Brawl of the Wild, Part II

Montana at Montana State / Tuesday / 7 p.m. / Bozeman, Mont.

Rivalry games always have a bigger feel to them, and that's especially true of the Brawl of the Wild series between Montana and Montana State. Separated by just 200 miles along I-90, the two institutions have played 112 times. The series, which dates back to the first season of volleyball for either squad, is deadlocked at 56-56. Additionally, each team has won 24 times when the match is played in Bozeman.

"The history and the emotion surrounding this rivalry is one of the most unique, coolest things you can be a part of," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "The gym will be so high energy that you can't help but be amped up. It makes your hair stand up."

Lawrence knows the Bobcats will be looking for revenge, after Montana came from behind to beat MSU last month in Missoula. The other factor will be the crowd. She praised MSU's environment, which will likely feature a sold-out crowd inside Schroyer Gym.

"I remember last year while we were warming up, they were rolling in extra bleachers," Lawrence said. "I think we'll be excited for the hostile environment. It's stressful but it's fun, and for us, we just have to be very diligent about communicating and responding from big plays when the home crowd starts to take over."

The rivalry is important for state pride and bragging rights, but this year, positioning is also on the line. Both Montana and Montana State are under second-year head coaches. Allison Lawrence was hired in January 2017 to lead the Griz while Daniel Jones had the interim tag removed after directing the Bobcats through 2017. Both programs are rebuilding, but both are on the right track.

Montana jumped out to its best Big Sky start in more than a decade, and currently at 5-5 is in line to make the conference tournament for the first time since 2014. Montana State hasn't been to the tournament since 2012, but also would hold one of the top-eight spots if the season ended today.

A loss on Tuesday would move Montana State into a tie with the Griz at 5-6. A win, though, would give Montana a two-game cushion over the Bobcats. Not to mention bragging rights after earning a season sweep for the first time since 2013 and recapturing the all-time series lead.

"I think both of us are playing really well, and playing a lot better than we were four weeks ago when we last saw them," Lawrence said. "A lot is riding on this match, above normal Griz-Cat things."

We have a big one tomorrow night! Who's joining us in Bozeman?#BeatTheCats pic.twitter.com/vNJzVa9fH8
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 22, 2018

A LOOK BACK: BRAWL OF THE WILD, PART I
Trailing 2-1 and facing match point at 24-23, Montana rallied to win the fourth frame, 27-25, before using the momentum to win the deciding frame. Tied at 8-8, Montana won the next three points and led by at least two points from that point forward.

The win gave Montana a 3-0 start to Big Sky Conference play and was played in front of more than 1,300 fans – UM's largest since 2009. In the match, Montana had four players with at least 11 kills, including Olivia Bradley's 14 on .524 hitting. Mykaela Hammer (15 kills, 19 digs) and Maddy Marshall (14 kills, 15 digs) had double-doubles, as did setter Ashley Watkins (57 assists, 12 digs). Overall, Montana posted 82 digs, led by Sarina Moreno's 21. Baily Permann had a career-high eight blocks.

"That was so amazing," Watkins said after the match. "That's what I live for. Having that many people from Griz Nation come out and support us to no end, it was amazing to play in front of that type of environment.

ABOUT MONTANA STATE

Montana State is 9-12 overall, including 4-6 in Big Sky play. After losing four consecutive matches in late September, MSU has won three of its past five, including a three-set win at Portland State last Saturday.
Libero Allyssa Rizzo ranks third in Big Sky play with 5.59 digs per set. The junior ranks fourth in the conference with 31 service aces overall. She has twice been named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Senior OH Natalie Passeck leads the Bobcats for kills (2.86 per set) and hitting (.257). In last month's match vs. UM, she had a team-high 14 kills.
Junior MB McKayla Landreth is one of the league's top blockers, averaging 1.11 per set during Big Sky play (seventh).
After using a two-setter offense earlier in the season, sophomore Carina Lehto has taken over as sole setter. She averaged a double-double this past weekend on the road.
MSU had 15 team blocks last month vs. UM, including 11 from Landreth and eight from Lehto.
MSU went 10-15 in 2017, returning four starters and its libero from last year's roster.

SERIES VS. THE BOBCATS
Montana dominated Montana State from 2006 through 2012, winning 12 of 13 in the series, but the last half decade has more resembled what the entire series has shown, which is a full-on battle. The two teams have each won six matches over the past 12 meetings, including Montana's 3-2 home victory last month. The Grizzlies are looking for their first series sweep over the Bobcats since 2013, and their first win in Bozeman since 2014. All-time, Montana is 24-24 in Bozeman. The series, which dates back to Montana's first season as a program in 1975, is also knotted at 56-56.

Weekly Press Conference with Allison Lawrence https://t.co/9S1AOfO41V
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 22, 2018

LAST TIME OUT
At this time last week, there were seven teams within a game of first place in the Big Sky Conference, including a four-way tie at the top. Montana was among the group of seven teams, but suffered a pair of losses on the road to Portland State and Sacramento State.

The loss to Portland State was frustrating. It came less than a month after the Grizzlies swept the Vikings in Missoula, and while Portland State returned a couple of players who didn't play in the first meeting, Montana didn't play particularly well. The Grizzlies were blocked 11 times while failing to record a block of their own. Montana led 18-11 in the first set, but couldn't hang on and lost 25-23. With the momentum, the home team was able to win the next two tight sets, as well.

Two days later at Sacramento State, Montana hung with the top-ranked Hornets despite being swept. The Grizzlies had set-point opportunities twice, leading 24-23 in both sets 1 and 2, but Portland State was able to extend both sets, winning Set 1, 26-24, and Set 2, 29-27.

Despite the loss, head coach Allison Lawrence was encouraged by how her team responded from Thursday night in Portland. If the Grizzlies played like they did on Saturday, they very well may have come home with a split.

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 eight 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 entering mid-October, 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.

KEEPIN' IT 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 has 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.

Hammer surpassed 800 career kills last weekend, and is nearing 200 career blocks as well. The senior is also approaching another milestone. Tuesday will be Hammer's 100th career match played at Montana. Of her 99 matches played thus far, she has earned 79 starts, including 26 matches in a row and 62 of the past 63.

IN THE RANKINGS
Several Grizzlies rank among the Big Sky leaders for several statistical categories:

Olivia Bradley's .381 Big Sky hitting percentage ranks third 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 3.89 kills-per-set average in Big Sky play ranks third.
Ashley Watkins ranks fifth in Big Sky play with 10.97 assists per set.
Sarina Moreno ranks sixth in Big Sky play with 4.81 digs per set. As a team, Montana ranks fourth in Big Sky play with 16.78 digs per set
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.

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.

Middle blocker Olivia Bradley has earned 15 starts this year, including 12 in the past 14 matches. The freshman not only leads the Griz for hitting (.321), but her .381 Big Sky hitting percentage ranks fifth in the league. Bradley ranks fourth on the team for kills (1.77 per set), second for blocking (0.69 per set) and third for total points (2.35 per set).

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 4.27 digs-per-set average rank sixth in the Big Sky, and she has increased that number to 4.81 during league play, also adding 13 service aces (fourth on the team).

LOOKING AHEAD
After three matches in three cities over a six-day period, Montana will three full days before taking on Northern Colorado on Saturday in Missoula. The match will be played at 7 p.m., following the Griz football game. Fans can get in free by showing their football game ticket. Additionally, this weekend Montana is showing appreciation to the military by allowing all active military, veterans and first responders free admission.

Earlier this week, we got to spend time with our friends from @targetrangek8! pic.twitter.com/Yqs42wM3YG
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 19, 2018

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Bradley

Mykaela Hammer

Missy Huddleston

Maddy Marshall

Sarina Moreno

Baily Permann

Ashley Watkins

University of Montana Athletics