2 points away from victory, Montana suffers heartbreaking defeat at preseason favorite NAU

Saturday, October 12

Flagstaff, Ariz.

2 PM (MT)

Montana

2-15, 1-5BSC

Northern Arizona

10-8, 3-3BSC

Montana

Northern Arizona

Photo by: Maria Saldivar/NAU Athletics

2 points away from victory, Montana suffers heartbreaking defeat at preseason favorite NAU

10/12/2019 5:59:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Montana Sports Information

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Two points. That's all Montana needed to earn an upset win over Northern Arizona and pick up a signature road victory. Leading 13-9 in the decisive frame, Montana was two points away from victory over a team that won the Big Sky Conference in 2018 and was picked to repeat in 2019.

Two points away. And then it all fell apart.

After Montana won the first two sets of the match (25-22, 25-21), NAU won the next two (25-17, 25-17) to knot the score. The Grizzlies swung the momentum back in their favor midway through the fifth set, however, scoring four consecutive points to take a 9-6 lead. Moments later, the score was 11-8, followed by a 13-9 advantage.

Then it all went wrong.

NAU was able to side out with a Ryann Davis kill, and then Davis went back and served up one of the Lumberjacks' 11 aces on the day. Still holding a two-point lead, Montana used a timeout, but coming out of the break, NAU continued its run. With the Grizzlies stuck in a rotation that had their top pin hitter, Amethyst Harper, in the back row, Montana was unable to terminate, recording an attack error and surrendering three Abby Akin kills.

The final kill capped a 6-0 NAU run to end the match.

"We had it," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It was ours to win and it slipped away."

Missy Huddleston puts the finishing touch on Set 2.

Griz take a 2-0 lead over preseason favorite Northern Arizona! #GrizVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/5P5cemuwrQ
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 12, 2019

Saturday's loss was one of the most painful of Lawrence's head coaching career, and while she's not there yet, when the emotions subside, she knows she can look at this match as an encouraging one for her team.

Montana out-hit, out-dug and out-blocked the Lumberjacks – despite NAU ranking in the top three in the Big Sky for hitting, opponent hitting, digs and blocks. The Grizzlies executed their game plan to perfection through the first two sets, having their way with an NAU squad that entered the week having won 13 consecutive home matches.

The individual performances were staggering. Senior Janna Grimsrud had a career-high 19 kills, but the most astonishing part was that the middle blocker took 39 swings – and hit .462! No Big Sky player this season has hit that well while recording that many kills. Harper, just a freshman, reached 17 or more kills for the third consecutive match, tallying 18 at a .310 clip. Harper also had a career-high 19 digs, while Grimsrud tallied six blocks. Ashley Watkins orchestrated an offense that hit .239, totaling 56 assists, while Sarina Moreno led the back row with 27 digs.

"I'm super proud of them," Lawrence said. "We did an incredible job of establishing and maintaining energy in a gym that's really hard to play in, and while under a lot of pressure. We put ourselves in position to win the match. The game was in our hands, and we put ourselves right there."

Lawrence believes her team was good enough to win on Saturday. The fact that Montana will come home with another loss is frustrating, but the way the team performed is encouraging for the rest of the season.

"How much better we're getting is staggering," Lawrence said. "I'm encouraged and optimistic, and I know that our group is, too. We're going to be in a lot of matches, and there's still a lot of conference left to play."

BLOCK!! Elsa Godwin and Kelly Horning team up for the stuff. Montana is on a 4-0 run and has a 9-6 lead in Set 5! pic.twitter.com/JoA7Q0EDJM
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 12, 2019

Match Notables:

Montana out-hit (.239 to .222) out-dug (81 to 73) and out-blocked (12 to 4) NAU.
Montana hit .239, its second-highest percentage of the season. Montana has hit above .200 in four of the past five matches after doing so just once through the first 12 matches of the season.
Senior middle blocker Janna Grimsrud bounced back from a four-kill performance Thursday (on -.192 hitting) to total a career-high 19 kills, and doing so at a .462 clip. It marks the sixth time this season she has hit above .400 in a match, and no Big Sky player this season has hit that high with as many kills as Grimsrud produced.
- Over the final three sets, Grimsrud had 15 kills compared to just one error.
- In the second, third and fifth sets, Grimsrud was in on the first three Griz points in all three sets (eight total kills and one block).
- Grimsrud also had a team-most six blocks, and averaged 1.44 blocks per set over nine sets this week.
Freshman Amethyst Harper had 18 kills on .310 hitting and also added 19 digs for her first career double-double.
- Harper has recorded at least 17 kills in three consecutive matches. In two matches this week, she averaged 3.89 kills per set on .293 hitting.
Sophomore libero Sarina Moreno tallied 27 digs, the second-highest total of her career. Over the past two matches, she is averaging 5.33 digs per set – nearly double her season average of 2.72 entering the week.
Senior setter Ashley Watkins recorded 56 assists and nine digs while helping the offense hit .239.
Senior right-side attacker Missy Huddleston had 12 kills and four blocks. The dozen kills are the second-highest of the season for Huddleston, and included back-to-back kills to give Montana a multi-point lead in Set 5.
Freshman middle blocker Kelly Horning had seven kills and five blocks, in addition to seven digs. She had a kill and two blocks during Montana's 12-3 run to rally in Set 1. She also helped Montana jump out to early leads in sets 2 and 4 while at the service line.
Redshirt freshman Elsa Godwin had eight kills and a career-high five blocks. Seven of her eight kills came in the first two sets.
Montana scored the first point in the first four sets.
While Montana led NAU in most statistical categories, the Grizzlies were aced 11 times and recorded two more service errors.
Set 1: Montana trailed early 11-5, and by five points at 16-11… The Grizzlies scored five consecutive points out of the timeout, though – including two kills and a block from Harper – to tie the score at 16-16… The two teams were also tied at 17-17 and 19-19, but Montana would lead for the final nine points following 6-0 run that put it up 23-19… During the run, Montana got kills from four different players, in addition to a block… Montana closed the set on a 14-6 run, including a 12-3 stretch at one point… After NAU hit .556 through the first 16 points, the Lumberjacks hit -.042 from that point forward, including six kills and seven errors.
Set 2: Behind Grimsrud's two kills and a block, Montana led 3-0 early and never trailed in the set, maintaining a three- to five-point lead for the majority of the frame… The Grizzlies led by a set-high six points at 17-11, before going cold… After NAU tied the set at 20-20, Montana showed it has the ability to close sets late – something the team has struggled with at times – by scoring the next four points and five of the final six.
Set 3: The two teams were tied at every point from 2-2 through 10-10, but after Montana held a 10-9 lead, NAU used a 7-0 run to open up a 16-10 advantage… NAU would lead by at least five for the remainder of the set… Montana hit .250 in the set, but NAU hit .433, recording 14 kills to just one error.
Set 4: Like the previous set, there were seven ties through 10-10… Montana led 10-9 and was within a point at 13-12, before NAU scored eight of the next nine points to create separation… Montana again hit .250, but NAU hit .303.
Set 5: Following ties at every point from 2-2 through 6-6, Montana used a 4-0 run to take a three-point lead… During the run, Montana got back-to-back kills from Huddleston, in addition to a Harper kill and Godwin/Horning block… Montana led 13-9 before NAU closed the match on a 6-0 run.
Montana won a set in just two of the team's first 13 matches, but have won at least one set in four consecutive matches since (seven total).

Once down six, Montana closed on a 14-6 run! Set 1 belongs to MONTANA!#GrizVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/NLqPQjxBlc
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 12, 2019

Quoting Lawrence
(on jumping out to a 2-0 lead)
"We executed our game plan and they had no answers for us. We made them super uncomfortable and made them do things they didn't want to do."

(on Grimsrud's 19 kills on .462 hitting)
"That's an incredible performance, especially to take that many swings and hit that well as a middle. Janna did a great job attack and blocking and being an emotional leader, and I thought Ashley (Watkins) was really creative on offense and did some gutsy things when things were on the line."

(on Horning's presence in the middle)
"I thought Kelly did a nice job of getting some kills and swings at big moments. She was way more offensive today, and I thought she was effective."

Looking Ahead
Montana returns home to host Idaho State (Thursday) and Weber State (Saturday) this next week.

Janna Grimsrud is taking over. The senior gives Montana the 5-4 lead! pic.twitter.com/JDcYBvfJgh
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 12, 2019

Ashley Watkins doing Ashley Watkins things.

Timeout, NAU, with the Griz on top 16-11! pic.twitter.com/nzP04KXeCe
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 12, 2019