No. 9 Jayhawks top Grizzlies 3-0

Saturday, September 2

Orem, Utah

9:30 AM

Montana

3-3

Kansas

6-0

Montana

Kansas

9/2/2017 12:04:00 PM | Volleyball

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By: Montana Sports Information

No. 9 Kansas got off to a fast start and went on to a 3-0 victory over the Montana volleyball team on Saturday morning on the final day of the Wolverine Invitational at Orem, Utah.

The Jayhawks improved to 6-0 with a 25-9, 25-22, 25-16 victory over the Grizzlies, who are 3-3 through two weekends of tournaments.

Montana was facing its first top-10 opponent since 2004, and Kansas, which went 27-3 last season, looked the part in the opener.

The Jayhawks hit .333 and limited the Grizzlies to just three kills while forcing nine errors and -.250 hitting.

"They did what our scouting report said they would do, and they did it at a very precise level. They were surgical and very down-to-business," said coach Allison Lawrence.

"When our favorite shots and our initial game plan didn't work, we got on our heels and got tight."

It was more of the same early in the second set as Kansas got out to a 6-1 lead. That's when Montana got back into the match.

Cassie Laramee had a kill. Baily Permann followed with another, and Permann and Maddy Marshall combined for a block, a 3-0 run that announced the Grizzlies were not going to go away quietly.

"I think we finally loosened up a bit. We started going after them with our serving and got them out of system a little bit more," said Lawrence.

"And we started to let things go. They'd get a big kill, and we'd move on. We started to feel like we were in every point."

Montana had 12 kills for the set, just two fewer than Kansas, but the Jayhawks served up four aces, two at a critical time that decided the set.

The Grizzlies, behind a pair of kills and a block from Laramee, took their first lead of the match at 21-20. Madison Rigdon answered with a kill that made it 21-21 and put Rigdon on the service line.

Ace. Timeout Montana. Ace. Timeout Montana.

"She is their top server. She has a hybrid float-top spin that's really tough. That's why they start where they start, so she can serve that extra rotation when they get to 20," said Lawrence.

"She matched up against a good passing lineup for us, but at the same time she ripped a few."

Rigdon, who led both teams with 11 kills on .321 hitting, finished things with a kill, her fifth of the set.

Behind the play of setter Brittany Gay, who replaced Ashley Watkins in the opening set and finished with 13 assists, eight digs and five kills on eight swings, Montana got out to a 10-6 lead in the third set.

"We started touching them with our blocking and slowing them down and giving ourselves opportunities to win points," said Lawrence.

"And we were passing really, really well. The girls felt confident once we got that going that we could solve the puzzles in front of us."

But it was all Jayhawks after that. Kansas scored nine of the next 10 points and rolled to a nine-point win.

It gave Montana a 1-2 finish at the tournament. After opening with a 3-0 win over Long Beach State on Thursday, the Grizzlies lost in straight sets to both Utah Valley, which finished second in the WAC last season, and Kansas, last year's regular-season champion of the Big 12.

"The lesson I want us to learn from this weekend is that we had a big win early and I don't think we moved on from that," said Lawrence.

"When we're getting big wins, we have to learn how to move on and stay hungry for that next match. I think that's what this weekend will do for us."

Laramee finished with five kills on .267 hitting, with two aces and two blocks. McKenzie Kramer had four blocks, Shannon Casale totaled 11 digs.

Montana will face Southeast Missouri State, Nebraska-Omaha, San Jose State and Drake next weekend at Drake's tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.