Thursday, October 3
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
vs
Eastern Washington
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Volleyball part of homecoming festivities with pair of home matches
10/2/2019 10:02:00 AM | Volleyball
Montana vs. Eastern Washington / Thursday / 7 p.m. / Missoula, Mont.
Video: Pluto TV (ch. 537)
Stats: Live Stats
Montana vs. Idaho / Friday / 6 p.m. / Missoula, Mont.
Video: Pluto TV (ch. 537)
Stats: Live Stats
UM alumni can receive free admission to both matches; fans can get in free on Friday by showing their ticket to Saturday's football game vs. Idaho State.
After playing five matches over a seven-day period – traveling to Colorado and back to Montana before another trip to Colorado and a return trip home – the Montana volleyball team finally got some rest over the weekend, taking three days off before reconvening on Monday morning.
It was a good break, not only for the student-athletes to rest their bodies, but also their minds.
Refreshed, Montana now has three full days to prepare for home matches this week vs. Eastern Washington (Thursday) and Idaho (Friday), something that has been a rarity recently. During an 11-day period from Sept. 19-29, Montana had just a single practice, working out on Monday, Sept. 23 – the team's only prep day for Montana State. Even that practice was less about the Grizzlies and more about scouting the Bobcats.
This week, however, Montana has been able to get back to itself, starting with a practice on Monday that featured several small groups, before a full practice on Tuesday and another coming Wednesday.
"We've seen areas where we need to work on or improve, but hadn't had the chance to apply that," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "Our schedule has forced us to make changes on the fly, but hasn't really given us the chance to work on specific areas and really try to improve our game."
Montana is coming off of one of its more encouraging matches of the season, playing a good Northern Colorado team strong for two sets. Montana was within a point, 24-23, in the opening set, before the Bears got the final point. In Set 2, Montana scored 21 points and was within a single point late in the set. Despite the good things Montana was able to do, however, the Grizzlies were unable to win a set, still looking for all-around improvement and, more than anything, consistency.
The team will get that opportunity this week at home, hosting Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Given where Montana is at, the Grizzlies can't take any team lightly; Lawrence made that clear.
But she does see some similarities between her team and Eastern Washington, and believes that the Grizzlies will have the chance to be the aggressor in certain situations, rather than playing to an opponent's style and trying to take them out of their game.
"Eastern is a team that is also very new to themselves," she said. "They have some transfers and a lot of new players, so I think they're still getting used to themselves. They're well coached, but they're on a similar trajectory to us. I think we can be the aggressors and take over the match, but we need to be consistent throughout the entire match. We have to find the gear to do that."
Lawrence also likes that Montana is playing Eastern Washington just more than a week after playing Montana State, nothing that the Eagles run a similar, fast offense, and have good ball control.
"I think we will have a little bit of room to breathe and can set the tone," Lawrence said.
Like Montana, Eastern Washington is very young, starting at least three freshmen in 13 of its 14 matches. The Eagles are 2-12 on the year and are looking for their first win since Sept. 6, losing 10 in a row. It's been even longer since the Eagles have won a Big Sky match, going 0-18 a season ago, including a pair of losses to the Grizzlies.
Idaho went 15-3 in Big Sky play a season ago, tying for a regular-season championship and advancing to the title game of the conference tournament. The Vandals had six all-conference performers, but all six graduated, leaving just one returning starter. Still, the Vandals are a formidable foe, ranking 26th nationally for blocking and featuring two of the top players in the Big Sky. Idaho opened league play last week with home wins over Sacramento State and Portland State.
Montana's two home matches coincide with the university's homecoming week. All Montana alumni can receive free admission to both matches. Additionally on Friday, fans can get in free by showing their football ticket for Saturday's game vs. Idaho State. Friday's match was moved up an hour, to 6 p.m., to allow for fans to go from Dahlberg Arena to the oval for the university's homecoming pep rally and bonfire at 8 p.m.
"It's an electric week on campus," Lawrence said. "Any time we have multiple events with multiple teams here, our fan base gets even more excited and comes out in high numbers. I think there's going to be a lot of enthusiasm, and it's going to be a great weekend to be a Griz!"
VIDEO: Watch Montana Volleyball to The Git Up
Montana is 56-40 all-time against Eastern Washington, including a 28-13 mark in Missoula and three consecutive wins in the series overall. The Grizzlies have played and beaten the Eagles more than any other opponent aside from Montana State, with the two teams playing at least once every season since 1975.
Montana's series vs. Idaho dates back to the Grizzlies' first-ever match, in 1975. Montana is 27-37 vs. the Vandals, including 13-15 at home.
Senior Missy Huddleston is expected to reach a milestone this weekend. The right-side attacker is on track to play in her 100th career match on Friday vs. Idaho. Of the 98 matches she has played in entering the week, she has started 81 of them. Huddleston has more than 700 career kills and digs, and nearly 100 blocks.
Also reaching triple digits, senior Janna Grimsrud recorded her 100th career block last week at Northern Colorado (Sept. 26). Forty-two of the 100 have come this season.
INCREASING EFFICIENCY
While Montana's .128 team hitting percentage is far from where it needs to be, the Grizzlies are making strides in the right direction. Three of the team's top-four hitting percentages on the season have come in the past four matches, with the Grizzlies hitting over .200 last week at Northern Colorado (Sept. 26).
Individually, senior middle blocker Janna Grimsrud has hit above .333 in four of the past five matches, while freshman outside hitter Amethyst Harper hit at a .333 clip against both Montana State and at Northern Colorado last week, averaging 2.71 kills per set.
STRONG AT THE NET
Montana's best statistical category has been blocking, with the team averaging 1.76 blocks per set. Through 13 matches, the Grizzlies have been out-blocked just five times. The Grizzlies had a season-most 13 stuffs in a five-set win at Air Force (Sept. 20). Senior Janna Grimsrud leads Montana with 1.02 blocks per set, the 10th-best average in the Big Sky this season.
YOUTH ON DISPLAY
With nine freshmen on its roster, Montana has been forced to heavily rely on underclassmen. Nine of the 13 players on roster are freshmen, with only Janna Grimsrud, Missy Huddleston, Sarina Moreno and Ashley Watkins playing in a collegiate match prior to the start of this season.
Not only have the freshmen played, but they have played key roles. Six freshmen have earned at least three starts, with 45 of the 78 starts overall coming from a newcomer. True freshmen Amethyst Harper and Kelly Horning have started 12 of 13 matches, while three others have started at least seven times.
Complete match notes in PDF format, including charts, tables, player pages and more
Video: Pluto TV (ch. 537)
Stats: Live Stats
Montana vs. Idaho / Friday / 6 p.m. / Missoula, Mont.
Video: Pluto TV (ch. 537)
Stats: Live Stats
UM alumni can receive free admission to both matches; fans can get in free on Friday by showing their ticket to Saturday's football game vs. Idaho State.
After playing five matches over a seven-day period – traveling to Colorado and back to Montana before another trip to Colorado and a return trip home – the Montana volleyball team finally got some rest over the weekend, taking three days off before reconvening on Monday morning.
It was a good break, not only for the student-athletes to rest their bodies, but also their minds.
Refreshed, Montana now has three full days to prepare for home matches this week vs. Eastern Washington (Thursday) and Idaho (Friday), something that has been a rarity recently. During an 11-day period from Sept. 19-29, Montana had just a single practice, working out on Monday, Sept. 23 – the team's only prep day for Montana State. Even that practice was less about the Grizzlies and more about scouting the Bobcats.
This week, however, Montana has been able to get back to itself, starting with a practice on Monday that featured several small groups, before a full practice on Tuesday and another coming Wednesday.
"We've seen areas where we need to work on or improve, but hadn't had the chance to apply that," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "Our schedule has forced us to make changes on the fly, but hasn't really given us the chance to work on specific areas and really try to improve our game."
Montana is coming off of one of its more encouraging matches of the season, playing a good Northern Colorado team strong for two sets. Montana was within a point, 24-23, in the opening set, before the Bears got the final point. In Set 2, Montana scored 21 points and was within a single point late in the set. Despite the good things Montana was able to do, however, the Grizzlies were unable to win a set, still looking for all-around improvement and, more than anything, consistency.
The team will get that opportunity this week at home, hosting Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Given where Montana is at, the Grizzlies can't take any team lightly; Lawrence made that clear.
But she does see some similarities between her team and Eastern Washington, and believes that the Grizzlies will have the chance to be the aggressor in certain situations, rather than playing to an opponent's style and trying to take them out of their game.
"Eastern is a team that is also very new to themselves," she said. "They have some transfers and a lot of new players, so I think they're still getting used to themselves. They're well coached, but they're on a similar trajectory to us. I think we can be the aggressors and take over the match, but we need to be consistent throughout the entire match. We have to find the gear to do that."
Lawrence also likes that Montana is playing Eastern Washington just more than a week after playing Montana State, nothing that the Eagles run a similar, fast offense, and have good ball control.
"I think we will have a little bit of room to breathe and can set the tone," Lawrence said.
Like Montana, Eastern Washington is very young, starting at least three freshmen in 13 of its 14 matches. The Eagles are 2-12 on the year and are looking for their first win since Sept. 6, losing 10 in a row. It's been even longer since the Eagles have won a Big Sky match, going 0-18 a season ago, including a pair of losses to the Grizzlies.
Idaho went 15-3 in Big Sky play a season ago, tying for a regular-season championship and advancing to the title game of the conference tournament. The Vandals had six all-conference performers, but all six graduated, leaving just one returning starter. Still, the Vandals are a formidable foe, ranking 26th nationally for blocking and featuring two of the top players in the Big Sky. Idaho opened league play last week with home wins over Sacramento State and Portland State.
Montana's two home matches coincide with the university's homecoming week. All Montana alumni can receive free admission to both matches. Additionally on Friday, fans can get in free by showing their football ticket for Saturday's game vs. Idaho State. Friday's match was moved up an hour, to 6 p.m., to allow for fans to go from Dahlberg Arena to the oval for the university's homecoming pep rally and bonfire at 8 p.m.
"It's an electric week on campus," Lawrence said. "Any time we have multiple events with multiple teams here, our fan base gets even more excited and comes out in high numbers. I think there's going to be a lot of enthusiasm, and it's going to be a great weekend to be a Griz!"
VIDEO: Watch Montana Volleyball to The Git Up
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTONMark your calendars #GrizNation! We have a busy home schedule ahead of us for Homecoming Week!#GoGriz #UpWithMontana pic.twitter.com/6kfrjR2KBb
— Montana Grizzlies (@UMGRIZZLIES) September 29, 2019
- EWU is 2-12 on the season and has lost 10 consecutive matches dating back to a win over Milwaukee on Sept. 6. The Eagles' other win came against Cal Baptist.
- EWU opened Big Sky play last week with home losses to Portland State (3-0) and Sacramento State (3-1). The Eagles have lost 22 consecutive Big Sky matches (last win: Nov. 3, 2017 vs. UNC), including 14 straight on the road (last win: Oct. 5, 2017 at NAU).
- Junior L Puao Sao ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 88th nationally with 4.42 digs per set. She has had at least 10 digs in 12 consecutive matches.
- Junior OH Catelyn Linke has a team-best 2.89 kills-per-set average. She missed nine consecutive matches before returning to the lineup last weekend. In five matches, Linke has three double-doubles and has led the Eagles for kills four times.
- Freshman MB Nicolette Capizzi has a team-most 100 kills (1.92 per set).
- The Eagles have recorded five or more aces in six matches this season, including 16 vs. Saint Louis. Three different players have at least 10 aces.
- Like UM, EWU has a young lineup, including six freshmen and 10 newcomers. At least three freshmen have started in 13 of 14 matches.
- Leslie Flores-Cloud is in her second season in Cheney. She was previously the associate head coach for five seasons at Drake.
Montana is 56-40 all-time against Eastern Washington, including a 28-13 mark in Missoula and three consecutive wins in the series overall. The Grizzlies have played and beaten the Eagles more than any other opponent aside from Montana State, with the two teams playing at least once every season since 1975.
- A win on Thursday would give Montana four consecutive victories in the series, the Grizzlies' best stretch since winning 13 in a row from 1990-96.
- From 1978-96, Montana went 37-3 against the Eagles winning 19 in a row at one point. Immediately following that stretch, from 1996-2008, the Eagles won 24 of 25.
- Under Lawrence, who previously served as an assistant coach for the Griz, Montana is 7-2 vs. EWU at home.
- In its two wins over EWU in 2018, Montana recorded its two highest hitting percentages of the season, hitting a combined .329.
- Three current Grizzlies have played against the Eagles, including Missy Huddleston and Ashley Watkins, who have played them six times. Twice, Huddleston has had a double-figure kills performance, recording 10 kills on .318 hitting in 2018 at home and 18 kills at a .326 clip in 2017 in Cheney. Watkins averaged 11.6 assists per set in two matches in 2018, including 50 in a four-set win in Missoula. Libero Sarina Moreno averaged 3.7 digs per set in two matches in 2018.
- Idaho enters Thursday's match at Montana State with a 6-8 record, including a 2-0 mark in Big Sky play with home wins last week over Sacramento State (3-2) and Portland State (3-0).
- The Vandals are 1-2 in true road matches this season, and 3-6 away from Moscow overall.
- Idaho's four non-conference wins came over Cal Baptist, Omaha, UNLV and Utah State.
- Idaho ranks 26th nationally for blocking (2.62 per set) and 72nd for hitting (.237).
- Sophomore MB Nikki Ball and freshman MB Kyra Palmbush are two of the top players in the Big Sky. Ball ranks second for blocking (1.16) and third for hitting percentage (.342), while Palmbush ranks fifth (1.07) and second (.358). Both players rank in the top 130 nationally for both categories.
- In a comeback win over Sacramento State, three Vandals were in double figures for kills, led by sophomore MB Kennedy Warren's 14. Idaho had 15 team blocks (seven from Palmbush).
- Against the Vikings, Warren had 14 kills, while Ball added a dozen.
- Warren has a team-best 3.18 kills per set.
- Idaho returned 11 letterwinners from last year's team, but just one starter.
- The Vandals won 23 matches in 2018, including a 15-3 mark in Big Sky play to tie NAU for the regular-season title.
- Debbie Buchanan is the longest-tenured coach in Idaho history. Now in her 20th season, she won her 300th match earlier this season
Montana's series vs. Idaho dates back to the Grizzlies' first-ever match, in 1975. Montana is 27-37 vs. the Vandals, including 13-15 at home.
- In 2017 in Missoula, Montana took Idaho to five sets, losing a heartbreaker that included a Set-4 score of 30-28 and a Set-5 score of 19-17.
- In that 2017 home loss, Missy Huddleston had 16 kills and 15 digs, while Ashley Watkins set a career high with 66 assists.
- Montana is looking for just its second win over Idaho since 2000. Idaho has won 15 of the past 16 meetings, with the lone exception being a 3-2 Griz victory in Missoula in 2006.
- From 1986-91, Montana won 12 consecutive matches in the series.
TRIPLE DIGITSHeading to the football game this weekend!? Make sure to use your ticket for free entry to the @MontanaGrizVB game on Friday night and the @MontanaGrizSOC game Sunday afternoon!#GoGriz #UpWithMontana pic.twitter.com/pIe36e1NsR
— Montana Grizzlies (@UMGRIZZLIES) October 1, 2019
Senior Missy Huddleston is expected to reach a milestone this weekend. The right-side attacker is on track to play in her 100th career match on Friday vs. Idaho. Of the 98 matches she has played in entering the week, she has started 81 of them. Huddleston has more than 700 career kills and digs, and nearly 100 blocks.
Also reaching triple digits, senior Janna Grimsrud recorded her 100th career block last week at Northern Colorado (Sept. 26). Forty-two of the 100 have come this season.
INCREASING EFFICIENCY
While Montana's .128 team hitting percentage is far from where it needs to be, the Grizzlies are making strides in the right direction. Three of the team's top-four hitting percentages on the season have come in the past four matches, with the Grizzlies hitting over .200 last week at Northern Colorado (Sept. 26).
Individually, senior middle blocker Janna Grimsrud has hit above .333 in four of the past five matches, while freshman outside hitter Amethyst Harper hit at a .333 clip against both Montana State and at Northern Colorado last week, averaging 2.71 kills per set.
STRONG AT THE NET
Montana's best statistical category has been blocking, with the team averaging 1.76 blocks per set. Through 13 matches, the Grizzlies have been out-blocked just five times. The Grizzlies had a season-most 13 stuffs in a five-set win at Air Force (Sept. 20). Senior Janna Grimsrud leads Montana with 1.02 blocks per set, the 10th-best average in the Big Sky this season.
YOUTH ON DISPLAY
With nine freshmen on its roster, Montana has been forced to heavily rely on underclassmen. Nine of the 13 players on roster are freshmen, with only Janna Grimsrud, Missy Huddleston, Sarina Moreno and Ashley Watkins playing in a collegiate match prior to the start of this season.
Not only have the freshmen played, but they have played key roles. Six freshmen have earned at least three starts, with 45 of the 78 starts overall coming from a newcomer. True freshmen Amethyst Harper and Kelly Horning have started 12 of 13 matches, while three others have started at least seven times.
Complete match notes in PDF format, including charts, tables, player pages and more
Thank you, #GrizNation! We heard and felt you tonight! #GrizVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/WSUCcioDGE
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) September 25, 2019
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OPP/MB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
S
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