FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, November 15, 2016 | By: Evan O’Kelly, MSUB Athletics Director of Communications Bring the Storm
With her four-year career coming to a close this weekend, senior Stormy Siemion breaks out with her best season yet in her final year with the Yellowjackets. MSUB SPORTS – There’s an unmistakable echo that carries out well into the rafters at Montana State University Billings’ Alterowitz Gym. A continuous thump pounding away like a persistent Fourth of July firework show that hasn’t quite reached its finale, going on four years strong. There have been 5,027 kills recorded by the Yellowjacket volleyball team since the beginning of the 2013 season. Twenty-eight of them came at the hands of a single player this season against San Francisco State University on Sept. 3, in the most dominant individual attacking performance by a ‘Jacket in four years. Some have been crafty, touch kills, others strong shots down the line that have beaten the defense. But none have flown to the floor as loudly or with as much force as those that have left the fully-cocked arm of No. 6 for MSUB.
Her signature stomp stifles the celebratory screams of her teammates after winning a point. Thunder rings out; the Storm is coming. FROM RODEO TO RED DEVILS Fort Smith, Mont., spans 1.66 square miles and last had a population listed at 161 inhabitants. About 90 minutes southeast of Billings, a buffalo ranch is where Stormy Siemion got started learning a sport that had become a family tradition. “My mom did rodeo as a kid, so she got me started riding horses when I was little,” Siemion said. “I was big into it in junior high, and I stayed with it until my sophomore year of high school.” By then, the Siemions had relocated to Huntley, Mont., and Stormy shifted her focus indoors to organized, team sports. Though she played her first volleyball tournament around fourth grade and had been a softball player before moving to Huntley, her primary childhood focus was barrel racing. “There was roping, pole bending, goat tying, and when you got to the higher end, bull and bronc riding and all of that,” Siemion described. “I had a horse that hurt himself, and that’s when I started to get more into volleyball.” Awaiting Siemion’s arrival in Huntley was veteran coach and MSUB hall of famer Iona Stookey, who took the young player on when Siemion was in just fifth grade. A rare ability to serve overhand at a young age caught the attention of spectators and Stookey alike, and before long Siemion was invited to play up a level as her prep career drew closer. “I think I started my high-school career as an eighth grader, because I played club that season with the older girls,” Siemion recalled. “Iona always had a ton of confidence in me, and let me play up to a level that I needed to be at. She always pushed me to become better.” By the time Siemion suited up for the Red Devils in the fall of 2009, winning had become somewhat of an expectation for Stookey’s crew. Behind a cast of veteran leaders, Siemion was along for the ride on backto-back Montana Class B state championship winners. As a junior in 2011, it was Siemion’s turn to take the reigns as she begun making a name for herself as a collegiate prospect. As far as she was concerned, moving on to the next level was never not an option. A third consecutive state title further bolstered Siemion’s hopes of playing at the next level, and upon the summer before her senior season she attended a camp at MSUB for the first time. “I knew about Iona playing here and that she was in the hall of fame, but looking back that didn’t necessarily influence me,” Siemion said. “She was just trying to push me to go somewhere with a scholarship, and I was lucky that it happened to be here where she could come and watch.”
Before Billings beckoned her talents, Siemion had unfinished business as she yearned to complete her prep career as a four-time state champion. The final piece of the puzzle proved to be most elusive however, as Siemion and the Devils lost their Friday night game for the first time in four seasons. On the other side of the net it was a Red Lodge High School team led by then-junior Rylee Kane, who is currently in her third year as the starting point guard for MSUB’s basketball team. After making their way past Alisha Breen and the Choteau Bulldogs in the semifinals – a feat Siemion achieved all four years – the Red Devils rallied to beat Kane and Red Lodge twice to hoist yet another trophy.
Siemion (front), Rylee Kane (25), and Alisha Breen (20) all compete at MSUB now after being major rivals on the volleyball court in high school.
Among the faces in the crowd along the way were several of Siemion’s future teammates. On the Class AA side of the court were Helena High teammates Monica Grimsrud and Kyndal Williams, squaring off against the likes of Billings Senior star Chelsey Walter.
“Senior (High) or Kyndal was always on the other side of the net that split the gym up,” Siemion remembered. “We were always good friends with them, and I got to play with quite a few of the Senior girls during club ball.” Whether Siemion realized it or not, she’d have the chance to reconvene with some of the top talent in the state in college, this time wearing the same jersey. Four years later, Grimsrud, Walter, and Williams have all since left their names in MSUB’s record books while calling Siemion a teammate along the way. Then a freshman defensive specialist on Siemion’s team for her fourth and final state title, current MSUB freshman Faith Taylor represents the next string of local talent to continue on with the Yellowjackets. “I have always looked up to Stormy as an aggressive player and I see how confident she is in what she does,” said Taylor, another of Stookey’s disciples. “We both grew up learning volleyball the same way, and it is easy to communicate with her on the floor.” “When I first heard Faith was coming, I remember getting excited for her visit,” Siemion said. “Knowing that she came from where I did, I knew adding her would benefit the program overall. I have seen her step into a leadership position as a freshman, and that is hard to do as a young player.”
Siemion (right) and Taylor were reunited this season as teammates once again with the ‘Jackets.
DIG DEEP, BLOCK IT OUT, FINISH WITH A KILL “Stormy has one of the fastest arms in the GNAC, and she is a smart player. At 5-foot-7, she doesn’t play to her size, but plays bigger than that, which is a great quality to have in a senior outside hitter.” – MSUB head coach Casey Williams on senior Stormy Siemion. Transitioning to the speed of play at the NCAA Division II level proved to be difficult for Siemion at first, but she relied on her excellent fundamentals and mechanics to make up for her below-average height as an outside hitter. By the end of her freshman year she had regained her stride, posting six straight double-doubles from Oct. 26 to Nov. 7 in 2013. One of her best performances of the year came in MSUB’s dramatic, fiveset win over Central Washington, a match in which she recorded 15 kills and a career-best 36 digs. Siemion’s career is not one without hardship, as she struggled to maintain her confidence through her sophomore and junior seasons. Her brilliance as an attacking player was there in spurts, but she topped out at a singlegame high of just 14 kills and had back-to-back double digit kills just once in her middle two years. In addition to her stellar offensive season, Siemion has placed a major emphasis on defense as a senior.
Even when self-doubt settled in, Siemion never stopped believing in herself. She knew as she became an upperclassman that her example towards the rest of the team was crucial to the development of the program. “A huge thing is being able to let something go, and not take things personally,” Siemion responded when asked about dealing with adversity. “If you hit a ball out, you can’t let that affect your next point, and that’s something I had a hard time with my first three seasons. This year, I have focused on not letting myself take me out of the game, and putting my energy into the other girls.” It was apparent from the start of the 2016 season that Siemion had flushed out her personal and mental road blocks, as she recorded double-figure kills in her first 10 matches including three that topped her previous career-best of 22. During the team’s first road trip to Hawaii, Siemion put down a career-best 23 kills against Hawaii Pacific. “I remember after I beat my record I looked at (athletic trainer) Lindsay (Sullivan) and she said, ‘go out and beat it again,’” said Siemion. Later that evening, she topped her mark with 28 kills against the Gators. It was the most kills by a Yellowjacket in a single match since Grimsrud’s 30-kill effort against Central Washington on Nov. 7, 2013. “Seeing her finish her
Siemion and Ward are the Yellowjackets’ two fouryear seniors.
senior year strong is great, and she has done so well this year,” said Taylor. “My goal for next year and in my career will be to have the type of confidence she has.” While Siemion’s trademark swing from the outside captures fans’ attention, it has been the combination of her revitalized attack and stellar defense this season that has resulted in her best year yet. “Big kills are fun, but for me as a shorter hitter, getting a huge block is a bigger adrenaline rush,” said Siemion, who collected a season-best 4.0 blocks in her last match against Concordia on Saturday. “One of my favorite things is when Ashlynn gets up and puts down a block. That just gets me going.” Referencing a player who has put together an equally impressive senior campaign in Ashlynn Ward, she is the only player to have shared each of the last four years with Siemion. “Looking back at the last four years, we have been through it all together,” Siemion said regarding her housemate. “Even though we haven’t had the best records, knowing that I’ve found her and so many other friendships on the team has made it a great experience.” BRING THE STORM Senior Night arrived at Alterowitz Gym on Nov. 5, and along with it came a final chance for the Yellowjacket faithful to witness what has been the best season of all for both Siemion and Ward alike. Siemion is going out with a bang, having already more than tripled her kills total from each of the last two seasons, and already notched 100 more digs defensively (353) than she’s ever had in a year at the college level. Currently ranking third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in total kills with 372, and fifth in kills per set with 3.41, Siemion needs just 31 more kills in her final two career games to break into the top-10 for kills in a single year by a Yellowjacket. There for the whole ride have been Siemion’s grandmother Donnalee Fulwiler, parents Tracy and Chip, and her younger sister Cady who is a sophomore on the volleyball team at Montana Western. “I love having my family around, and it has been great for them to have the opportunity to watch me,” said Siemion, whose biggest fans occupied the same seats behind MSUB’s bench for each of the last four seasons. “Having my sister around through high school and now has given me someone who is close to me that I can turn to.” Siemion’s career will come to a close this weekend on the West Coast, when the ‘Jackets take on Western Washington University on Thursday and Simon Fraser University on Saturday. A physical education and special education doublemajor, Siemion will begin the pursuit of a career that will allow her to stay connected to the game through coaching. “I hope the players here can take away from me to never lose your enjoyment in playing volleyball,” said Siemion. “We are all here because we love the game, and even if you might go through hardships you can never forget why you played the game.”
Siemion has carved her path and distinguished herself among the local Montana volleyball elite. Long after the Storm has passed, its legacy at MSUB will live on for years to come.
Siemion with boyfriend Cade Taylor (L to R), sister Cady, grandmother Donnalee, mother Tracy, and father Chip.
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