Griz taking one-match-at-a-time approach

Montana at Idaho / Thursday / 8 p.m. (MT) / Moscow, Idaho

Montana at Eastern Washington / Friday / 8 p.m. (MT) / Cheney, Wash.

The talk – both internally and externally – has been about making the conference tournament for the first time since 2014. And after a hot start over the first month, the noise grew louder.

Now head volleyball coach Allison Lawrence is trying to reel it in.

From 2014 through the start to Big Sky play this year, Montana's volleyball program went just 30-94. Nearly every match, Montana was seen as the underdog, and the Grizzlies played with nothing to lose and everything to prove.

Montana then won its first three conference matches, all against teams picked to finish ahead of the Grizzlies in the preseason poll. The team's 5-2 start had been matched just one other time in the past two decades. For the first time in a while, the Grizzlies were tasting success.

"I think we were in a position that we had never been in before, and all of a sudden we began to tighten up because we didn't know how to respond to it," Lawrence said.

The good news for the Grizzlies is that their 5-2 start built a cushion, and even today, in the midst of a seven-match skid, Montana still is in the driver's seat to make the conference tournament. Montana is tied with Montana State for seventh place, with Portland State and Southern Utah one game back.

Lawrence wants her team to go back to playing free, and more than that, trusting the process, and trusting that by focusing on themselves the results will take care of themselves.

"It's not about who's on the other side of the net, or even our outcome," Lawrence said. "It's about the process. Everything we're told is to have the carrot in front of you and play for that, whether it's a win, a playoff spot or whatever.

"The external reward is an imposter. When you shift your focus to that, you really lose a sense of your core identity and what drives you."

So Lawrence is taking a step back, admitting that even she may have focused too much on the outcome after an historic start.

"Getting to the tournament is such a small measure of where we are as a program. It's just one tiny sign that our work is pointed in the right direction," she said. "Whether we get there or not, our work isn't finished. We want to work without end. There is no end. There is constantly work to do, which is why we need to play for more than just an external reward."

Montana is guaranteed four more matches this season, and the team will take it one match at a time.

First up this week is an Idaho squad that not only was picked to win the conference, but has backed up that preseason ranking and is surging at the right time. When the two teams met last month in Missoula, Idaho was on a three-match winning streak after beginning league play 2-2. The Vandals won that afternoon against the Griz, and haven't lost since. Their winning streak has now reached 10 matches, most recently snapping Sacramento State's 31-match Big Sky home win streak.

"They have every weapon at their disposal," Lawrence said. "They have pins that are extremely terminal, they have a right side who's very physical, they have two middles who are as good as they get, and they run a very fast offense with a ton of size."

That's just the offense. The Vandals lead the league for hitting percentage, kills and assists, but also rank at the top for opponent hitting percentage and blocks.

Contrasting Idaho is Eastern Washington. Under a first-year head coach, the Eagles are winless in Big Sky play (0-14) and without a victory on their home court (0-6). EWU may be without a win, but Lawrence knows it can be dangerous. Earlier this year, EWU took Portland State and Montana State to five sets, including the Bobcats on the road.

"They're a gritty and scrappy team and will keep a lot of balls in play," Lawrence said. "They've pushed a lot of teams, and we're not in a position to take any second for granted over these next four matches. You never want to underestimate a team's desire to change the trajectory of their season, whether they can make the playoffs or not."

First serve will be at 8 p.m. MT on both Thursday and Friday and can be watched on Pluto TV and WatchBigSky.com.

It's a new week with two opportunities in front of us. Let's finish strong!#GrizVB #GoGriz #MontanaTough pic.twitter.com/C1NAzKrJkn
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) November 5, 2018

SCOUTING IDAHO

Idaho enters Thursday's match in first place in the Big Sky, currently riding a 10-match winning streak.
With six seniors, the Vandals were picked to win the Big Sky Conference.
Idaho leads the Big Sky in five of six statistical categories, including two categories that rank in the top 30 nationally (2.64 blocks per set, 26th; .256 hitting percentage, 28th).
Idaho returned four starters and its libero from last year's team. Among the returners are OH Sarah Sharp (first-team All-Big Sky), MB Devonne Ryter (first-team All-Big Sky), OH Kaela Straw (second-team All-Big Sky) and OH/L Alicia Wodke (Newcomer of the Year).
Straw, the reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week, ranks third in the conference with 3.94 kills per set.
Ryter ranks third for hitting (.382), fourth for service aces (0.38 per set) and seventh for blocking (1.10 per set).
Freshman Nikki Balls leads the league for blocking (1.24 per set) and ranks 63rd nationally.

SERIES VS. THE VANDALS
The series vs. Idaho dates back to Montana's first-ever match, in 1975. The Grizzlies are 27-36 vs. the Vandals, including 10-16 on the road. UM took Idaho to five sets at home in 2017, losing a heartbreaker that included a Set-4 score of 30-28 and Set-5 score of 19-17. Last month in Missoula, Idaho snapped UM's five-match home win streak (and created its current losing skid), with a 3-0 win. No Grizzly was in double figures for kills, while Idaho hit .306, led by 15 kills on .520 hitting by Reece Carman. Montana is looking for just its second win vs. Idaho since 2000.

SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON

Eastern Washington led all Big Sky schools with an 8-4 record during non-conference play, earning wins over Akron and UC Riverside, but is 0-14 to begin Big Sky play. Most recently, the Eagles lost 3-1 at Portland State. The Eagles play Montana State on Thursday, prior to their match vs. Montana.
Offensively, the Eagles are led by sophomore MB Kamille Langford's 169 kills (2.09 per set). Senior Alexandra Espinosa is averaging 2.64 kills per set but has been out since Sept. 29.
Puaoolelagi Sao, a sophomore DS, ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 4.35 digs per set.
Sophomore L Catelyn Linke has 27 service aces.
The Eagles rank ninth in Big Sky play for blocking (1.68 per set), but rank last in every other statistical category.
Leslie Flores-Cloud is in her first season leading the Eagles. She wasn't hired until June 15.

SERIES VS. THE EAGLES
Montana is 55-40 all-time against EWU (17-23 on the road). The Grizzlies have played and beaten the Eagles more than any other opponent aside from Montana State. The two teams have played at least once every season since 1975. The Grizzlies are looking for their third consecutive win over the Eagles after a 3-0 victory to close 2017 and a 3-1 win last month in Missoula. In that match, Montana hit a season-best .328, led by four players in double figures for kills. Mykaela Hammer had 18 kills while Olivia Bradley had 10 without making an error.

ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Idaho stole a home match from Sacramento State over the weekend in a battle of two of the top teams. The Vandals (12-2) are in position to win the regular-season title, one game up on Northern Arizona (11-3) and two on Sacramento State (10-4). Weber State and Idaho State (9-5) are tied for fourth place, followed by Northern Colorado at 8-6.

With two weeks to play, there are four teams fighting for the final two spots in the eight-team Big Sky Championship (Nov. 22-24 in Greeley, Colo.)

Montana State (5-9) – at Eastern Washington (Thursday), at Idaho (Friday), vs. Idaho State (Nov. 15), at Weber State (Nov. 17)
Montana (5-9) – at Idaho (Thursday), at Eastern Washington (Friday), vs. Weber State (Nov. 15), at Idaho State (Nov. 17)
Portland State (4-10) – at Idaho State (Thursday), at Weber State (Saturday), vs. Sacramento State (Nov. 13), at Northern Colorado (Nov. 15)
Southern Utah (4-10) – at Northern Arizona (Tuesday), vs. Northern Colorado (Friday), vs. Eastern Washington (Nov. 15), at Idaho (Nov. 17)

Complete Match Notes in PDF format, including more notes, charts and player pages

Thank you, #GrizVB seniors! pic.twitter.com/j39TNaVURk
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) November 4, 2018

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Bradley

Mykaela Hammer

University of Montana Athletics