Griz open season with a win

Friday, August 28

Colorado Springs, Colo.

Noon

Montana

1-0

Air Force

0-1

Montana

Air Force

Rachel DeArman

8/28/2015 4:46:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Senior middle blocker Capri Richardson had 12 kills on .524 hitting to lead the Montana volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over Air Force Friday afternoon at the Falcon Classic at Colorado Springs, Colo., 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11.

Senior outside hitter Hannah Sackett kicked off her first tournament in a Griz uniform with a team-high 15 kills while sophomore outside hitter Janell Sparks added 11 as Montana picked up its first win of the season 28 days earlier than the Grizzlies did in 2014.

"It was a really tough Air Force team and they came out really hungry. It was good that we were resilient. We stayed focused on our game and were very fortunate to come out with a win against a really good team," said coach Brian Doyon of the team's five-set victory.

The teams split the first four sets, with Montana winning sets two and three. Air Force rallied to force a fifth set with a 25-17 win in set four. Tied 5-5 in the fifth, Montana, who hit .294 in the final set, scored four of the next five points to build a lead it would hold on to for the win.

The team battled back after losing a fourth set that had been in favor of Air Force from beginning to end; a tough win to pull on another team's home court.

"We made some big adjustments during the match. We had to change things that we had practiced a little but ended up using a lot. It was really good to see them adjust and be able to hold tight through that whole match," said Doyon.

Three of the eight Grizzlies, redshirt freshman setter Rachel DeArman and freshmen outside hitters Silerolia Gaogao and Cassie Laramee, saw the court for the first time in their collegiate careers. DeArman was a true standout with 41 assists and 10 digs in her first game as a Griz.

"I was really excited to see Rachel step up to the plate. She took charge of the court. It's not like we had the option to switch to a 6-2. It really was all on her. I'm really proud of her," said Richardson.

To add to DeArman's performance, junior Sadie Ahearn had a career-high 21 digs and senior Hannah Sackett added 13 digs.

As for Montana's next match on Saturday, Doyon expects a good test for his Grizzlies. "Northeastern is going to bring big challenges. They're a pretty good-sized and physical team. I think we're going to have to do the same thing we did with Air Force and just battle with them. We'll definitely need to bring a little more offensive power."

The Grizzlies and Huskies face-off at 5 p.m.