Montana
Northern Colorado
Griz show resolve in comeback victory
10/26/2013 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2013
Box Score
Facing a team that had won four consecutive matches and was holding a 22-20 lead in the fourth set and was just three points away from making it five straight wins, the Montana volleyball team never flinched.
The Grizzlies used Kayla Reno's 18 kills and a superb defensive effort to win at Northern Colorado Saturday night, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-23, 15-13.
The win was the fourth for Montana (10-11, 7-5 BSC) in seven Big Sky Conference road matches this season, and knocking off the Bears (9-13, 5-7 BSC) for the second time this season was doubly important.
UNC's recent winning streak had allowed Northern Colorado to pull within a game of Montana in the Big Sky standings. With Saturday's win, the Grizzlies remain in a two-way tie for fifth with Sacramento State (12-11, 7-5 BSC).
Those two teams, who are within one in the win column of Portland State (11-10, 8-3 BSC) and Idaho State (14-9, 8-4 BSC), now have a two-game advantage on seventh-place Northern Colorado, and Montana has the added buffer of a season sweep of the Bears.
"I couldn't be happier with the result," UM coach Jerry Wagner said. "These kids realized that this match had playoff implications, and they hung in there against a really hot team at their place and did an excellent job of adjusting throughout the match and getting better and better and better.
"There were probably a dozen or more times in this match that we had to show some fortitude, and we did. It was a test of wills, and tonight the Griz had more resolve."
It didn't look good for Montana after Northern Colorado held the Grizzlies to a negative hitting percentage in the third set to take a 2-1 lead. And it looked even worse when Brianna Strong recorded a kill to put the Bears up 22-20 in the fourth set.
But freshman Claire McCown had two big kills and redshirt freshman Sadie Ahearn served up an ace on set point to give Montana a 25-23 win, and the Grizzlies raced out to a 7-3 lead in the fifth set and never allowed the Bears to catch back up.
The Grizzlies created a match point at 14-11 when senior Brooke Bray tipped a well-placed kill just over the net to an open spot on the floor, but a UM service error and a Strong kill allowed Northern Colorado to pull within 14-13.
With the match on the line, the Bears sent the ensuing serve long for an error that gave Montana its second-ever win in Greeley and its first since 2006.
"We're starting to learn that his is how these matches against good competition are going to be played," Wagner said. "We need to expect it to be close, and we need to expect ourselves to be able to rise above the situation.
"We're willing to hang in there and fight for every inch, every point and every foot of space. Our resolve is really, really good. These kids are willing each other to make the plays."
Northern Colorado had the better offense -- the Bears had 10 more kills and had four players with double-digit kills compared to the Grizzlies' two -- but Montana won by being a little better in every other area.
Senior setter Kortney James had 26 digs, six more than her previous career high, and added six blocks to go along with her 48 assists as Montana hit .209. Senior libero Megan Murphey had 22 digs, and freshman Raegan Lindsey came up with a season-high 19.
Reno had 18 kills on .237 hitting, junior Kelsey Schile had 14 kills on .300 hitting, and Bray finished with a match-high seven blocks.
With sophomore Gabby Crowell struggling with a .000 hitting percentage through the early sets, McCown checked in for the first time midway through the third and provided a settling presence the Grizzlies needed. She finished with six kills on .333 hitting and two blocks.
"I have to really credit Claire for coming in and solidifying things for us," Wagner said. "We needed everything she provided tonight to loosen things up."
With a two-game lead on its nearest pursuer and its next four matches at home, Montana can now look up in the standings instead of worrying about who's behind. Two of the upcoming four home matches are against Portland State and Idaho State, teams sitting just ahead of the Grizzlies.
The homestand will open on Thursday when eighth-place Eastern Washington visits the West Auxiliary Gym. On Saturday it will be Portland State, a team Montana hasn't defeated since 2004.
"The great thing about my locker room is that nobody even knows who we play our next time out," Wagner said. "We could care less. We're taking care of the business that's right in front of us as best we can, and that's what's working for us."
