Grizzlies look to ride momentum into Borderland Invitational

Montana vs. Arizona (RV) / Friday, Sept. 7 / 10 a.m. MT / Las Cruces, N.M.

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Montana at New Mexico State / Friday, Sept. 7 / 7 p.m. MT / Las Cruces, N.M.

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Montana ta UTEP / Saturday, Sept. 8 /11 a.m. MT / El Paso, Texas

Head coach Allison Lawrence had never been to Missoula prior to receiving a phone call from Jerry Wagner in July 2010.

After a standout playing career at Oregon State, Lawrence began her collegiate coaching career at a trio of Division-III schools. She was happy at that level, but was also looking for a break into the Division-I ranks.

That opportunity presented itself when there was an opening on Wagner's staff at the University of Montana.

Although they had never met, Wagner and Lawrence were connected to each other through their respective years at Oregon State. Wagner was no longer an assistant on the Beavers' coaching staff when Lawrence was a freshman in 2001, but one of Lawrence's teammates, Gina Schmidt, was.

Fast forward to 2010, when Schmidt was now an assistant on Wagner's staff, and highly recommended hiring her former OSU teammate.

"I knew of Allison, but the more Gina told me about the type of person she was, and the more conversations we had, it just grew and grew from there," Wagner said. "I trusted Gina, and she was certainly spot on."

Likewise, Lawrence was sold by what she had heard and made the move, sight unseen.

"Gina was my role model, so the ability to work with her was awesome," Lawrence said. "Add that to what she told me about Jerry and what I already knew about Missoula, it was a no-brainer."

Wagner spent nine years as head coach of the Grizzlies (2006-14), leading his teams to six Big Sky tournament appearances. He was also an assistant coach from 1988-91, when Montana won its first Big Sky title and made its first NCAA tournament appearance.

Lawrence was on the sidelines with Wagner for five of his seasons as head coach, and come Saturday, she will line up across the net from her former boss. Wagner is now in his third season as an assistant coach at UTEP, which Montana plays at 11 a.m. Saturday in El Paso.

"I learned so much from Jerry," Lawrence said. "It's special to see what he's doing now. It's amazing how many things he taught me that I still use here. He's the hardest working coach I've ever worked with, and he always took care of everyone else before himself. He's made a major impact in who I am as a person and as a coach."

Ironically, this will be the second time the student will go head-to-head with one of her mentors. A year ago, Lawrence's first season as head coach, Montana was scheduled to open the year vs. Prairie View A&M. Hurricane Harvey prevented the Panthers from traveling to Denton, Texas, however. At the same time, UTEP's season-opening tournament was also canceled, leaving multiple teams needing last-minute opponents.

Montana and UTEP agreed to play each other, and later that afternoon Lawrence made her debut across the net from Wagner.

"I guess it was meant to be," Wagner reflected.

After dropping the first set, 25-22, Montana rallied to win the next three to give Lawrence a victory in her first match as head coach.

"It was a bittersweet feeling," Wagner said. "I'm proud to be coaching down here at UTEP now, and we're trying to build this program up. I knew Allison was in the same situation there taking over as head coach. I was sad that we didn't win, but also happy for her.

"Allison was the most loyal and trustworthy person. I knew she was going to be a great coach, and that's why at every chance I could, I made sure I didn't lose her. I'm really proud of my time at Montana, and even though I'm not coaching there anymore, I'm glad someone like Allison is."

Added Lawrence: "I was so fortunate to learn what being a coach at the University of Montana means from a true Montanan. Jerry embodies the ethos of this state – hard work, grit, loyalty and service before self."

Montana's match vs. UTEP will be the third of the weekend for the Grizzlies. Montana will also play Arizona (Friday at 10 a.m.) and New Mexico State (Friday at 7 p.m.) in Las Cruces, N.M. The four-team tournament is co-hosted by New Mexico State and UTEP.

ABOUT ARIZONA

Enters the weekend a perfect 6-0, defeating CSUN, Lipscomb, Pacific, Sacramento State, San Diego State and Utah State. The Wildcats are just outside the AVCA top-25, technically ranked No. 29.
Senior OH Kendra Dahlke ranks No. 2 nationally for kills, with 5.76 per set. She has at least 15 kills in every match this season, including 28 on .400 hitting vs. Utah State.
The Wildcats have one of the nation's top offenses, ranking in the top 20 in the NCAA for kills, assists and hitting percentage. In total, five attackers average at least 2.0 kills per set.
UA returned every starter from last year's squad, which went 11-18 and finished 10th in the Pac-12. It was picked to finish ninth in the 2018 preseason poll.
The Wildcats have been to the NCAA tournament 28 times, including seven times in the past decade.

SERIES VS. THE WILDCATS
Montana has played Arizona just once in its history, a 3-1 victory in Tucson during UM's historic 1991 season. The Grizzlies went 26-4 that year, winning the Big Sky and advancing to the NCAA tournament.

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE

NMSU is 5-2 to begin the season, with early wins over Eastern Kentucky, Grambling State, New Mexico, Pacific and UT Arlington.
NMSU runs a 6-2 offense, with Savannah Davison (3.29 kills per set) as its top weapon.
The Aggies have three players who average at least 0.80 blocks per set.
Senior S Briana Ainsworth, senior OH Tatyana Battle and junior MB Megan Hart were named to the Preseason All-WAC team.
NMSU has won 14 consecutive matches at home.
The Aggies returned four starters from last year's 21-8 squad.
NMSU is the class of the WAC, winning the championship in three consecutive seasons and advancing to the NCAA tournament seven times in the past 15 years.

SERIES VS. THE AGGIES
Friday will be Montana's first time playing in Las Cruces since 1986. The Grizzlies are 2-4 vs. NMSU, winning in 1993 and 1996. Current Griz Silerolia Gaogao and Cassie Laramee played in Montana's 3-0 loss to NMSU in 2015, in Colorado Springs.

ABOUT UTEP

UTEP enters the weekend with a 2-4 mark, defeating Incarnate Word and UIC, while falling to Louisiana-Lafayette, UMKC, Omaha and Tulane.
Junior OH Macey Austin, a 2017 All-Conference USA second-team selection and 2018 preseason honoree, leads the Miners' offense with 3.91 kills per set.
Freshman setter Kristen Fritsche has five double-doubles in six matches to begin her collegiate career.
UTEP has seven players averaging at least 3.0 digs per set, a major reason why the Miners rank in the top 20 percent nationally (16.30 per set).
In last year's match vs. Montana, UTEP's Brianna Arellano (10 kills) and Mallory Yost (nine kills on .615 hitting) led the Miners' attack.
Sophomore OH Cheyenne Jones is a native of Missoula, and played club with Elsa Godwin and Sarina Moreno.
UTEP returned four starters from last year's 6-22 squad, but also welcomed nine newcomers.

SERIES VS. THE MINERS
The Grizzlies are 3-0 all-time vs. UTEP, with all three wins coming on a neutral court. In UM's season-opening victory a year ago, Mykaela Hammer (14 kills), Cassie Laramee (14) and Baily Permann (12) were in double figures for kills.

RIDING THE MOMENTUM
Montana enters the weekend riding momentum from its first win of the season. After a 0-5 start to the year, the Grizzlies earned a signature win over Gonzaga, winning the first two sets before rallying in the fifth frame to win, 17-15. In the deciding set, Montana trailed 14-13 before scoring four of the next five points.

"I think I jumped as high as I have since college," head coach Allison Lawrence said after the match. "I was very emotional. We had players crying, we had coaches hugging. We're a program that has been starved for wins, and I want us to be so hungry. When that last ball falls, it's the feeling of coming up for air and all of your emotions come pouring out."

As exhilarating as the win was, Lawrence knows her team needs to stay level-headed, especially with the level of competition her team will face this weekend. Arizona is a perfect 6-0 to begin the season and is currently receiving top-25 votes (No. 29, technically). New Mexico State is off to a 5-2 start, while UTEP is 2-4.

"The sets that we were not close in, against any of the opponents, were sets where our ball control and serve-receive wasn't where we need it to be, or we were making errors at the service line or making unforced attack errors," she said. "Regardless of how strong the opponents were, that tournament showed us how much control we have over our game, and how much that actually controls our ability to be competitive in a set, regardless of who's on the other side."

Trailing the 5th set 12-11, our backs were against the wall. And then we started to chip away. #MontanaTough #GoGriz #GrizVB pic.twitter.com/DuiijoFx1S
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) September 3, 2018

HANGING WITH THE BEST
Montana knew the challenge would be steep, facing a pair of top-30 teams nationally. The Grizzlies were up for the challenge, however. Despite losing in straight sets to both Utah and Iowa State, Montana showed fight, and pushed the Power-5 teams in many sets.

Against Utah, the Grizzlies jumped out to an early lead and forced the Utes to call timeout first. Montana led by as many as three points, and as late as 17-16. In the third set, Montana was within a single point, 15-14, midway through the frame. Montana was even better against Iowa State. In the second set, the Grizzlies led by as many as seven points, 15-8, and were tied at 21-21. The two teams were knotted at 20-20 in Set 3, before Iowa State again closed the set on a run.

SARINA'S DEBUT
Freshman Sarina Moreno, who did not travel with the team to Montana's first tournament in California, made her collegiate debut during the second set vs. Utah. She had six digs vs. the Utes, and continued to find her comfortability throughout the weekend.

In her two starts, the libero averaged 4.38 digs per set, in addition to a pair of service aces vs. Gonzaga.

MORE FROM THE MONTANA INVITATIONAL

Junior Missy Huddleston had a career day vs. Gonzaga, tallying a personal-best 24 kills on .333 hitting. Trailing in the fifth set, 14-13, Huddleston recorded a kill and service ace on back-to-back plays to force a Zags timeout and set up match point.
Freshman Olivia Bradley – who started vs. No. 22 Utah – did not play vs. Gonzaga until the final point of the match. Leading Set 5 by a score of 16-15, Bradley was subbed in to serve. Her tough serve forced an overpass, which Montana was eventually able to turn into a kill.
Senior Mykaela Hammer was named to the all-tournament team. She had 10 kills against both Iowa State and Gonzaga and had nine on .391 hitting (no errors) vs. Utah.
Junior Janna Grimsrud had 12 blocks over the weekend, including a career-high-tying six against both Iowa State and Gonzaga.
In three matches of the Montana Invitational, Montana led its opponents in digs in all three matches.

"The ways that women are helping each other in our profession is encouraging...and showing our athletes that if they want to coach at the highest level there's opportunity, mentorship and a real way to do that." - @MontanaGrizVB coach Allison Lawrence pic.twitter.com/Lt8OgoYgc8
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) September 5, 2018

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT LINEUP
After two weeks of plays, Montana is still in the midst of trying to find the ideal starting lineup. The Grizzlies have used a different lineup for all six matches, and across 23 total sets, have used 12 different combinations.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana will close its non-conference slate next weekend in Bakersfield, Calif., facing UC Santa Barbara, South Dakota and host CSU Bakersfield (Sept. 14-15).

Grizzlies look to ride momentum into Borderland Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Bradley

Silerolia Gaogao

Elsa Godwin

Janna Grimsrud

Mykaela Hammer

Missy Huddleston

Cassie Laramee

Sarina Moreno

Baily Permann

University of Montana Athletics

Grizzlies look to ride momentum into Borderland Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Olivia Bradley

Silerolia Gaogao

Elsa Godwin

Janna Grimsrud

Mykaela Hammer

Missy Huddleston

Cassie Laramee

Sarina Moreno

Baily Permann

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