12.8 kills per set last season. Ward was 21st in the GNAC in hitting percentage at .210 and 22nd in kills per set while Siemion was right behind her at 23rd in the conference last season in kills per set. Back court players Kimmy Kirk (2.56 digs per set) and Mataia Roderick (2.48 digs per set) are heading up the defense for MSUB. MSU Billings has one match this week against Rocky before heading out on the road for two big tournaments. At the Route 92 Showdown in California Sept. 4-5, the Yellowjackets are set to face off against Academy of Art, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Holy Names, and Cal State East Bay.
Junior Kimmy Kirk
The following weekend at the PacWest/GNAC Crossover event hosted by Seattle Pacific University Sept. 10-12, MSUB will see Academy of Art for a second time, Azusa Pacific, Hawaii Pacific, and Cal Baptist.
MSU Billings opens conference play at home on Sept. 17 against Central Washington at 7 p.m. All home matches will have live video and stats which can be found at the MSUB Stretch Internet Portal. There will be a live video stream provided for Tuesday’s match against the Battlin’ Bears by the Rocky Mountain College athletic department. Please visit www.rocky.edu/athletics for links to watch the match live. A full recap of the contest will be available on msubsports.com following the conclusion of the event.
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