Tuesday, September 25
Missoula, Mont.
7:00 PM
Montana
6-9, 3-0BSC
3
vs
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Montana State
6-8, 1-2BSC
1
2
3
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5
F
Montana State
25
18
25
25
11
2
Montana
16
25
22
27
15
3
Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Grizzlies’ historic run continues with rivalry win over Montana State
9/25/2018 11:29:00 PM | Volleyball
MISSOULA, Mont. – The excitement surrounding Montana volleyball continues to grow. The Grizzlies are 3-0 in Big Sky play for the first time since 2006 after coming from behind to defeat rival Montana State on Tuesday evening.
The Grizzlies trailed 2-1 – and faced match point in Set 4 – before rallying to win the fourth frame, 27-25, and pushing past the Bobcats in Set 5.
The win is significant on several levels:
The Grizzlies weren't able to convert out of the break, but two plays later, Hammer posted another kill, followed by a Permann/Ashley Watkins block to send the match to a fifth frame.
"The focus was the same as it's been as of late, which is to be aggressive and fearless," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "We want to make the aggressive decision and risk everything, no matter what, and that's what we did."
Montana has been so good at closing sets lately, and more particularly at taking care of business in the fifth set. Montana has played to five sets six times already this season, including three of its past four matches. In all three of those instances, Montana has come out on top – doing so in a different way each time.
The fifth frame was tight to begin. There were ties at seven of the first eight points, with neither team leading by more than a pair of points.
Then Montana started to distance itself. Tied at 8-8, senior outside hitter Cassie Laramee put the Griz on top with a kill. An unforced hitting error and a block forced MSU to use a timeout, as Montana had built an 11-8 lead.
The Bobcats would never get closer than two points (11-9) after that, as Montana scored seven of the set's final 10 points to seal the victory.
"Tonight was really special," Lawrence said. "After the match, I wanted to tell them to look around and see what they've built. I've never seen or felt that kind of presence in a crowd in my eight years here. That is not because of me or our staff, but because of our team being the people they are and doing things the right way."
Hammer (15) and Marshall (14) also led the Grizzlies for kills, along with freshman Olivia Bradley (14), who did so at a .524 clip. From the time Montana faced set point (24-23 in Set 4) until the end of the match, Hammer had six of Montana's 10 kills.
Watkins had 57 assists and four blocks. Permann recorded a career-high eight stuffs, including several at crucial points in the match.
The two teams were tied eight times in the first set before MSU pulled away, including a 7-0 run to close the frame. The Grizzlies hit .345 in the second set to flip the script on the Bobcats, winning 25-18. Montana led by four, 10-6, in Set 3, and as late as 16-15, but MSU used a 3-0 run late to break a 19-19 tie.
Montana has now won three of the past four Brawl of the Wild matches played in Missoula, but Tuesday avenged last season's five-set loss.
"Being able to repeat what they did to us last year last year was an amazing feeling," Watkins said. "They're a really resilient team, so for us to be able to stick with them and be just as resilient showed a lot of grit."
The Grizzlies will have another short turnaround, leaving Wednesday for Greeley, Colo. Montana will play Northern Colorado on Thursday evening, before finally getting a breather after four matches in eight days to begin conference play.
The Grizzlies trailed 2-1 – and faced match point in Set 4 – before rallying to win the fourth frame, 27-25, and pushing past the Bobcats in Set 5.
The win is significant on several levels:
- Montana is 3-0 to begin Big Sky Conference play for the first time since 2006.
- Montana has won four consecutive matches overall for the first time since October 2013.
- Montana has won four consecutive home matches for the first time since October 2011.
- Just three games into its Big Sky schedule, Montana has already matched last year's final conference win total. The Grizzlies are currently the only Big Sky team at 3-0.
- Montana played in front of 1,314 fans on Tuesday evening, the largest crowd since 2009 and the 10th-largest in school history.
- Montana evened the all-time ledger vs. Montana State. The two rivals – who have been playing at least twice per year since volleyball began at both schools in 1975 – are 56-56 against each other.
Montana led Set 4 by as many as four points, but after ties from 20-20 through 23-23, the Grizzlies found themselves down after a Natalie Passeck kill. Facing match point, senior Mykaela Hammer kept the Grizzlies alive with a kill of her own, followed by a Hammer/Baily Permann block to give Montana set point and force a Bobcats timeout.MONTANA WINS THE BRAWL OF THE WILD!#GrizVB #GoGriz #MontanaTough pic.twitter.com/rpHDAgMv14
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) September 26, 2018
The Grizzlies weren't able to convert out of the break, but two plays later, Hammer posted another kill, followed by a Permann/Ashley Watkins block to send the match to a fifth frame.
"The focus was the same as it's been as of late, which is to be aggressive and fearless," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "We want to make the aggressive decision and risk everything, no matter what, and that's what we did."
Montana has been so good at closing sets lately, and more particularly at taking care of business in the fifth set. Montana has played to five sets six times already this season, including three of its past four matches. In all three of those instances, Montana has come out on top – doing so in a different way each time.
The fifth frame was tight to begin. There were ties at seven of the first eight points, with neither team leading by more than a pair of points.
Then Montana started to distance itself. Tied at 8-8, senior outside hitter Cassie Laramee put the Griz on top with a kill. An unforced hitting error and a block forced MSU to use a timeout, as Montana had built an 11-8 lead.
The Bobcats would never get closer than two points (11-9) after that, as Montana scored seven of the set's final 10 points to seal the victory.
"Tonight was really special," Lawrence said. "After the match, I wanted to tell them to look around and see what they've built. I've never seen or felt that kind of presence in a crowd in my eight years here. That is not because of me or our staff, but because of our team being the people they are and doing things the right way."
Montana was blocked 15 times, but also recorded 18 more kills than MSU. That was in large part due to a 16-dig advantage, including a career-high 21 from libero Sarina Moreno, who was playing in her first Brawl of the Wild. Hammer had 19 digs, while Maddy Marshall had 15.It's a great time to be a Griz! 🐻🏐#GrizVB #GoGriz #MontanaTough pic.twitter.com/C15Mc7WIct
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) September 26, 2018
Hammer (15) and Marshall (14) also led the Grizzlies for kills, along with freshman Olivia Bradley (14), who did so at a .524 clip. From the time Montana faced set point (24-23 in Set 4) until the end of the match, Hammer had six of Montana's 10 kills.
Watkins had 57 assists and four blocks. Permann recorded a career-high eight stuffs, including several at crucial points in the match.
The two teams were tied eight times in the first set before MSU pulled away, including a 7-0 run to close the frame. The Grizzlies hit .345 in the second set to flip the script on the Bobcats, winning 25-18. Montana led by four, 10-6, in Set 3, and as late as 16-15, but MSU used a 3-0 run late to break a 19-19 tie.
Montana has now won three of the past four Brawl of the Wild matches played in Missoula, but Tuesday avenged last season's five-set loss.
"Being able to repeat what they did to us last year last year was an amazing feeling," Watkins said. "They're a really resilient team, so for us to be able to stick with them and be just as resilient showed a lot of grit."
The Grizzlies will have another short turnaround, leaving Wednesday for Greeley, Colo. Montana will play Northern Colorado on Thursday evening, before finally getting a breather after four matches in eight days to begin conference play.
Fantastic win tonight by the Griz Volleyball team over MSU! Our students showed grit, determination, and an amazing will to win. Well done! pic.twitter.com/5YtypUtxo9
— Seth Bodnar (@SethBodnar) September 26, 2018
Team Stats
MSU
UM
Kills
47
65
Errors
23
38
Attempts
172
184
Hitting %
.140
.147
Points
70.0
82.5
Assists
45
62
Aces
8
6
Blocks
15.0
11.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
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