30 years later: 1990 volleyball team broke through with 1st NCAA tournament berth

30 years ago this month, the 1990 Montana volleyball program made history by becoming the first team in program history to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Below is that team's story:

Even before the 1990 volleyball season began, Dick Scott knew he had something special.

That realization came during offseason practices the previous spring, when he saw his team compete for the first time on the floor. It was further reinforced when he saw his team's camaraderie off the court.

"Our goals are indeed high this year," Scott said at the time, prior to beginning his 13^th season as head coach of the Lady Griz. "We had the best spring season we've ever had, and we have good depth at every position."

There was reason to be optimistic. Montana was returning 10 letterwinners from a team that won 21 matches the season before.

The 1989 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, Jennifer Moran, was now a sophomore, and had high expectations for herself in Year 2, as did the league's coaches, who selected her as the preseason MVP. Jennifer Pinkerton was also back. Now a senior, the middle blocker was Montana's top hitter the previous season, setting a school record with a .300 hitting percentage. She was joined in the middle by senior Anne Tarleton, while fellow senior Cyndee Jones, a lefty and Montana's top server, lined up on the right.

On the left side was junior Angie Bellinger, who despite standing 5-9 was called by Scott as Montana's best pure athlete.

"That summer, Angie Bellinger and I lived together, and we had several conversations throughout the summer talking about how far we could go and how good this team was going to be," Moran said. "There were high expectations from the start."

As good as the offensive pieces were, making it all run for Montana was its junior setter Ann Schwenke, who in 1990 set Montana's career assists record – which she still holds today, 30 years later – despite still having another season to suit on for the Lady Griz.

Scott knew he had something special, but as the 1990 season began, even he might have sold his team short.

A year after getting swept handedly by Notre Dame, Montana beat the Fighting Irish to open the 1990 campaign. Not a bad start, but Montana was just getting started.

The next night, the Lady Griz defeated Mississippi of the SEC and Washington State of the Pac-10 to win the WSU Invitational title.

A week later, Montana took down Utah State twice, Santa Clara in straight sets and Washington State again, to win its second tournament in as many weeks.

"I think there was a lot of focus from the beginning of the season," Jones said. "We knew we wanted to do something special right away when we got to training camp."

Sitting at 7-0, then came the biggest test: nationally ranked Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs were 6-0 and ranked No 25 in the country, but Montana was undefeated as well.

Gonzaga jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, but following a timeout, the Lady Griz went on a run and won the set, 15-9. Gonzaga evened the score in the second set (15-7), before Montana won the third, 15-8, and put the finishing touches on the upset win, 15-10, in the fourth.

Moran had 16 kills, followed by 14 from Bellinger and 12 from Pinkerton. Schwenke, a Coeur d'Alene native who was playing just outside of her hometown, dished out 50 assists, including the 2,349^th of her career, which set a school record.

At that point in time, high school volleyball in the state of Montana was an afterthought. Due to shared coaches and officials among girls' and boys' basketball, girls' basketball – now a winter sport – was played in the fall, pushing volleyball – traditionally a fall sport – to the winter. It was a disadvantage for in-state recruiting, meaning the majority of Montana's roster was from out of state, several from nearby Idaho or Washington.

Schwenke and junior Colleen Jantz were both from Coeur d'Alene, and were longtime teammates at Coeur d'Alene High School. Bellinger was from Spokane, as were Moran and junior Kate Faha. In total, of the 10 players who saw the floor in 1990, just two were from the state of Montana.

Linda McCarthy had a front-row seat to it all, being hired in the late 1980s to stat the Lady Griz volleyball matches. Growing up in Valier, Montana – population 500 – she had never before seen the game of volleyball.

In the years that followed, sitting at press row, McCarthy was blown away by the athleticism that was on display each night.

"The first player I remember watching was Cindy Pitzinger," McCarthy recalled. "She was an incredible athlete. Her vertical leap was three or four feet, I swear."

McCarthy would go on to serve as the program's sports information director for 14 seasons, from 1986-99, interacting with the team on a closer level than most.

"I fell in love with the game immediately," she said. "I learned how to play volleyball through those girls. It was an incredible group of student-athletes and hard workers."

Angie Bellinger (1988-91) — (Angie Bellinger, 1988-91)

Montana set a school record with 12 Big Sky Conference wins in 1989, but was bounced in its first game of the conference tournament, leaving a sour taste in the team's mouth. Scott knew his team had talent, but also sensed a lack of chemistry, so he introduced group dynamic drills that were similar to what the Minnesota Vikings conducted to build offseason team cohesiveness.

The goal was to put the players in situations where they needed to depend on each other. The most dramatic came during the second week of preseason training when Scott had himself and his players fall backward from the brick wall outside Grizzly Pool into the waiting arms of their teammates.

"If you don't think falling backwards off the top of an 8-foot wall doesn't build trust, then I don't know what does," Scott told the Missoulian at the time.

Scott wasn't just a big name in Missoula, but was known inside the volleyball circles on a national level. He coached the U.S. junior national team for three years in the 1970s and was an assistant for the national team in 1981. He was twice named the AVCA's regional coach of the year and his 403 career victories at Montana are 179 more than the program's seven other coaches combined.

"Dick Scott, though he was tough and hard on us at times, he knew the sport and he instilled it in us, and we were lucky to have him," Bellinger said.

For some players, everything seemed to click during the preseason trust falls. For others, the intense practices or time together off the court did the trick. Whatever the reason, the 1990 season was different, and it was noticeable.

"You can have great athletes, which we did, and not be successful," Jones reflected. "I think the difference was how tight we were. We were roommates. We were sisters. Almost all of us were from out of town, so we instantly became each other's family and friends, and who we went to and relied on for everything.

"That transferred onto the court. We had a big trust and moved as one unit. We knew our roles and accepted them, and also supported and cheered on our teammates."

Now 8-0 to begin the season, it was time for the Lady Griz to step into Big Sky Conference play.

First up was the defending champion Eastern Washington Eagles.

Eastern Washington was no match for Montana, being out-scored 45-17 across three sets, as Montana swept the Eagles in the team's first home match of the season. Pinkerton recorded 13 kills on 19 swings for a .579 hitting percentage.

A night later, Montana took down Idaho in straight sets to improve to 10-0 on the season.

"All these years later, the thing I remember most about that season was our start," Moran said. "Starting that season off 10-0 was pretty incredible, and we played some pretty tough schools."

In addition to having the league's best setter in Schwenke, Montana had several of the Big Sky's top offensive weapons. Most of opponents' defensive attention was on Moran and Bellinger, who both averaged more than 3.0 kills per set and finished the season ranked in the top four in the Big Sky. But when the focus was on that dangerous duo, it left Montana's middle blockers with zero or one blockers, and the group made opponents pay, with Pinkerton and Tarleton both ranking among the Big Sky leaders for hitting percentage.

"Those girls were so special," Bellinger reflected. "There wasn't one girl who needed to stand out. There was no one on that team that I knew wasn't going to do their part. We played as a unit, and it took us through to the very end."

Anne Tarleton (1987-90) — (Anne Tarleton, 1987-90)

Montana's first Big Sky loss came in late September to Idaho State. The next night, Boise State, the team that ended Montana's 1989 season, beat the Lady Griz. The defeat was part of a three-match tailspin, causing some concern as if the early season success was a mirage.

Montana, though, got back to its winning ways with a three-set win the next week over Nevada. Then the Lady Griz swept Northern Arizona, followed by a home win over Montana State. A few weeks later, it was time to again face the Boise State team that threw Montana into its brief funk, and had won six in a row over the Lady Griz.

After losing the first set, 15-13, Montana sent a message to the Broncos – and the rest of the league.

The Lady Griz blanked the Broncos in the second set, 15-0, before winning the next two by scores of 15-8 and 15-13.

Boise State led the fourth set 10-1, before Montana mounted its comeback behind tough serving from Erin Parks and big swings from Bellinger. The Lady Griz got within two, 11-9, before Boise State took the next two points to inch closer to victory.

A Moran tip fell to bring the score to 13-10, before a Pinkerton ace forced a Boise State timeout. Tarleton – who would be named the Big Sky Player of the Week days later – then had one of her eight stuff blocks, before Pinkerton collected another ace to tie the score at 13-13. A Bellinger kill brought Montana to match point, before she and Pinkerton combined for a block to secure the victory.

Afterward, Scott gave credit to assistant coach Jerry Wagner, who was in his third season as an assistant and later spent nine seasons as Montana's head coach.

During Montana's losing skid, the Lady Griz were trying to change their defense to match their opponent, sometimes putting them in situations where the front-line defenders were playing a different defense than the back row. With the switch, Montana was now able to both cover more ground and be more in sync.

"We're basically blocking the cross-court angle and leaving the line open," Scott said at the time. "We're telling teams to go ahead and try to hit line on us, but we'll have a digger waiting for you."

The win moved Montana into a second-place tie with Boise State. After once sitting at 2-2 in Big Sky play, the Lady Griz were now 7-3.

Over the next month, they would add six more Big Sky victory and zero losses.

Jennifer Moran (1987-90) — (Jennifer Moran, 1987-90)

Montana closed the regular season with a 13-3 mark in Big Sky play, a school record up to that point.

Montana entered the Big Sky tournament as the No. 2 seed, and had aspirations of winning for the first time, after coming painfully close several times in recent memory. Over the previous eight seasons, Montana had qualified for the Big Sky tournament each year – the only team to reach the postseason each season since the tournament began in 1982. In four of those seasons, Montana reached the championship game, but the Lady Griz came up on the short end each time.

As good as Montana had been, winning a school-record 13 league games, including eight in a row entering the tournament, Idaho State had been equally as good, winning the league for the third time in five years. Making it even tougher was that the Bengals would be playing on their home court. In the league's eight tournaments up to that point, the tournament host had won the title seven times.

Then the Lady Griz were faced with a serious blow the day before traveling to Pocatello, Idaho, when Moran broke a bone in her right hand while diving for a ball in practice.

"She was probably one of the best athletes the program has ever seen," McCarthy recalled. "She was super aggressive and competitive and really fun to watch. She was tough as nails, one of the fiercest competitors I've ever seen."

Moran was thought to be out for the season after breaking her metacarpal bone in her attack hand, but the sophomore – who was often praised for sacrificing for her team – surprised everyone when just two days later, she was back on the court wearing a special protective cast.

That night, with a broken hand, Moran had 20 kills and 22 digs, in the semifinals vs. Boise State. The Broncos won the first set, 15-11, before Montana bounced back to win the next two (15-8, 15-9). Boise State tied the match with a 15-11 win in Set 4, but the Lady Griz left no doubt in the fifth, winning 15-7.

Bellinger, who had a 34-inch vertical, recorded 22 kills on .322 hitting, securing Montana's victory with the final three kills of the match.

"If you hear any stories about Angie, it's that she could jump out of the gym," Moran said. "That jumping ability, combined with her physical ability to move the ball around and just explode into her hits, was pretty fun to watch."

Montana was headed to the championship game for the third time in the past five seasons, an impressive feat for any team of any sport. Montana's senior class was part of the 1987 team that lost in the championship game to Idaho State, and was looking to avenge its loss.

The match against Idaho State again came down to the wire. Montana won the second set, 15-13, and the fourth, 15-12, but lost its stamina in the fifth set, losing to the Bengals, 15-4.

The Lady Griz were once again unable to win the final game, falling in the championship match for the fifth time in nine years.

"We were so close so many times," McCarthy recalled. "The bus ride is a long, quiet ride home. It's not fun to lose, especially when you feel like you're good enough to win."

Cyndee Jones (1987-90) — (Cyndee Jones, 1987-90)

Unlike previous seasons, when the tile-game loss ended Montana's season, 1990 was different. The previous year, the sport had added the National Invitational Volleyball Classic, a secondary postseason tournament on par with basketball's NIT.

Scott was confident that his team would continue its season in some fashion, and argued his case after the loss to Idaho State.

"I told our team in the locker room to get ready to play again because there's a 90 percent chance, in my opinion, that we make the postseason," Scott told newspaper reporters at the time. "If it were up to me, we'd be in the NCAA tournament. If you look at our wins, and if you look at our team, we're an NCAA tournament team."

Scott had a point.

Entering the Big Sky tournament, Montana was ranked as the 27^th-best team in the country, including the seventh-best in the NCAA Northwest Regional poll. Even at a time when only 32 teams made the NCAA tournament – compared to the 64 that now make it – Montana had a shot.

Montana was riding momentum, too, winners of 11 of their past 13 matches. And if the selection committee looked at Montana's non-conference slate, it had to be impressed by the pair of wins over Washington State and another over a ranked Gonzaga program.

But even if on paper Montana looked the part, history suggested that the Lady Griz would come up short. Never before had a Big Sky Conference team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament – in any sport aside from football.

Similar to today, the NCAA tournament field was announced on a Selection Show television broadcast. After bussing back from Pocatello, Idaho, the team met up at the Press Box, a sports bar across campus, to learn its fate.

"We were sitting in the Press Box, waiting to see, pins and needles, if our name was going to get called," Jones remembers.

One by one the field was announced. Thirty teams. Thirty-one teams.

"I remember waiting, we were at the Press Box, and we were all there," Bellinger said. "They were announcing all of the teams, and we were the last team to get announced. That moment was pretty amazing."

Montana traveled west to California to take on No. 5 Pacific, coached by John Dunning, who went on to win five national championships throughout his storied coaching career. At that point in time, Pacific was the cream of the crop in women's volleyball. The Tigers had played in 11 consecutive NCAA tournaments, advancing to the Final Four eight seasons in a row from 1979-86. Pacific ranked in the top 15 nationally for kills, assists, hitting percentage and blocks, and was playing on its home court, where it led the nation the previous year for attendance.

"When we had practice the day before, I remember being a little star struck," Moran said. "Debbie Green, who was one of my idols growing up, was an assistant coach for Pacific, and I remember being in shock seeing her at practice."

Pacific proved to be too tall of a match for Montana, defeating the Lady Griz in straight sets (15-3, 15-10, 15-9). Moran had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Pinkerton recorded nine kills on .381 hitting. Bellinger totaled 11 digs and six kills, while Schwenke had 29 assists.

"They were pretty darn incredible, and even though we played against some great competition that year, we hadn't seen a team like that," Moran said.

"But when you're in a situation like that and you have nothing to lose, you celebrate every single point you get and you kind of laugh off the ones you don't," she continued. "We were proud of our accomplishment of getting there, and even though we lost, we knew we deserved to be there."

The Tigers, who won national titles in 1985 and 1986, would again go on to play in the national championship that year.

After the match, Scott summed up the loss concisely: "Pacific is one of the top teams in the nation."

Then he continued: "and now so are we."

Jennifer Pinkerton (1987-90) — (Jennifer Pinkerton, 1987-90)

The story of the 1990 volleyball team was not written that night inside the Alex G. Spanos Center, but in the months leading up to it.

The best spring season in program history, followed by cohesiveness and bonding to take a good team to the next level. The 10-0 start, including a win over a ranked Gonzaga program, before a school-record 13 wins in Big Sky play.

As the years pass, what Montana accomplished during the 1990 season becomes more and more impressive.

The Lady Griz won 24 games that year, and set a school record with a .774 winning percentage. Even bigger, they broke through and reached that long-awaited dream of playing in the NCAA tournament.

"We had our eyes on the prize the whole year," Schwenke said. "That's where we wanted to be, and once we made that goal and broke through that barrier of playing at the next level, it really made a difference in the program and gave us confidence that we could compete at the next level."

Added Heidi Williams, a redshirt in 1990: "Every now and then, you get this group of individuals together and it clicks. It was one of those things where the magic happened when they got together."

Perhaps the biggest impact the 1990 team left, however, was the foundation the team set for what was to come over the next several seasons.

After qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 1990, Montana qualified again – largely with the same group of players – in 1991, this time after winning the program's first conference championship in undefeated fashion. A few years later, the Lady Griz checked off another box, not only winning the Big Sky Conference and again reaching the postseason, but winning a match in the tournament.

When Williams reflects back on her career, she gives credit to the 1990 group for setting the table for the years that followed.

"I was fresh out of high school, still a girl, and suddenly I was surrounded by all of these strong, independent, funny and incredibly talented women," Williams said of her redshirt season. "I didn't have heroes growing up, with posters on my wall. For me, these women became my role models."

"They crossed a barrier," McCarthy said of the 1990 team. "Once they did, it became the expectation that the team should be at that level or higher. Dick Scott came in in 1978, and he built the program from the ground. Those kids from Coeur d'Alene, Spokane and a couple of Missoula kids really tried to elevate the program, and I think you saw that. They left their mark."

It's something that is not lost on current head coach Allison Lawrence, who is trying to build Montana back to that level.

"Our alumni allow us to dream big and not only work to reestablish what they were able to build, but to fight to push the program to higher heights than ever before. Their understanding and belief in us adds depth and meaning to everything we do. On top of being champion-caliber competitors, they remain excellent role models who expand our sense of what is possible for us as Grizzlies and as women."

Ann Schwenke (1988-91) — (Ann Schwenke, 1988-91)

Some days, the 1990 season feels like 30 minutes ago. Other times, 30 years seems accurate. The roster has scattered throughout the country, now with new families and new journeys, but what they accomplished will always link them together.

"The people on that 1990 team are such special, special people to me," Schwenke said. "When we do have the opportunity to get together – if it's an alumni weekend or a girls' weekend or on Zoom, we really pick up where we left off, and it's because we formed that connection back then that has really stood the test of time."

"I love it when my phone rings and I hear CJ, because I instantly know it's someone from that team, and we fall right back into place," added Jones. "When you spend that much time on busses and in gyms, and in intense competition with teammates, they're just golden friendships that you can't replace. I'm so thankful and grateful that I have those ladies in my life."

Without a doubt, their experience at Montana changed many of their lives forever.

"That time was incredibly special in our lives," Bellinger said. "It was a blip in time and it goes very fast. It was four years and then it was over, but what you gain from it and what you get from it, is an amazing experience and amazing friendships. I'm very happy to say I was able to play for the University of Montana back then."

The records are nice and wins remain special, but more than anything, what each of them remembers are the relationships.

"Thirty years later, my very closest friends are former Griz teammates, and what an honor that is, "Faha said.

Concluded Moran: "When I look back at that time 30 years ago, the lessons I learned and the growth that I had, from being a member of that team, has really been a huge part of who I am today. We're still teammates. We're still family. We've shared a lot of good times and a lot of heartache, and everything in between. There are some incredible friendships from that team, and it's pretty neat to get together and talk about being a Montana volleyball player, and what being a Grizzly means. The stories, the lessons, everything we were able to experience and gain from being an athlete at Montana is pretty special."

Montana planned to recognize the 1990 volleyball team at a match during the 2020 season, which was postponed due to COVID-19. The program still intends to honor the group with an in-person reunion when it becomes safe to do so.

1990 Montana volleyball roster
Angie Bellinger (junior outside hitter from Spokane, Washington); Kate Faha (junior outside hitter from Spokane, Washington); Sarah Hurlburt (Freshman outside hitter/middle blocker from Billings, Montana); Cyndee Jones (senior outside hitter from Gresham, Oregon); Colleen Jantz (junior outside hitter/middle blocker from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho); Tricia Lake (sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker from Oak Harbor, Washington); Jennifer Moran (sophomore outside hitter from Spokane, Washington); Erin Parks (senior setter from Missoula, Montana); Jennifer Pinkerton (senior middle blocker from Canyon Country, California); Ann Schwenke (junior setter from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho); Anne Tarleton (senior middle blocker from Littleton, Colorado); Heidi Williams (freshman outside hitter/middle blocker from Missoula, Montana); Kathy Young (junior outside hitter from Missoula, Montana); Dick Scott (head coach); Jerry Wagner (assistant coach); Mari Brown (student assistant)

Gallery: (12-21-2020) VB: 1990 Montana Volleyball Team

Junior setter Ann Schwenke led the Big Sky for assists (11.81) in 1990, while sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Moran was her top target, ranking second in the league with 3.85 kills per set. Both were named to the All-Big Sky first team in 1990, while Jennifer Pinkerton was on the second team and Angie Bellinger was named honorable mention. Pinkerton led Montana and ranked fourth in the Big Sky for hitting (.297), while Bellinger was the team leader with 380 digs, also ranking fourth in the league with 3.43 kills per set. Anne Tarleton was also in the top 10 in the Big Sky for hitting (.253, eighth).

Bellinger, Moran and Schwenke were all later named to the AVCA All-Region second team.

Schwenke (1988-91) still is Montana's all-time assists leader, also ranking in the top
10 for career service aces. She was two-time AVCA All-Region selection, three-time All-Big Sky pick and the 1991 Big Sky MVP.

Moran (1989-93) was the 1989 Big Sky Freshman of the Year and later earned two first-team All-Big Sky selections. Today, her 1,419 career kills rank second in school history, also ranking in the top 10 for digs and service aces. Her 40 kills in a 1989 match vs. Weber State will forever be a school record.

Bellinger (1988-91) was a two-time first-team All-Big Sky pick and AVCA All-Region selection. Today, she still ranks in the top 10 in Montana history for career hitting percentage, attacks, kills and digs. At the end of her career, her digs mark was a school record.

Pinkerton (1987-90) finished her career with two of the school's top-three single-season hitting percentages. She was a 1990 All-Big Sky selection and still ranks in the top 10 in Montana history for career hitting percentage and blocks.

Tarleton (1987-90) was named to the 1990 All-Big Sky tournament team, also earning all-conference honorable mention honors in 1988.

Cyndee Jones (1987-90) was a senior in 1990. Her six service aces in a match vs. UTSA are still a three-set school record. Kathy Young (1988-91) was named the team's best back-court hitter in 1989 and later was an All-Big Sky selection in 1991. Her 549 digs that season are still a school record. Tricia Lake (1989-92) set a school record with 15 blocks in a 1989 match vs. San Francisco. Colleen Jantz (1988-91) was named the team's best blocker and most-improved player in 1989, and went on to become a first-team All-Big Sky selection, as well as an AVCA All-Region pick, in 1991. After redshirting in 1990, Heidi Williams (1990-94) earned All-Big Sky and AVCA All-Region honors as a senior in 1994. She still ranks fifth in school history for career blocks.

University of Montana Athletics

30 years later: 1990 volleyball team broke through with 1st NCAA tournament berth

Related News

Related Videos