Montana shows growth despite another loss

Thursday, September 26

Greeley, Colo.

7 PM

Montana

1-11

Northern Colorado

7-6

Montana

Northern Colo.

Janna Grimsrud vs. UTEP - 9/14/1Janna Grimsrud vs. UTEP - 9/14/199

Photo by: Derek Johnson

9/26/2019 9:40:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Montana Sports Information

GREELEY, Colo. – In the end, the result was the same as Tuesday night's defeat against Montana State – a 3-0 setback. But the feeling on Thursday night, following a 25-23, 25-21, 25-13 loss at Northern Colorado was different.

The Grizzlies hung with one of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference point for point through the first two sets. In the opener, Montana hit .321, out-digging and out-blocking UNC while nearly taking the set. Overall, Montana hit .209, its best hitting percentage in a dozen matches.

Despite the loss, Montana flashed moments of potential.

"I'm really proud of how we responded from Tuesday," Lawrence said. "This is the most encouraged I've been by this group all year and I saw a whole new level of fight in them tonight."

The biggest difference on Thursday was Montana's ability to extend rallies, giving the Grizzlies ample opportunities to score.

"What UNC does so well is they extend rallies," Lawrence said. "They cover, they dig and they keep the rally going, and we were doing that too. That hasn't been a strength of ours, but we were right there with them tonight."

Through two sets, the two teams were tied for blocks and Montana trailed UNC by just two in digs. Lawrence credited senior right-side attacker Missy Huddleston with stabilizing the back-row defense, passing good balls to setter Ashley Watkins, which Montana was able to turn into 31 kills, including four from Watkins herself.

Montana's biggest stars on offense were freshman outside hitter Amethyst Harper (10 kills on .333 hitting) and senior middle blocker Janna Grimsrud (10 kills on .429 hitting). Harper has been one of Montana's top attackers this season, averaging 2.35 kills per set. She averaged 3.17 per set in two matches this week (team-most nine vs. Montana State and team-high-tying 10 on Thursday), but the biggest difference was her efficiency.

While Harper has racked up kills through her first month as a freshman, she's also been a bit inconsistent, recording 75 kills but also 54 errors, including a negative percentage in last week's tournament. In two matches this week, the freshman hit .333 in both matches, totaling 19 kills and just six errors.

Grimsrud recorded her fourth double-digit kills match of the season, and bounced back from Tuesday's three-kill performance vs. Montana State. She had 10 kills at a .429 clip, recording just one error on 21 swings.

Montana regrouped after a timeout in the opening set by scoring four consecutive points and using an 8-2 run to get to within two, 19-17, after trailing by eight points early. The Grizzlies were within three points for the remainder of the set, and as close as one, including 24-23, before UNC finished the frame with a kill. Montana was able to go on a similar run in the second set, turning a 16-9 score into a two-point deficit with a 5-0 run. Elsa Godwin was at the service line for both runs, recording an ace each time, and three on the night.

Match Notables

Montana's .209 hitting percentage was its second-highest of the season, and highest since Aug. 30.
Senior Janna Grimsrud had 10 kills on .429 hitting, the second-best hitting percentage of her career. She also had a team-high four blocks.
Freshman Amethyst Harper tied a personal best with a .333 hitting percentage – which matched her hitting percentage from Tuesday. She had six kills on seven swings in the first set alone. She also had a team-high nine digs.
Playing near her hometown of Fort Collins, freshman Catie Semadeni started the third set at outside hitter. She had two kills on six swings (.333), in addition to three digs and a block.
Montana scored the first point in all three sets, including the first two in sets 1 and 2.
Set 1: Montana used an 8-2 run to get back in the set after trailing by as many as eight, 17-9. The Grizzlies got within a single point at 24-23, but could never regain the lead, despite hitting .321.
Set 2: During Montana's 5-0 run to get within two, 16-14, Ashley Watkins played a key role, recording two kills, a block and an assist on a Harper kill. Elsa Godwin had the other point with an ace.
The Grizzlies took a 5-2 lead in Set 3 on Godwin's third ace of the night. They led 6-3 before UNC scored six consecutive points to take the lead for the rest of the match.
Montana has lost 11 consecutive matches to UNC, with its last win coming in 2013. The Grizzlies have lost 12 of their past 13 meetings in Greely.

Quoting Lawrence
(on stringing rallies together)
"For the first time, it wasn't a single moment, but it was several points in a row. At the beginning of the year it was a moment here or there and now it's moments. I thought we made them do a lot of things to work for kills, and sometimes it wasn't until their fourth or fifth swing."

(on evaluating success in a difficult season)
"I haven't always done a good job with our young group about being clear of what our definition of success is within our team. I want us to keep evolving and put ourselves in position to be so uncomfortable that we have to constantly change. I'm loving coaching them and loving being in this fight with them."

(on Grimsrud's strong night)
"The first couple of swings, there wasn't a great connection. The set was a little low and she didn't feel confident in her timing. She had a frustrating moment back on the bench. We took a breath and I told her to focus on a fast arm. She did it immediately and the results came. The amazing thing about Janna's game is she continues to add pieces to it. Tonight she was getting swings in transition that she wasn't getting the first week of preseason."

(on Godwin's three aces, all coming at big times)
"I think Elsa is really good about being steady under pressure. She hits her details well. No matter what's going on with her attacking, to be able to clear that from her mind and do the best thing for the team at that moment says a lot about her composure and maturity."

(on Huddleston's defense)
"Missy was insane on defense. I thought she kept us organized. That was her best defensive game of the year, and that allowed Ashley (Watkins) to dump and be active."

Looking Ahead
Montana is the only Big Sky Conference school to play two league matches already, playing five matches in the past seven days. The Grizzlies will get a much-needed break this weekend, with their next match coming Thursday at home vs. Eastern Washington.