Griz ready to attack 2nd half of season

Montana at Southern Utah
Thursday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.
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Montana at Northern Arizona
Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. (MT)
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Back in 2019 – Montana's last complete volleyball season – things looked pretty similar at this point in the season.

Montana's 2019 conference season started with back-to-back three-set losses, at home to Montana State and on the road at Northern Colorado. Midway through October, the team was sitting at 1-6, before capping the first-half with a win.

Starting with that win over Portland State, the Grizzlies won five of their final nine regular-season matches to qualify for the Big Sky tournament. Keying the spark was a move from the right side to middle blocker for Missy Huddleston, who became an all-conference selection by the end of the year.

Fast forward to present day, and Montana is looking to do something similar. After a 1-6 start to Big Sky play, the Grizzlies earned a three-set sweep over Sacramento State last weekend. Again part of Montana's recent success has been a position change, seeing freshman Paige Clark transition from setter/server to its main outside hitter.

Now begins the second half the season, where Montana will again aim to make some moves.

"It seems like each year around this time, we start to find another gear and make a push, and I'm excited to attack these next few weeks with this group," head coach Allison Lawrence said.

Montana feels as if it has opportunities to do so, as well.

While the Grizzlies' Big Sky record isn't anywhere near where they would like it to be after their best non-conference season in 16 years, there is some reason to be encouraged.

First, consider the competitiveness. Of Montana's 18 set losses in Big Sky play, 13 have been by five points or fewer, with half (9 of 18 sets) being decided by the minimum two points and six going past the traditional 25-point mark.

Of the 18 set losses, Montana has led by at least three points in eight of them, holding 12 set-point opportunities across five different set losses.

While the Grizzlies have struggled to put away sets, they started to turn a corner last week, winning four tight frames against Portland State and Sacramento State, including two by two points.

"It's easy to say, but we really do feel like we're a couple points, or a couple bounces, away from being in a completely different spot right now," Lawrence said.

An even bigger encouragement to Lawrence is how her team is developing each week.

"We were a better team last week than we were two weeks ago, and we're a better team now than we were last week, and that's the big picture," Lawrence said after Montana's match vs. Portland State. "This team's biggest strength is its ability to continue to learn and grind and add more to our game."

The numbers back up her claim.

Through its first four Big Sky matches, Montana was 0-4, winning just a single set. The Griz averaged 12.0 kills per set on .121 hitting, but also weren't getting help from its defense, which allowed 14.9 kills per set at a .238 clip.

Over the last four matches – two sweeps and two five-set defeats – Montana is out-killing, out-hitting, out-serving and out-digging its opponents.

	1st 4 Matches	Next 4 Matches
Kills/Set	12.0	13.6
Opponent Kills/Set	13.6	12.3
Hitting Pct.	.121	.232
Opponent Hitting Pct.	.238	.219
Service Aces/Set	1.5	1.5
Opponent Service Aces/Set	1.9	1.2
Digs/Set	15.9	13.5
Opponent Digs/Set	16.5	13.3

A major part of that has been Clark, who in four matches at outside hitter has averaged 4.12 kills per set on .218 hitting. For comparison, the Big Sky leader for kills on the season is averaging 3.76.

In a five-set match at Eastern Washington, Clark totaled 21 kills. The following match, another five-set thriller, she had 23, the most ever by a Montana freshman during the 25-point scoring era.

Clark has sparked the Grizzlies' recent success, but it's not just her.

Junior Catie Semadeni had 35 kills across the two five-set matches, including 19 (career high) on .500 hitting vs. Portland State. She became the first Grizzly since 2007 to register 19 kills or more while hitting at a .500 clip.

Joining those two has been the emergence of Jackie Howell, who had 23 kills through the Grizzlies' first 12 matches, but has 58 in the six matches since (2.52 per set on .193 hitting, compared to 0.49 kills per set at a .063 clip previously). She has at least eight kills in each of Montana's past six matches (a figure she never hit before), including a career-high 11 twice.

"To look at some of our numbers, I think it shows how physical we are offensively and how our hitters are managing their individual games and getting smarter match to match," Lawrence said.

The Grizzlies know they still have an uphill climb. Their next three matches are on the road, and starting Saturday, they'll play three consecutive matches against three of the top-four preseason teams. But they're also confident in who they're becoming. They've split their past four matches and feel like they were in position to win all four. Their three-set win on Saturday became even more impressive after Sacramento State went and swept Portland State on Tuesday night, snapping the Vikings' seven-match winning streak.

First serve at Southern Utah is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m., before a 2 p.m. (MT) start on Saturday at Northern Arizona. Both matches can be watched with an ESPN+ subscription.

You brought the energy tonight, #GrizNation!#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/T2IrnreNI8
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 17, 2021

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Southern Utah – SUU holds an 8-7 advantage in a series that dates back to 2011… Montana is 3-5 vs. the Thunderbirds on the road, and is making its final scheduled trip to Cedar City, with SUU scheduled to leave the Big Sky after this season… Montana lost both meetings with SUU during the spring season (both on the road), but beat the T-Birds in Missoula in 2019 and in Cedar City in 2018… The 2018 road win went to five sets, with four of them being decided by the minimum two points… In the spring, Peyten Boutwell totaled 16 kills and six blocks in the two matches, both 3-1 defeats… The T-Birds have two of the league's top-three blockers, with Raegen Ashby ranking second (1.11 blocks per set) and Carissa Richie ranking third (1.09)… As a team, the T-Birds rank third in the Big Sky for blocking (2.31 per set) but last for both kills (10.13 per set) and hitting percentage (.135)… SUU is 6-14 overall, and like Montana, 2-6 in Big Sky play… The T-Birds' two league wins have come over Idaho (3-1) and Idaho State (3-0) – both in Cedar City… SUU was picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll… Thursday will be the only time Montana and SUU will play in 2021.

Northern Arizona – Montana is 33-35 all-time against NAU, but is looking for its first win over the Lumberjacks since 2013… Since then, the Grizzlies have lost eight in a row in the series and haven't beaten NAU in Flagstaff since 2010… The two teams did not play in the spring season, but went to five sets in both meetings in 2019… Montana won the first two sets of the 2019 meeting in Flagstaff, and held a 13-9 lead in Set 5, before NAU finished the match on a 6-0 run… In Missoula, Montana recorded 10 more kills than NAU and out-hit and out-dug the Lumberjacks, but again fell in five sets to a team that was picked to win the Big Sky that season and finished with 21 victories… With the two teams not playing in the spring, only three current Grizzlies have played NAU… Taylor Jacobsen ranks second in the Big Sky for kills (3.59 per set) and third for aces (0.43 per set), while Ryann Davis is second for hitting percentage (.322)… As a team, NAU ranks in the top six in the Big Sky for every statistical category… NAU has been one of the league's top teams in recent memory, winning two regular-season and two tournament championships over the past six seasons and being picked to finish second in 2021… NAU won its first three league matches, before going 2-3 since the start of October… The Lumberjacks' three losses are to the top-three teams in the standings, while their five wins are to teams below them… Saturday will also be the only meeting between Montana and NAU in 2021.

GRIZ BITS

Montana posted its best non-conference record in 16 seasons, going 5-5 including impressive wins over Kennesaw State and Drake – both contenders in their respective conferences. The Grizzlies also went 3-0 at the UND Classic, their first outright tournament championship since 2005.
The Grizzlies opened Big Sky play 0-4 – playing three of the top-four preseason teams – before starting to gain some momentum over the past two weeks. During that span, Montana has sweeps at Idaho and vs. Sacramento State, in addition to five-set losses at Eastern Washington and vs. Portland State.
Of the 70 sets Montana has played, 47 (67.1 percent) have been decided by five points or fewer (20-27 record). Thirty-one (44.3 percent) have seen a margin of three points or fewer (14-17) and 23 (32.9 percent) have been decided by the minimum two points (10-13). Additionally, 13 sets have gone past the traditional 25 points.
Montana ranks in the top six of the Big Sky standings for kills (12.49 per set, fourth); assists (11.31 per set, fifth); hitting percentage (.213, fifth); blocks (2.01 per set, sixth); and digs (13.93 per set, sixth). This comes after the Grizzlies ranked 10^th or 11^th in the Big Sky in every category in the spring except for digs (seventh).
Montana's .213 team hitting percentage is on pace to rank eighth in school history, and its best since 2007. The Grizzlies are the only Big Sky team to have two players hitting above .300, with Ellie Scherffius (.309, fourth) and Catie Semadeni (.301, fifth) doing so.
While Montana ranks fourth in the Big Sky for kills, the Grizzlies have no individual close to the Big Sky leaders for kills per set. Instead, Montana has used a balanced attack, with five attackers averaging between 1.80 and 2.31 kills per set this season.
Senior middle blocker Peyten Boutwell (0.99 per set, eighth) and sophomore middle blocker Ellie Scherffius (0.94 per set, 12^th) are both among the league's best blockers. Boutwell's current average is on pace to be the Grizzlies' best since Capri Richardson in 2014. Montana hasn't had two individuals average more than 0.90 blocks per set since Natalie Jones and Brooke Bray did so in 2013.
Senior libero Sarina Moreno continues to move up the school's all-time digs list (1,308), jumping from eighth to fifth with 31 digs vs. Idaho State (Sept. 30) and continuing to climb since then. On Saturday, she moved into third place on Montana's all-time digs list, passing Erin Adams (1996-00).
Junior right-side attacker Catie Semadeni now leads the Grizzlies with 2.31 kills per set, and is doing so at a .301 clip. Last week vs. Portland State, she became the first Montana player since 2007 to hit .500 or better with at least 19 kills. She is doing all this despite averaging 0.79 kills per set on .011 hitting during the spring season.
Listed as a setter, freshman Paige Clark has done a little bit of everything this season, but earlier this month got her first extended opportunity as a front-row attacker. In four matches at outside hitter, Clark is averaging 4.12 kills per set, which would rank first in the Big Sky if it were over a full season. Her 23 kills vs. Portland State were the most ever by a Montana freshman during the 25-point scoring era.

Our serve-receive was on point on Saturday.

In fact, it marked the first time in 209 matches – dating back to the 2013 season – that the Grizzlies went an entire match without being aced.#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/6BkNR7DA4v
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 19, 2021

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

#1 Sarina Moreno – Ranks second in the Big Sky with 4.27 digs per set (4.72 in Big Sky matches)… Has been in double figures for digs in all but one matches this season, and has recorded 14 or more digs in all but four… Posted a season-high 31 digs vs. Idaho State (Sept. 30), the second-most of her career and the most by a Big Sky player in a four-set match this season… Also is the only Big Sky player to record 19 digs in a three-set match twice this season, doing so at North Dakota (Sept. 11) and at Idaho (Oct. 7)… Totaled 25 digs in a five-set win over Seattle (Sept. 1)… Has 14 service aces on the season (third on the team) and at least one in nine matches, including three vs. Eastern Michigan (Aug. 28) and two at Northern Colorado (Sept. 23) and vs. Sacramento State (Oct. 16)… Both aces vs. the Bears came during a 7-0 service run in which the Grizzlies erased what once was a 10-point deficit to hold set point at 25-24… In the third set against the Hornets, she served during a 6-0 run, turning an 11-8 deficit into a 14-11 advantage… Moved into Montana's top-10 list for career digs earlier this month and now ranks third, passing Erin Adams (1996-00) last week.
#2 Paige Clark – Has seen time in 16 of 18 matches this season, earning four starts… Showing her versatility, she has been used as a server, setter and attacker… Over the past two weeks has been used as Montana's primary outside hitter, averaging 4.12 kills per set on .218 hitting… The kills-per-set average would currently lead the Big Sky across an entire season… Scored 27 points (third-most this season by a Big Sky athlete) vs. Portland State (Oct. 14) by recording 23 kills, three service aces and two blocks… The 23 kills were the most ever by a Griz freshman during the 25-point scoring era… Saw her first significant time as a front-row attacker earlier this month at Idaho (Oct. 7) and Eastern Washington (Oct. 9) and led Montana's offense in both matches, averaging 4.13 kills per set on .263 hitting… Totaled a team-most 12 kills at a .207 clip in a three-set win at Idaho, before totaling 21 on .294 hitting at Eastern Washington… Has led Montana for attacks in all four matches at outside hitter, recording the two-highest attack totals of the season… Has 14 service aces on the season (third on the team) and at least one in seven of eight Big Sky matches (12 total)… Recorded three aces vs. Idaho State (Sept. 30) and Portland State (Oct. 14)… Has twice been in double figures for digs, including a season-high 12 at South Dakota State (Sept. 3)… Was used as a setter/attacker in several matches, in a 6-2 offense, recording 12 assists and 10 digs on .368 hitting vs. California Baptist (Sept. 3), in addition to five digs, one ace and one block… Recorded her first career ace vs. Eastern Michigan (Aug. 28), with the serve coming on set point which gave the Grizzlies a 25-23 win… Also spent Set 3 vs. the Eagles at setter, recording 15 assists and one kill while running the offense… Made her collegiate debut vs. Kennesaw State (Aug. 28).
#3 Jackie Howell – Has played in every set this season, earning starts in 15 matches… Leads Montana with a .961 serve percentage and .949 reception percentage… Also ranks third on the team with 2.00 digs per set and fourth with 12 service aces… Has been in double figures for digs seven times, including four of the past six matches… Over the past six matches (Sept. 30-Oct. 16), has been a multi-faceted weapon, averaging 2.52 kills (.193 hitting) and 2.82 digs per set, in addition to six service aces and 10 blocks… Has two double-doubles during that span and has recorded nine or more kills in all six matches, after posting 23 total kills (0.49 per set on .063 hitting) through the first 12 matches of the season (and never more than six in a match)… Led Montana with a career-high-tying 11 kills (.333) hitting in a three-set win over Sacramento State (Oct. 16)… Has a service ace in nine different matches (five of the past six in a row), led by three vs. CSU Bakersfield (Sept. 18)… Has been one of Montana's top servers, serving during multiple lengthy runs, including 5-0 a run vs. Seattle (Sept. 1), turning a 9-6 deficit into a Griz lead, and a 6-0 run in Set 5 vs. Drake (Sept. 10)… Has twice totaled 14 digs in a match (vs. Drake on Sept. 11; at Eastern Washington on Oct. 9).
#4 Carly Anderson – Has helped facilitate a balanced offense that is hitting .213 and features two of the league's top-five attackers… Ranks second in the Big Sky with 9.43 assists per set… Holds three of the top-five assists totals this season in the Big Sky, including a career-high 56 at Eastern Washington (Oct. 9), which ranks first… In addition to the 56 assists vs. the Eagles, she also added five kills, three service aces and eight digs… Ranks second on the team with 14 service aces, including seven in the past four matches… Has 36 kills compared to just four errors, seven times recording three or more kills in a match… Was named to the UND Classic all-tournament team after averaging 8.69 assists per set and running an offense that hit .278 for the weekend (Sept. 10-11)… In addition to her setting, she also added 2.07 digs per set, plus 11 kills (zero errors, .550 hitting) and two service aces in three victories… Tallied 52 assists in a win over Seattle (Sept. 1) and 50 in a season-opening victory over Kennesaw State (Aug. 28)… Is also averaging 1.85 digs per set (fourth on the team), recording her first double-double of the season at North Dakota (33 assists, 10 digs)… Has 32 kills on the season (0.52 per set) and has recorded 25 straight kills without making an error.
#8 Elsa Godwin – Has started 16 of 18 matches at outside hitter, primarily playing as a back-row player the past four matches… Leads the Griz with 16 service aces and is second for digs (2.30 per set)… Ranks third on the team for both serve percentage (.934) and reception percentage (.934)… Has been in double figures for digs seven times this season, including six times in the past 12 matches… Ranks fourth on the team with 90 kills and is hitting at a .125 clip, after hitting .005 in the spring... Recorded a career-high 14 kills, plus 10 digs, vs. Eastern Michigan (Aug. 28), before surpassing that total vs. Seattle (Sept. 1)… In a five-set win over the Redhawks, she totaled 16 kills at a .375 clip, also adding nine digs and four blocks… After falling behind 2-1, Montana won the final two sets, with Godwin totaling five kills (.556 hitting) and three blocks… Totaled 19 digs, nine kills and three aces vs. Green Bay (Sept. 10)… Added three more aces at North Dakota (Sept. 11), including two during a 9-0 run that flipped a 21-15 deficit into a 24-21 lead… Totaled 11 kills and three service aces vs. College of Charleston (Aug. 29)… Had nine kills through two sets vs. the Cougars, including points on four consecutive plays during an 8-0 run in Set 2.
#10 Ellie Scherffius – Ranks fourth in the Big Sky with a .309 hitting percentage… Is among the team leaders for hitting (first), blocking (0.94 per set, second) and kills (1.91 per set, third)… Ranks in the top 15 in the Big Sky for blocking… Recorded eight kills on .400 hitting in a three-set win over Sacramento State (Oct. 16), her best hitting numbers since Sept. 23… Was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 13) and UND Classic MVP (Sept. 11) after averaging 2.92 kills per set on .500 hitting, plus 0.92 blocks per set, in three victories… In a five-set win over Green Bay (Sept. 10), Scherffius had seven of Montana's 15 points in the fifth set, including four kills and a block during a 5-0 run… Finished the day with a career-high-tying 15 kills on .520 hitting, plus six blocks… Has been in double figures for kills seven times and has hit .500 or above on five occasions… Has recorded five or more blocks seven times… Named to the CofC Invitational all-tournament team (Aug. 29) after averaging 2.43 kills per set on .540 hitting, in addition to 1.00 blocks per set… Recorded 15 kills on .650 hitting (15-2-20) in a win over Kennesaw State (Aug. 28), in addition to a team-high-tying six blocks… Later that day, vs. Eastern Michigan, she recorded nine kills and zero errors at an .818 clip (9-0-11), again adding six blocks… Entered the season with four career kills and three blocks while seeing limited action as a true freshman during the spring season.
#12 Sarah Ashley – Has played in 15 matches this season, earning six starts at defensive specialist… Ranks fifth on the team for service aces (10) and digs (1.37 per set)… Served up three aces vs. Eastern Michigan (Aug. 28) and has at least one ace in seven contests… Has twice been in double figures for digs (10 vs. Kennesaw State and College of Charleston).
#14 Peyten Boutwell – Has started all 18 matches at middle blocker… Leads the Griz with 0.99 blocks per set (eighth in the Big Sky), including 1.10 in league play (sixth)… Is on pace to post the Grizzlies' highest block-per-set average since 2014… Also ranks second for kills (156, 2.23 per set)… Has been in double figures for kills seven times (four times in Big Sky play) and has reached five or more blocks on six occasions… Recorded a season-high nine stuffs in a three-set win at Idaho (Oct. 7), to go along with seven kills on .375 hitting… Totaled 11 kills and four blocks in a come-from-behind win over Drake (Sept. 11)… Totaled 13 kills on .276 hitting at Eastern Washington (Oct. 9)… Recorded 16 kills on .520 hitting vs. Seattle (Sept. 1), becoming the fourth Grizzly in the past 12 seasons to hit above .500 with at least 16 kills… Blocked seven balls vs. Eastern Michigan (Aug. 28)… Totaled 12 kills on .391 hitting in Montana's season-opening win over Kennesaw State (Aug. 28).
#16 Catie Semadeni – Leads Montana with 2.31 kills per set on .301 hitting, which ranks fifth in the Big Sky… During league matches, she is hitting even crisper, at .328… For comparison, she totaled 22 kills in 10 matches as a sophomore, hitting .011… Also ranks third on the team for blocking (0.67 per set)… Has seven times been in double figures for kills and has reached eight or more kills in 12 matches… Recorded a career-high 19 kills on .500 hitting vs. Portland State (Oct. 14), becoming the first Grizzly since 2007 to hit .500 or better with 19 or more kills… The 19 kills surpassed her previous career high of 16, which was set the previous match at Eastern Washington (Oct. 9)… Against the Eagles, she hit .297 while also adding five blocks… Led Montana with 11 kills on .360 hitting at Northern Colorado (Sept. 23), totaling three kills to fend off set point or give the Griz a one-point lead late in Set 2… Was named to EWU's all-tournament team after recording 10 kills on .350 hitting, plus three blocks, in Montana's only match, vs. CSU Bakersfield (Sept. 18)… At the UND Classic (Sept. 10-11), averaged 1.92 kills per set at a .283 clip, while also adding a team-best 13 blocks (1.00 per set)… Stuffed a career-high eight balls vs. Drake (Sept. 11), to go along with eight kills on .353 hitting… In Montana's season-opening win over Kennesaw State, she totaled 10 kills on .308 hitting, in addition to six blocks… Later that day, vs. Eastern Michigan, she added 11 kills at a .346 clip.
#17 Elise Jolly – Has played in 14 matches, starting two at outside hitter… Is averaging 2.05 kills per set at a .158 clip… Was named to the UND Classic all-tournament team after averaging 3.50 kills on .415 hitting across the final two matches of the weekend (Sept. 11)… Had a career-high 16 kills on .353 hitting in a five-set win over Drake, before 12 kills at a .526 clip that evening at North Dakota… Has been in double figures for kills five times… Tallied 10 kills and nine digs in her Montana debut vs. Kennesaw State (Aug. 28) and 10 more, plus a pair of blocks, vs. College of Charleston (Aug. 29)… In Montana's win over Kennesaw State, she recorded four of the Grizzlies' eight kills in Set 5, hitting .500 (4-1-6) in the set… Her 10^th and final kill came on match point, securing Montana's win.
#21 Kelsey Nestegard – Has played in 10 matches, including the last nine, being used as a server… Has eight service aces on the season… Posted two aces vs. Portland State (Oct. 14) and another vs. Sacramento State (Oct. 16), in addition to putting both teams out of system with several other great serves… Totaled two aces vs. Montana State (Sept. 21)… Made her season debut vs. Seattle (Sept. 1), recording an ace and being praised by Allison Lawrence for her aggressive serving and coverage on defense.
#22 Maddie Kremer – Has played in 12 matches, starting at North Dakota (Sept. 11)… After playing in 10 of Montana's first 25 sets to open the season, she found her form at the UND Classic (Sept. 10-11)… Despite not playing in the first two sets vs. Drake (Sept. 11), she finished the match with 10 kills at .315 hitting, including seven kills and an ace in Set 4 and being praised by Allison Lawrence for the team's turnaround… That night vs. North Dakota, making her first career start, she added eight more kills and a block… Recorded seven kills and two blocks vs. Eastern Michigan (Aug. 28)… She led Montana with four kills and a block in a Set-2 win over the Eagles… Is averaging 1.25 kills across 24 sets this season.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana will face a quick turnaround, flying home on Sunday before leaving again on Monday for Bozeman. The second installment of the Brawl of the Wild will take place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Montana came away with a four-set win in its most-recent visit to Bozeman, back in 2019.

Gallery: (10-16-2021) VB: vs. Sacramento State (10.16.21)

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Players Mentioned

Carly Anderson

Peyten Boutwell

Paige Clark

Jackie Howell

Sarina Moreno

Ellie Scherffius

Catie Semadeni

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