Thursday, October 18
Portland, Ore.
8:00 PM (MT)
Montana
at
Portland State
Grizzlies enter 2nd half of Big Sky play in good standing
10/16/2018 5:24:00 PM | Volleyball
Montana at Portland State / Thursday / 8 p.m. (MT) / Portland, Ore.
Montana at Sacramento State / Saturday / 2 p.m. (MT) / Sacramento, Calif.
The Grizzlies have put themselves in a good position. As the midway point of the Big Sky Conference volleyball season nears, Montana is 5-3 and within a game of first place. The winning streak, home victories and historic start have all been well documented, but now things get more challenging.
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After winning just three conference matches a year ago, and two the year before that, it would be hard to blame opponents if they entered their matchups with the Griz penciling in a win. Through the first four weeks of the league schedule, though, opponents know that's no longer a reality.
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Montana was picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll, voted on by head coaches, but has already earned three wins over teams picked ahead of the Grizzlies. Montana came from behind to knock off Sacramento State – a team that advanced to the tournament finals a year ago – before sweeping Portland State. Three nights later, Montana won the Brawl of the Wild against another team picked in front of the Grizzlies.
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There's no sneaking up on opponents now, though. If Montana wants to reach its goal of qualifying for the Big Sky tournament – something that hasn't been accomplished since 2014 – the Grizzlies will have to continue to get better each week and stay ahead of team's counterpunches.
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"We have to take advantage of the fact that we're kind of in charge of our own destiny at this point instead of needing several things to go our way," second-year head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It's a new problem, and it's a good one, and we have to be hungrier than ever."
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The good news: Through the first eight matches, Montana has put itself in a good spot. The convoluted Big Sky standings have four teams tied for first place at 6-2 (Idaho, Idaho State, Sacramento State and Weber State). Just one game back, three more are at 5-3 (Montana, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado).
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The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament, with Montana State (3-5) currently holding the No. 8 slot. Portland State and Southern Utah are 1-7, while Eastern Washington is still winless at 0-8.
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"Any team can win on any given night in this league, and you can see that in the standings," Lawrence said. "Depending on who gets hot at the right time, that will dictate who passes each other up."
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Montana will officially reach the halfway point of its conference season on Saturday at Sacramento State, but the second half will unofficially begin Thursday when the Grizzlies travel to Portland to take on the Vikings for the second time.
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Portland State was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll, but got off to a tough start due to an array of injuries. The Vikings seem to be finding a rhythm now, though. After beating Eastern Washington Oct. 4 on the road, they took Weber State and Idaho State to five sets. The Wildcats and Bengals are part of the tie for first place.
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Sacramento State led the Grizzlies 2-0 in both teams' league opener, before Montana stunned the Hornets by winning the final three sets. Since then, Sacramento State is 6-1 with its only loss coming at preseason favorite Idaho. The team is on a three-match winning streak, with all three wins coming in straight sets.
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Still, most of what the Grizzlies are focusing on has little to do with the opponent across the net and more on themselves. They'll reference back to the previous time the two teams squared off, or look into patterns and tendencies, but for the most part, it's about controlling themselves.
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"Our whole goal the entire season has been to get better each week, as cliché as that sounds," Lawrence said. "A lot, a lot of what we're focusing on is just our side. It's managing our own errors, it's being consistent with our energy and communication, it's hitting our assignments. Those are all things that are completely dictated by us."
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First serve in Portland is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. MT. The Griz and Hornets begin battle Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. Both matches can be watched on Pluto TV.
TALKING HISTORY
Montana is off to one of its best starts in recent memory, and along the way has accomplished several rare feats.
Several Grizzlies rank among the Big Sky leaders for several statistical categories:
Montana has won three of the past five matchups vs. Portland State, but overall, the series that began in 1975 has belonged to Portland State. The Vikings are 58-17 all-time vs. UM, including 29-5 in Portland. Montana has lost 16 of its last 17 matches in Portland, but the win came in 2015. During last month's home victory over the Vikings, senior Mykaela Hammer led the Griz with 16 kills on .500 hitting.
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ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
Montana is just 14-30 all-time against Sacramento State, but has won 10 of the past 16 matchups since 2008. The Grizzlies are 4-16 all-time in Sacramento. In last month's come-from-behind victory, senior Mykaela Hammer had 23 kills on .409 hitting. Missy Huddleston (21) and Sarina Moreno (19) combined for 40 digs, while Baily Permann led UM with six blocks.
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EFFICIENT HITTING
In Montana's four-set victory over Eastern Washington last week, the Grizzlies hit .328, their highest hitting percentage since 2015.
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The Grizzlies made just four hitting errors through the first two frames, attacking at a .423 clip in Set 1 and .500 in Set 2. Montana's second-set percentage was the highest this season, while its first-set numbers were the third-best. To no surprise, Montana is 5-1 this season when recording a higher attack percentage than its opponent.
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Entering the week, no individual player had gone a match with at least five kills without making an error. It happened twice over the weekend, however, with freshman middle blocker hitting .625 vs. Eastern Washington (10-0-16) and Cassie Laramee attacking at a .474 clip (9-0-19).
FRESHMAN IMPACT
With every starter returning from 2017, there wasn't a lot of room for newcomers to fit into the rotation, but two true freshmen have found their groove.
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Middle blocker Olivia Bradley has earned 13 starts this year, including 10 in the past 12 matches. The freshman not only leads the Griz for hitting (.303), but her .343 Big Sky hitting percentage ranks fifth in the league. Bradley ranks fourth on the team for kills (1.73 per set), second for blocking (0.71 per set) and third for total points (2.32 per set).
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Sarina Moreno didn't travel with the Griz to the team's first road trip, but took over at libero midway through the fourth match of the season and has played each match since. Her 4.16 digs-per-set average rank seventh in the Big Sky, and she has increased that number to 4.68 during league play, also adding 12 service aces (third on the team).
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NEARING 100
Redshirt senior Mykaela Hammer has been a staple for the Grizzlies over the past five seasons. In addition to playing for three head coaches, she has switched positions multiple times, doing whatever her team needed from her. As a sophomore in 2016, playing as both an outside and middle, Hammer led the Grizzlies for blocks. A year later in 2017, she was the team leader for kills, and is on pace to again lead Montana in that category in 2018.
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Hammer will likely surpass 800 career kills this weekend, and is nearing 200 career blocks as well. The senior is also approaching another milestone. If all goes according to planned, Montana's match at Montana State on Oct. 23 will be Hammer's 100th career match. Of her 97 matches played thus far, she has earned 77 starts, including 24 matches in a row and 60 of the past 61.
Complete Match Notes in PDF format
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After winning just three conference matches a year ago, and two the year before that, it would be hard to blame opponents if they entered their matchups with the Griz penciling in a win. Through the first four weeks of the league schedule, though, opponents know that's no longer a reality.
Â
Montana was picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll, voted on by head coaches, but has already earned three wins over teams picked ahead of the Grizzlies. Montana came from behind to knock off Sacramento State – a team that advanced to the tournament finals a year ago – before sweeping Portland State. Three nights later, Montana won the Brawl of the Wild against another team picked in front of the Grizzlies.
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There's no sneaking up on opponents now, though. If Montana wants to reach its goal of qualifying for the Big Sky tournament – something that hasn't been accomplished since 2014 – the Grizzlies will have to continue to get better each week and stay ahead of team's counterpunches.
Â
"We have to take advantage of the fact that we're kind of in charge of our own destiny at this point instead of needing several things to go our way," second-year head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It's a new problem, and it's a good one, and we have to be hungrier than ever."
Â
The good news: Through the first eight matches, Montana has put itself in a good spot. The convoluted Big Sky standings have four teams tied for first place at 6-2 (Idaho, Idaho State, Sacramento State and Weber State). Just one game back, three more are at 5-3 (Montana, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado).
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The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament, with Montana State (3-5) currently holding the No. 8 slot. Portland State and Southern Utah are 1-7, while Eastern Washington is still winless at 0-8.
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"Any team can win on any given night in this league, and you can see that in the standings," Lawrence said. "Depending on who gets hot at the right time, that will dictate who passes each other up."
Â
Montana will officially reach the halfway point of its conference season on Saturday at Sacramento State, but the second half will unofficially begin Thursday when the Grizzlies travel to Portland to take on the Vikings for the second time.
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Portland State was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll, but got off to a tough start due to an array of injuries. The Vikings seem to be finding a rhythm now, though. After beating Eastern Washington Oct. 4 on the road, they took Weber State and Idaho State to five sets. The Wildcats and Bengals are part of the tie for first place.
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Sacramento State led the Grizzlies 2-0 in both teams' league opener, before Montana stunned the Hornets by winning the final three sets. Since then, Sacramento State is 6-1 with its only loss coming at preseason favorite Idaho. The team is on a three-match winning streak, with all three wins coming in straight sets.
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Still, most of what the Grizzlies are focusing on has little to do with the opponent across the net and more on themselves. They'll reference back to the previous time the two teams squared off, or look into patterns and tendencies, but for the most part, it's about controlling themselves.
Â
"Our whole goal the entire season has been to get better each week, as cliché as that sounds," Lawrence said. "A lot, a lot of what we're focusing on is just our side. It's managing our own errors, it's being consistent with our energy and communication, it's hitting our assignments. Those are all things that are completely dictated by us."
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First serve in Portland is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. MT. The Griz and Hornets begin battle Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. Both matches can be watched on Pluto TV.
Â🎥 Highlights 🎥
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 12, 2018
Montana knocked off Eastern Washington last night, improving to 5-2 in Big Sky play!#GrizVB #GoGriz #MontanaTough pic.twitter.com/JtzwgQ4dYy
TALKING HISTORY
Montana is off to one of its best starts in recent memory, and along the way has accomplished several rare feats.
- Still with at least 10 matches to play, Montana has already matched last season's win total and is currently tied for its most total wins since 2013.
- The Grizzlies opened Big Sky Conference play with three consecutive victories, marking their best start since 2006. With five wins through their first seven conference matches, Montana's 5-2 start had only been accomplished one other time since 1995.
- With five Big Sky wins already under its belt, Montana has matched its conference win total from 2016 and 2017 combined.
- Montana won five consecutive home matches from Sept. 1 through Oct. 11, its longest home winning streak since 2011. Overall, the team's five home wins are its most in a season since 2013. The Grizzlies are nearing the home win total from 2015-17 combined (six).
- The Grizzlies have won two true road matches, matching their total from 2016 and 2017 combined.
- From Sept. 15-25, Montana won four consecutive matches overall, its longest winning streak since 2013.
Several Grizzlies rank among the Big Sky leaders for several statistical categories:
- Olivia Bradley's .343 Big Sky hitting percentage ranks fifth in the league and first among freshman attackers. She has UM's top-two individual hitting percentages this season, including a .625 clip (10-0-16) vs. Eastern Washington.
- Mykaela Hammer's 3.74 kills-per-set average in Big Sky play ranks fifth.
- Ashley Watkins ranks fifth in Big Sky play with 10.70 assists per set.
- Sarina Moreno ranks seventh in Big Sky play with 4.68 digs per set.
- Baily Permann's 1.07 blocks-per-set average in Big Sky play is the eighth-best in the league.
- Missy Huddleston's 24 kills vs. Gonzaga are the fourth-most by a Big Sky athlete this season. Hammer's 23 vs. Sacramento State rank fifth.
- Ashley Watkins' 46 assists vs. Portland State are the most in a three-set match this season.
- PSU is just 1-7 in Big Sky play, but took Idaho State and Weber State (both tied for first place) to five sets last week. The team's Oct. 4 win at Eastern Washington snapped its 15-match losing skid.
- Five players average at least 1.95 kills per set, led by senior OH Jenna Mullen (3.08, ninth in Big Sky).
- In last week's loss to Weber State, junior OH Toni McDougald had a career-high 19 kills. Her 2.22 kills-per-set average ranks third on the team.
- Also against Weber State, freshman OH Peyton McBride became the first Viking since 2012 to record 20 kills and 20 digs in a match. McBride ranks third on her team for digs and sixth for kills.
- PSU runs a 6-2 offense, utilizing two setters.
- The Vikings rank in the upper half of Big Sky play with 16.24 digs per set (fifth), led by senior DS Hadley Heck (4.06, 10th).
- PSU ranks eighth in Big Sky play with 1.91 blocks per set. The Vikings rank ninth for opponent hitting and 10th for all other statistical categories.
Montana has won three of the past five matchups vs. Portland State, but overall, the series that began in 1975 has belonged to Portland State. The Vikings are 58-17 all-time vs. UM, including 29-5 in Portland. Montana has lost 16 of its last 17 matches in Portland, but the win came in 2015. During last month's home victory over the Vikings, senior Mykaela Hammer led the Griz with 16 kills on .500 hitting.
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ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
- Entering its Thursday match vs. Montana State, Sacramento State has won six of its past seven matches, including sweeps last week over Idaho State and Weber State (tied for first place).
- Senior OH Mikaela Nocetti ranks second in Big Sky play with 4.48 kills per set (47th in NCAA). She takes more than one-third of her team's swings, with no other players averaging more than 2.50 kills per set.
- Nocetti is a 2017 All-Big Sky selection and the reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week.
- The Hornets lead the Big Sky and rank seventh nationally with 1.78 service aces per set. They have three players ranked in the top 10 in the Big Sky, including senior DS Skyler Takeda (0.51 per set, 12th in NCAA).
- The Hornets rank in the top four in the Big Sky for service aces, hitting percentage, opponent hitting and blocking.
- Three Hornets average at least 0.89 blocks per set, including senior MB Lana Brown (1.10, sixth in Big Sky play).
- Brown (.343, sixth) and senior MB Brie Gathright (.305, 10th) both rank in the top 10 in Big Sky play for hitting percentage.
Montana is just 14-30 all-time against Sacramento State, but has won 10 of the past 16 matchups since 2008. The Grizzlies are 4-16 all-time in Sacramento. In last month's come-from-behind victory, senior Mykaela Hammer had 23 kills on .409 hitting. Missy Huddleston (21) and Sarina Moreno (19) combined for 40 digs, while Baily Permann led UM with six blocks.
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EFFICIENT HITTING
In Montana's four-set victory over Eastern Washington last week, the Grizzlies hit .328, their highest hitting percentage since 2015.
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The Grizzlies made just four hitting errors through the first two frames, attacking at a .423 clip in Set 1 and .500 in Set 2. Montana's second-set percentage was the highest this season, while its first-set numbers were the third-best. To no surprise, Montana is 5-1 this season when recording a higher attack percentage than its opponent.
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Entering the week, no individual player had gone a match with at least five kills without making an error. It happened twice over the weekend, however, with freshman middle blocker hitting .625 vs. Eastern Washington (10-0-16) and Cassie Laramee attacking at a .474 clip (9-0-19).
ÂHow about @claramee2? The senior had 9 kills and 0 errors, hitting a career-best .474!#GrizVB #GoGriz #MontanaTough pic.twitter.com/2hg6QXKWqf
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 14, 2018
FRESHMAN IMPACT
With every starter returning from 2017, there wasn't a lot of room for newcomers to fit into the rotation, but two true freshmen have found their groove.
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Middle blocker Olivia Bradley has earned 13 starts this year, including 10 in the past 12 matches. The freshman not only leads the Griz for hitting (.303), but her .343 Big Sky hitting percentage ranks fifth in the league. Bradley ranks fourth on the team for kills (1.73 per set), second for blocking (0.71 per set) and third for total points (2.32 per set).
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Sarina Moreno didn't travel with the Griz to the team's first road trip, but took over at libero midway through the fourth match of the season and has played each match since. Her 4.16 digs-per-set average rank seventh in the Big Sky, and she has increased that number to 4.68 during league play, also adding 12 service aces (third on the team).
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NEARING 100
Redshirt senior Mykaela Hammer has been a staple for the Grizzlies over the past five seasons. In addition to playing for three head coaches, she has switched positions multiple times, doing whatever her team needed from her. As a sophomore in 2016, playing as both an outside and middle, Hammer led the Grizzlies for blocks. A year later in 2017, she was the team leader for kills, and is on pace to again lead Montana in that category in 2018.
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Hammer will likely surpass 800 career kills this weekend, and is nearing 200 career blocks as well. The senior is also approaching another milestone. If all goes according to planned, Montana's match at Montana State on Oct. 23 will be Hammer's 100th career match. Of her 97 matches played thus far, she has earned 77 starts, including 24 matches in a row and 60 of the past 61.
Complete Match Notes in PDF format
Thanks to everyone who participated in our free #GrizVB youth clinic on Saturday! We had a great time growing the game of volleyball!
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 16, 2018
📸 https://t.co/PXq2M765eg pic.twitter.com/pfGelZBkwP
Players Mentioned
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OH
/ Volleyball
OH
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OH
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DS
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