Volleyball prepares for stiff challenge, hosts Weber State in 2-match series

Sunday, January 31

Missoula, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

Weber State

Photo by: Derek Johnson

Volleyball prepares for stiff challenge, hosts Weber State in 2-match series

1/29/2021 12:37:00 PM | Volleyball

Schedule Roster

By: Montana Sports Information

MONTANA VS. WEBER STATE
Sunday / 2 p.m. / Missoula, Montana
Monday / 7 p.m. / Missoula, Montana

Watch: Pluto TV (ch. 1056)
Live Stats

Montana opened its Spring 2021 season last week with a win over Idaho State, the Grizzlies' first competition in 423 days. Now, Montana gets to check another 'first' off the list, hosting a match in Missoula for the first time since a 3-1 victory over Southern Utah on Nov. 16, 2019.

The Grizzlies welcome in Weber State for a two-match series (Sunday at 2p.m., Monday at 7 p.m.). While fans are not permitted at this time, both matches can be streamed worldwide on Pluto TV (channel 1056).

SEASON-OPENING SPLIT
Montana opened a delayed Spring 2021 season with a five-set road win over Idaho State. After losing the first set by a wide margin, 25-14, the Grizzlies shook off the rust to win the next two, before a strong fifth set sealed win. Montana had three players in double figures for kills – including two newcomers – and out-dug (64 to 54) and out-blocked (14.0 to 10.0) the Bengals.

One night later, the Grizzlies couldn't carry over the momentum, falling flat in a three-set loss. Montana allowed the Bengals to hit .292, compared to .042 for the Grizzlies, who committed 26 attack errors.

SCOUTING WEBER STATE

Weber State is the Big Sky Conference's only unbeaten team, sitting at 2-0 after a pair of wins over Eastern Washington last week. In the other three series across the league, the teams split the matchups, as did Idaho and Portland State, who met in a two-match non-conference series.
Senior outside hitter Rylin Adams (4.13 per set, fourth in Big Sky) and sophomore outside hitter Dani Nay (3.63, sixth) account for nearly two-thirds of Weber State's offense. Nay is also tied for the Big Sky lead with five service aces.
Adams recorded a double-double in both matches vs. Eastern Washington (15 kills/27 digs; 18 kills/10 digs). She was named to the 2019 Big Sky Championship All-Tournament team.
Nay also had two double-doubles last week vs. the Eagles, totaling 14 kills and 20 digs in the first meeting, before a 15-kill, 11-dig performance the following day. In 2019, she was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year, after averaging 3.38 kills per set.
Senior Ashlyn Power runs Weber State's offense. The 2019 first-team All-Big Sky selection is already the Wildcats' all-time career assists leader – with more than 3,700 – and ranked 30^th nationally with 10.97 assists per set in 2019.
Senior middle blocker Sam Schiess, had 10 kills and 11 digs in Weber State's second match vs. the Eagles. She currently leads the Wildcats with 1.38 blocks per set (sixth in Big Sky).
The Wildcats finished the 2019 season with a 26-9 record, advancing to the third round of the NIVC postseason tournament, after narrowly missing an NCAA tournament bid. The Wildcats lost to Northern Colorado, 15-13, in a five-set thriller in the Big Sky Conference title match.
The 2019 season was historic for Weber State. In addition to the second-most wins in school history, the Wildcats ranked high nationally for nearly every statistical category: .171 opponent hitting percentage (34^th); 2.53 blocks per set (37^th); 16.61 digs per set (41^st); .240 hitting percentage (57^th); 1.53 service aces per set (60^th); 12.40 assists per set (66^th); 13.14 kills per set (87^th).
Jeremiah Larsen is in his sixth season at Weber State, going a combined 44-9 over the past two seasons and finishing in the top three in the Big Sky standings both years. He is the Wildcats' second-most winningest coach in school history.
The Wildcats were picked to finish second in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll, announced in July by vote of the league's head coaches.

SERIES VS. THE WILDCATS

All-time, Montana owns a 48-33 advantage over Weber State, including a 26-12 mark in Missoula.
Montana has won 10 of the past 17 meetings and is 8-7 vs. Weber State with Allison Lawrence on staff.
The Grizzlies, though, have lost the past three meetings, and five of the past six, in the series.
Montana is looking for its first home win over Weber State since 2013, losing the past three meetings in Missoula. Montana's last two wins in the series have come in Ogden.
The series began in 1980, a 3-1 Griz victory in Missoula. The two teams have played every season since, but just once each year from 2014-18 due to Big Sky Conference scheduling.
In last year's meetings, Montana was out-hit (.320 to .199), out-blocked (19.5 to nine) and out-served (14 aces to five), but did out-dig the Wildcats, averaging 13.6 digs per set.
Amethyst Harper was in double figures for kills in both matches, averaging 3.3 per set. In a four-set loss in Ogden, Elsa Godwin recorded 12 kills, while Catie Semadeni added 10. Libero Sarina Moreno had 17 digs in both matches in 2019 (4.3 average) while Kelly Horning had four blocks in the October 2019 meeting in Missoula.

BOUTWELL'S BREAKOUT
Senior Peyten Boutwell will forever remember her Griz debut, with the graduate transfer recording 15 kills and just one error (.609 hitting percentage), in addition to 10 blocks, in Montana's win over Idaho State.

Boutwell's 10 blocks were the most by a Grizzly since 2014, when Capri Richardson registered 10 vs. Kent State. It marked the first time in more than a decade that a Grizzly recorded a kills/blocks double-double, with one having to go back to November 2010 when Jaimie Thibeault did so in a win over, ironically, Idaho State.

"Peyten was unbelievable and played like an upperclassman who has been in this league for several years," head coach Allison Lawrence said after the match.

Making the feat more impressive is knowing Boutwell's backstory.

Boutwell began her collegiate career at UC Riverside, averaging 0.58 kills and 0.58 blocks per set across 16 matches in 2016 for the Highlanders. She then spent her next three seasons at Abilene Christian, playing in just two total matches and recording one kill. When she had the opportunity to come to Montana as a graduate transfer, she jumped at the opening, and early on, is making the most of it.

"I think it just shows how hard of a worker she has been her entire collegiate career, to earn her time and get her opportunity," Lawrence said. "The way she prepares and practices and manages herself is a model for what we ask all of our players to do. We expect big things from her this season, and I'm just really happy that she's getting an opportunity."

Through one week of play, Boutwell ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference for hitting percentage (.425), sixth for blocking (1.38 per set) and 10^th for points scored (3.44 per set).

BLOCK PARTY
Montana's best statistical category so far this season is blocking, with the Grizzlies ranking third in the Big Sky Conference with 2.25 blocks per set. That figure is paced by a monstrous performance at the net last Sunday, a five-set victory over Idaho State. In that win, the Grizzlies racked up 14.0 team blocks, a number that has been surpassed just twice in the past five seasons.

Blocking is also what helped turn the tide in the match. After losing the first set, 25-14, and falling behind 8-6 in Set 2, Montana took a 12-11 lead, with five of its six points coming from stuffs at the net. Senior Peyten Boutwell was involved in all five blocks, while freshman setter Carly Anderson had her hand in three of them.

HARPER RACKING UP KILLS
Sophomore Amethyst Harper set a Montana freshman record with 355 kills in 2019, becoming not only the Grizzlies' top offensive weapon, but one of the biggest threats in the Big Sky Conference. She finished her debut season ranked fifth in Big Sky play for kills (3.71 per set) and recorded a double-digit kill total in 16 of 18 league matches.

Overall, Harper was in double figures for kills 19 times during her freshman season, including the final 12 matches of the season. She has now been in double figures in 14 consecutive matches, after leading the Grizzlies for kills in both contests at Idaho State. Harper had 17 kills on .333 hitting in Sunday's win, before tallying 12, at a .219 clip, on Monday.

Through one week of play, Harper ranks sixth in the Big Sky for kills (3.63 per set) and ninth for digs (3.38 per set).

GODWIN SERVING UP ACES
A season after ranking fourth in Big Sky Conference play for service aces, sophomore Elsa Godwin picked up where she left off, recording four aces during the series at Idaho State. She had two aces in Montana's five-set win, both coming on the same serving run in Set 1, before posting back-to-back aces during Set 2 of Monday's match.

Godwin is currently one of six Big Sky players with at least four aces on the young season. She also added 20 digs, three kills and three blocks in the series at Idaho State.

Gallery: (1-24-2021) VB: at Idaho State (01.24.21)

DELIGHTFUL DEBUTS
Five players made their Griz debuts last week, including three true freshmen.

Carly Anderson – starting at setter, Anderson distributed the ball to several fellow newcomers and finished the series with 55 assists. She also showed her versatile nature, recording 15 digs, two dump kills and seven blocks, despite standing 5-9.
Peyten Boutwell – had 21 kills (2.62 per set) on .425 hitting, in addition to a team-most 11 blocks. Her Griz debut was historic, with the graduate transfer recording a kills/blocks double-double (15 kills, 10 blocks).
Madi Chuhlantseff – recorded six kills and two blocks in her first weekend, including four kills and two stuffs during her collegiate debut.
Sophia Meyers – ranked third on the team with 16 kills (2.00 per set), in addition to two blocks. In her debut, Meyers had 12 kills, including several in critical moments.
Jordyn Schuette – serving as backup setter, Schuette made her Griz debut late in Montana's second match, recording her first career assist.

STARTING THEM YOUNG
Montana will once again rely heavily on its underclassmen, as evidenced by its starting lineup last week at Idaho State. Not only did the Grizzlies play several true freshmen, but three of those newcomers started both matches. Carly Anderson started at setter, while Madi Chuhlantseff earned the nod in the middle and Sophia Meyers on the outside. Dating back to the start of the 2019 season, Montana has started at least three freshmen in 32 consecutive matches.

In total, the Griz roster is comprised of six freshmen, seven sophomores, two juniors and one senior. Junior libero Sarina Moreno is the only returning upperclassman, with Montana's other two (junior Jordyn Schuette and senior Peyten Boutwell) transferring into the program during the offseason.

TRENDING

Montana has a .500 record over its past dozen matches, dating back to October 2019. During that time, the Grizzlies have beaten Idaho, Idaho State (twice), Montana State, Portland State and Southern Utah. Four of those wins have come on the road. The 6-6 record is Montana's second-best 12-match stretch dating back to the start of the 2014 season.
Dating back to October 2019, Montana has split its past four home matches, and has taken at least one set in five straight home contests, and seven of the past eight.