Saturday, October 2
Missoula, Mont.
2 PM
Montana
5-9, 0-4Big Sky
0
vs
3
Weber State
9-5, 4-0Big Sky
1
2
3
F
Weber State
25
25
26
3
Montana
20
10
24
0
Photo by: Derek Johnson
1st-place Weber State remains undefeated with win over Montana
10/2/2021 5:29:00 PM | Volleyball
MISSOULA, Mont. – Hosting Weber State, the defending Big Sky champions and preseason picks to repeat as league champs, Montana lost in straight sets to the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon (25-20, 25-10, 26-24).
After its most-lopsided set loss of the season, the Grizzlies showed fight in the third set, which is what head coach Allison Lawrence is taking away as the biggest positive from Saturday's loss.
Despite falling behind by two sets and losing the second set 25-10, the Grizzlies regrouped and played a relatively strong third set. In fact, after Montana took a 2-1 lead early in the set, it didn't trail again for 46 consecutive points.
The Grizzlies led throughout the third frame, by as many as five points, and held a 24-21 lead and multiple set-point opportunities.
Montana couldn't finish the set out, though, as Weber State scored the next three points to tie the score at 24-24, before winning the final two to finish the match on a 5-0 run.
"It stings because we should have won the third set, but I think the response, especially after feeling really out of sorts (in Set 2), was awesome to see," Lawrence said. "To be able to settle down and get back into rhythm showed really great leadership by Sarina (Moreno) at libero, and is a testament to our team's resiliency and ability to respond to whatever situation we're in."
Early in the season, the Grizzlies' ability to perform late in sets and win close contests was a big reason for their preseason success.
Lately, though, it has been Montana's weakness, as the Grizzlies have lost six sets in the past three matches by two points. Four of the six sets have gone past 25 points and the Grizzlies have had at least one set-point opportunity in four of them, as well.
"We've proven that we can do that because we've done it before, and I know that can do it again," Lawrence said of closing tight sets. "Our biggest key is being able to compete with the belief that we can score in both bad situations and good situations."
Gallery: (10-2-2021) VB: vs. Weber State (10.2.21)
Weber State won the first point of the third set, but the Grizzlies tied the score on the next point on an Elise Jolly kill. The Grizzlies then got kills from Catie Semadeni and Jackie Howell, in addition to a Weber State attack error, to take a 4-1 lead. Montana held a multi-point lead from that point forward, until the late-set breakdown.
Back-to-back kills from Semadeni pushed the Grizzlies' lead to 21-17, forcing a Wildcats timeout, and several points later Howell brought the Griz to set point with her 10th kill.
"Weber's bunch block was able to get two up on both big swings that we had in the last couple of points," Lawrence said. "They're a big double-block and they did a nice job of staying composed, which is why they're at the top of our conference." Montana used tough serving early in the match to jump out to a 6-4 advantage in the opening set, but Weber State settled in and used a 7-0 run to jump in front 11-6. The two teams were even from that point forward, but the Wildcats' early cushion was enough to stay several points ahead of Montana.
The second set was a nightmare scenario for the Griz, who didn't score until the 10th point and fell behind 15-1. The Grizzlies were aced six times during that spurt, in addition to several other passes that forced the Grizzlies out of system. Weber State entered the contest ranked 23rd in the NCAA in aces, led by Nay, who leads the nation.
The Grizzlies started to find a rhythm after the rough start, including a 5-0 run with Howell serving – with the junior posting an ace and two kills during the run.
Montana's best set was the third, with the Grizzlies trailing for just three points and hitting .265 before the final four points.
In addition to her serving, Howell paced Montana offensively with a career-high 10 kills. It marked her first double-double at Montana, also adding 12 digs and a block.
Semadeni finished with eight kills on .353 hitting while senior middle blocker Peyten Boutwell added seven, but just three compared to five errors after the first set. On defense, senior Sarina Moreno recorded 19 digs.
Weber State, which is undefeated in Big Sky play, out-hit Montana (.255 to .101), in addition to recording nine aces (three for the Griz) and eight blocks (3.5 for Montana). The Griz did out-dig Weber State, 48 to 42.
"I thought we served in ways that matched our scouting report and got them out of system," Lawrence said. "It might not show up in the stats because we weren't terminating, but I thought we had some really positive touches off our block and extended a lot of rallies by connecting our serve, blocking and floor defense."
Montana will look for its first Big Sky victory of the season next week on the road, traveling to Idaho (Thursday) and Eastern Washington (Saturday).
After its most-lopsided set loss of the season, the Grizzlies showed fight in the third set, which is what head coach Allison Lawrence is taking away as the biggest positive from Saturday's loss.
Despite falling behind by two sets and losing the second set 25-10, the Grizzlies regrouped and played a relatively strong third set. In fact, after Montana took a 2-1 lead early in the set, it didn't trail again for 46 consecutive points.
The Grizzlies led throughout the third frame, by as many as five points, and held a 24-21 lead and multiple set-point opportunities.
Montana couldn't finish the set out, though, as Weber State scored the next three points to tie the score at 24-24, before winning the final two to finish the match on a 5-0 run.
"It stings because we should have won the third set, but I think the response, especially after feeling really out of sorts (in Set 2), was awesome to see," Lawrence said. "To be able to settle down and get back into rhythm showed really great leadership by Sarina (Moreno) at libero, and is a testament to our team's resiliency and ability to respond to whatever situation we're in."
Early in the season, the Grizzlies' ability to perform late in sets and win close contests was a big reason for their preseason success.
Lately, though, it has been Montana's weakness, as the Grizzlies have lost six sets in the past three matches by two points. Four of the six sets have gone past 25 points and the Grizzlies have had at least one set-point opportunity in four of them, as well.
"We've proven that we can do that because we've done it before, and I know that can do it again," Lawrence said of closing tight sets. "Our biggest key is being able to compete with the belief that we can score in both bad situations and good situations."
Weber State won the first point of the third set, but the Grizzlies tied the score on the next point on an Elise Jolly kill. The Grizzlies then got kills from Catie Semadeni and Jackie Howell, in addition to a Weber State attack error, to take a 4-1 lead. Montana held a multi-point lead from that point forward, until the late-set breakdown.
Back-to-back kills from Semadeni pushed the Grizzlies' lead to 21-17, forcing a Wildcats timeout, and several points later Howell brought the Griz to set point with her 10th kill.
Weber State's Dani Nay fought off the first set point with a kill, however, before the Wildcats forced four consecutive Griz attack errors (two blocks, two unforced) to overcome the deficit.Catie Semadeni with her 8th kill of the match!🏐🔥https://t.co/gxyg7dov8s#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/9fsqcPTCYb
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 2, 2021
"Weber's bunch block was able to get two up on both big swings that we had in the last couple of points," Lawrence said. "They're a big double-block and they did a nice job of staying composed, which is why they're at the top of our conference." Montana used tough serving early in the match to jump out to a 6-4 advantage in the opening set, but Weber State settled in and used a 7-0 run to jump in front 11-6. The two teams were even from that point forward, but the Wildcats' early cushion was enough to stay several points ahead of Montana.
The second set was a nightmare scenario for the Griz, who didn't score until the 10th point and fell behind 15-1. The Grizzlies were aced six times during that spurt, in addition to several other passes that forced the Grizzlies out of system. Weber State entered the contest ranked 23rd in the NCAA in aces, led by Nay, who leads the nation.
The Grizzlies started to find a rhythm after the rough start, including a 5-0 run with Howell serving – with the junior posting an ace and two kills during the run.
Montana's best set was the third, with the Grizzlies trailing for just three points and hitting .265 before the final four points.
In addition to her serving, Howell paced Montana offensively with a career-high 10 kills. It marked her first double-double at Montana, also adding 12 digs and a block.
Jackie Howell with her second kill of the game!https://t.co/gxyg7dov8s#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/SwLa5w9uzH
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 2, 2021
Semadeni finished with eight kills on .353 hitting while senior middle blocker Peyten Boutwell added seven, but just three compared to five errors after the first set. On defense, senior Sarina Moreno recorded 19 digs.
Weber State, which is undefeated in Big Sky play, out-hit Montana (.255 to .101), in addition to recording nine aces (three for the Griz) and eight blocks (3.5 for Montana). The Griz did out-dig Weber State, 48 to 42.
"I thought we served in ways that matched our scouting report and got them out of system," Lawrence said. "It might not show up in the stats because we weren't terminating, but I thought we had some really positive touches off our block and extended a lot of rallies by connecting our serve, blocking and floor defense."
Montana will look for its first Big Sky victory of the season next week on the road, traveling to Idaho (Thursday) and Eastern Washington (Saturday).
Elise Jolly with a kill from the outside!🔥https://t.co/gxyg7dov8s#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/U54bxYfRDo
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 2, 2021
Team Stats
WSU
UM
Kills
39
35
Errors
13
24
Attempts
102
109
Hitting %
.255
.101
Points
57.0
41.5
Assists
37
34
Aces
9
3
Blocks
9.0
3.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
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