Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Volleyball scheduled to begin spring season Jan. 24
11/5/2020 11:02:00 AM | Volleyball
Online Schedule / PDF Schedule
FARMINGTON, Utah – The Montana volleyball team once again has a schedule to prepare for. The Big Sky Conference on Thursday announced a 16-match league slate that will begin in January 2021.
"It's a thrilling feeling," fourth-year head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It adds meaning to what we're doing right now in a way that you can't create without that thing that you're chasing. To actually see the schedule materialize and become real allows us to really connect what we're doing now with what we want to do in the spring."
The latest schedule is a relief for Lawrence and her student-athletes, who – like all across the country – have experienced a wild past several months.
In June, Montana announced its 2020 fall schedule, which featured 16 league matches and four preseason weekends, including a home tournament that would have brought Gonzaga and Oregon State to Missoula. As the summer progressed, however, several teams began postponing their seasons due to COVID-19 concerns, leading to a delayed mid-September start, and then a conference-only schedule. By mid-August, the entire fall had been scrapped, in hopes that a spring season would be played.
That possibility seems increasingly likely, especially with Thursday's schedule release.
"I am excited for our student-athletes and coaches," Montana athletics director Kent Haslam said. "It is great to see the spring season starting to come together and this gives us something to plan for. We still have many things to work through, but I look forward to watching our team compete."
Instead of playing most teams twice, once at home and once on the road, teams will instead play each other on back-to-back nights in the same venue. This was a decision made earlier this summer to help limit cross-exposure, nights on the road and travel expenses.
New with the latest schedule release, however, is a shift to Sunday and Monday matches. Historically, teams have primarily played on Thursday and Saturdays. The move will allow for fewer conflicts, considering most athletics teams – including men's and women's basketball, which volleyball shares a facility with – will be playing at the same time this spring.
"Our mentality right now is that we'll play the same team 47 times in a row if it means we get to play," Lawrence joked. "More than anything, our players want to compete, and this schedule gives us the freedom and excitement to run at it."
The Grizzlies' spring season begins Jan. 24-25 at Idaho State, the location Montana has concluded the past two regular seasons, winning on the Bengals' home court both years to clinch a Big Sky Conference tournament berth.
Montana's home opponents will be Weber State (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), Montana State (Feb. 14-15), Idaho (Feb. 28-March 1) and Sacramento State (March 21-22).
In addition to its opening trip to Idaho State, Montana will travel to Southern Utah (Feb. 7-8), Eastern Washington (Feb. 21-22) and Portland State (March 7-8). The Grizzlies' bye week will come prior to their regular-season finale, on the weekend of March 14-15.
The Big Sky Conference tournament will be held March 31-April 2 in Greeley, Colorado. Over the summer, the tournament was trimmed to the top four teams, but has once again been pushed to its standard eight-team format.
"The reality of how different this year's schedule will be is another component that Dana (Hallisey) and I, and every coach in our conference, will have to get good at on the fly," Lawrence said. "It will be fun, but very different, playing back-to-back. I think there will be a lot of unpredictable outcomes, and the depth of people's rosters will be more important than ever. How well can you hold on to momentum from a win on the first night? How efficiently can you bounce back from a loss? How well can you make adjustments, not in a matter of weeks but in 18 hours or so?
"We all will be challenged in new ways, but I think it will make us better and create a lot of excitement for the fans."
Montana has been holding several practices per week since August, and will conclude its fall practice schedule next week, ahead of final exams and winter break. The team will then reconvene in early January to start preparing for its 16-match schedule.
Montana's roster features six freshmen, seven sophomores, one junior and two upperclassmen transfers. After missing the conference tournament in three consecutive seasons from 2015-17, the Grizzlies have since qualified in back-to-back seasons. Despite being so young, they return five players who started at least 14 matches a season ago.
Further information about Montana's spring season, including ticketing and match times, will be announced in the near future.
Spring 2020 Montana Volleyball Schedule
FARMINGTON, Utah – The Montana volleyball team once again has a schedule to prepare for. The Big Sky Conference on Thursday announced a 16-match league slate that will begin in January 2021.
"It's a thrilling feeling," fourth-year head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It adds meaning to what we're doing right now in a way that you can't create without that thing that you're chasing. To actually see the schedule materialize and become real allows us to really connect what we're doing now with what we want to do in the spring."
The latest schedule is a relief for Lawrence and her student-athletes, who – like all across the country – have experienced a wild past several months.
In June, Montana announced its 2020 fall schedule, which featured 16 league matches and four preseason weekends, including a home tournament that would have brought Gonzaga and Oregon State to Missoula. As the summer progressed, however, several teams began postponing their seasons due to COVID-19 concerns, leading to a delayed mid-September start, and then a conference-only schedule. By mid-August, the entire fall had been scrapped, in hopes that a spring season would be played.
That possibility seems increasingly likely, especially with Thursday's schedule release.
"I am excited for our student-athletes and coaches," Montana athletics director Kent Haslam said. "It is great to see the spring season starting to come together and this gives us something to plan for. We still have many things to work through, but I look forward to watching our team compete."
Instead of playing most teams twice, once at home and once on the road, teams will instead play each other on back-to-back nights in the same venue. This was a decision made earlier this summer to help limit cross-exposure, nights on the road and travel expenses.
New with the latest schedule release, however, is a shift to Sunday and Monday matches. Historically, teams have primarily played on Thursday and Saturdays. The move will allow for fewer conflicts, considering most athletics teams – including men's and women's basketball, which volleyball shares a facility with – will be playing at the same time this spring.
"Our mentality right now is that we'll play the same team 47 times in a row if it means we get to play," Lawrence joked. "More than anything, our players want to compete, and this schedule gives us the freedom and excitement to run at it."
The Grizzlies' spring season begins Jan. 24-25 at Idaho State, the location Montana has concluded the past two regular seasons, winning on the Bengals' home court both years to clinch a Big Sky Conference tournament berth.
Montana's home opponents will be Weber State (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), Montana State (Feb. 14-15), Idaho (Feb. 28-March 1) and Sacramento State (March 21-22).
In addition to its opening trip to Idaho State, Montana will travel to Southern Utah (Feb. 7-8), Eastern Washington (Feb. 21-22) and Portland State (March 7-8). The Grizzlies' bye week will come prior to their regular-season finale, on the weekend of March 14-15.
The Big Sky Conference tournament will be held March 31-April 2 in Greeley, Colorado. Over the summer, the tournament was trimmed to the top four teams, but has once again been pushed to its standard eight-team format.
"The reality of how different this year's schedule will be is another component that Dana (Hallisey) and I, and every coach in our conference, will have to get good at on the fly," Lawrence said. "It will be fun, but very different, playing back-to-back. I think there will be a lot of unpredictable outcomes, and the depth of people's rosters will be more important than ever. How well can you hold on to momentum from a win on the first night? How efficiently can you bounce back from a loss? How well can you make adjustments, not in a matter of weeks but in 18 hours or so?
"We all will be challenged in new ways, but I think it will make us better and create a lot of excitement for the fans."
Montana has been holding several practices per week since August, and will conclude its fall practice schedule next week, ahead of final exams and winter break. The team will then reconvene in early January to start preparing for its 16-match schedule.
Montana's roster features six freshmen, seven sophomores, one junior and two upperclassmen transfers. After missing the conference tournament in three consecutive seasons from 2015-17, the Grizzlies have since qualified in back-to-back seasons. Despite being so young, they return five players who started at least 14 matches a season ago.
Further information about Montana's spring season, including ticketing and match times, will be announced in the near future.
Spring 2020 Montana Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| Sunday, Jan. 24 | at Idaho State | Pocatello, Idaho |
| Monday, Jan. 25 | at Idaho State | Pocatello, Idaho |
| Sunday, Jan. 31 | Weber State | Missoula, Mont. |
| Monday, Feb. 1 | Weber State | Missoula, Mont. |
| Sunday, Feb. 7 | at Southern Utah | Cedar City, Utah |
| Monday, Feb. 8 | at Southern Utah | Cedar City, Utah |
| Sunday, Feb. 14 | Montana State | Missoula, Mont. |
| Monday, Feb. 15 | Montana State | Missoula, Mont. |
| Sunday, Feb. 21 | at Eastern Washington | Cheney, Wash. |
| Monday, Feb. 22 | at Eastern Washington | Cheney, Wash. |
| Sunday, Feb. 28 | Idaho | Missoula, Mont. |
| Monday, March 1 | Idaho | Missoula, Mont. |
| Sunday, March 7 | at Portland State | Portland, Ore. |
| Monday, March 8 | at Portland State | Portland, Ore. |
| Sunday, March 21 | Sacramento State | Missoula, Mont. |
| Monday, March 22 | Sacramento State | Missoula, Mont. |
| Wednesday, March 31 | Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals | Greeley, Colo. |
| Thursday, April 1 | Big Sky Tournament semifinals | Greeley, Colo. |
| Friday, April 2 | Big Sky Tournament finals | Greeley, Colo. |
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