Saturday, November 6
Missoula, Mont.
2 PM
Montana
11-13, 6-8Big Sky
3
vs
2
Idaho
5-18, 2-12Big Sky
1
2
3
4
5
F
Idaho
17
20
25
25
10
2
Montana
25
25
23
23
15
3
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Montana earns Senior-Day win, punches ticket to Big Sky tournament
11/6/2021 6:30:00 PM | Volleyball
MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana earned a Senior-Day victory over Idaho on Saturday afternoon (25-17, 25-20, 23-25, 23-25, 15-10), clinching a spot in the Big Sky Conference tournament as a result. Montana is one of the hottest teams in the Big Sky over the past month, winning five of its past seven matches.
The Grizzlies were led on Saturday by their middle blockers Peyten Boutwell and Ellie Scherffius, who combined for 35 kills on .441 hitting, in addition to nine blocks.
Joining the middles in double figures for kills was freshman Paige Clark, who totaled 14 kills at a .206 clip. Clark played a huge role in Montana's Set-1 victory – scoring the Grizzlies' final seven points of the set – but after recording eight kills through the first two sets, she was held to just three over the next two combined, including none in Set 4.
That changed in the fifth set, when she added three more kills on just four swings, including the final point of the night.
Even better in the fifth set was Scherffius, who accounted for five of Montana's 15 points with four kills on four swings, in addition to a solo stuff.
Gallery: (11-6-2021) VB: vs. Idaho (11.6.21)
Tied at 2-2, Scherffius got a quick kill to give Montana the lead. On the next point, she finished off a rally that the Grizzlies had no business winning, if not for defensive efforts from Sarina Moreno and Jackie Howell to keep the ball alive.
Scherffius then got another kill to give Montana a 5-2 lead, and following a Clark kill, Idaho used an early timeout. Coming out of the break, Scherffius added another kill, and moments later got a solo stuff to burn the Vandals' final timeout with Montana on top 10-3.
In the fifth set, Montana hit .421, leading for nearly the entirety of the set.
"Today was a great win for our program, to start strong on an emotional day, but then to fight through adversity and come out on the winning end," head coach Allison Lawrence said.
The Grizzlies turned a 9-9 tie into a 16-10 advantage, with junior right-side attacker Catie Semadeni getting three kills on three swings and Moreno serving during a 5-0 scoring run. After Idaho closed to within four, 18-14, Montana went on a 6-0 run with senior defensive specialist Kelsey Nestegard serving, getting five kills and a block from Clark.
Idaho hit .438 in the opening set, but it didn't matter, as Montana hit .323 and applied a ton of service pressure against the Vandals.
The Grizzlies, though, scored the next six points to put the set out of reach, getting an ace from senior outside hitter Elsa Godwin, who served during the run.
"The big theme of our last seven matches has been our service pressure and our passing resiliency, and those two things showed up big in the first two sets. We executed our game plan perfectly and didn't allow the Senior-Day emotions to get in the way of what we were trying to accomplish."
Through two sets, Montana trailed for just three total points, and never by more than a single point or past 9-8.
The Grizzlies had chances to put Idaho away in the third set – leading by as many as four points early – but lost 25-23. The fourth set was back-and-forth, featuring 17 tie scores and neither team leading by more than two points. Montana took a 23-22 lead but couldn't finish the set, losing 25-23 and being blocked nine times in the frame.
"There was a little bit of stress when we felt momentum pull toward Idaho and they really started to play well and started to block lights out," Lawrence said. "You could feel a sense of dread, of 'What if we let this slip away?' But then, we had a reset in between the fourth and fifth sets and talked about how we can decide to love this pressure and take it one point at a time, or let it get the best of us."
Idaho's Allison Munday started Set 5 with a kill to give the Vandals the lead, but Boutwell fired right back to tie the score. After another tie at 2-2, the Grizzlies then scored the next five points – getting four kills from Scherffius – to recapture the momentum.
"They put their focus right where it needed to be, which was great to see," Lawrence said. "We got some momentum rolling, we got some big kills and the place got loud – and that's when it pays to be the home team, especially when you're a Griz."
Montana extended its lead to 10-3, then 14-7 and the final tally of 15-10, hitting .421 in the final stanza.
"The play from both of our middles was incredible today," Lawrence said of Boutwell and Scherffius. "Peyten is someone who, when she puts her mind toward being terminal and a force, she does it. She wanted this day to be special, and she was relentless. Ellie has been blocking so well all weekend, and she was so smart and executed her responsibilities so well."
"Getting back to the conference tournament has been a huge goal for this group, and to overcome a tough start and now have a ton of momentum, we feel like we're a team that is – and should be – playing with a ton of confidence. So much of that is the senior push. I love their belief and their leadership, which is helping us grow week by week."
The Grizzlies were led on Saturday by their middle blockers Peyten Boutwell and Ellie Scherffius, who combined for 35 kills on .441 hitting, in addition to nine blocks.
Joining the middles in double figures for kills was freshman Paige Clark, who totaled 14 kills at a .206 clip. Clark played a huge role in Montana's Set-1 victory – scoring the Grizzlies' final seven points of the set – but after recording eight kills through the first two sets, she was held to just three over the next two combined, including none in Set 4.
That changed in the fifth set, when she added three more kills on just four swings, including the final point of the night.
Even better in the fifth set was Scherffius, who accounted for five of Montana's 15 points with four kills on four swings, in addition to a solo stuff.
Tied at 2-2, Scherffius got a quick kill to give Montana the lead. On the next point, she finished off a rally that the Grizzlies had no business winning, if not for defensive efforts from Sarina Moreno and Jackie Howell to keep the ball alive.
Scherffius then got another kill to give Montana a 5-2 lead, and following a Clark kill, Idaho used an early timeout. Coming out of the break, Scherffius added another kill, and moments later got a solo stuff to burn the Vandals' final timeout with Montana on top 10-3.
In the fifth set, Montana hit .421, leading for nearly the entirety of the set.
"Today was a great win for our program, to start strong on an emotional day, but then to fight through adversity and come out on the winning end," head coach Allison Lawrence said.
Through the first two sets, Montana was dominant.Scherffius puts the hammer down! 🔥#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/ZKlLMY3Q5c
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 6, 2021
The Grizzlies turned a 9-9 tie into a 16-10 advantage, with junior right-side attacker Catie Semadeni getting three kills on three swings and Moreno serving during a 5-0 scoring run. After Idaho closed to within four, 18-14, Montana went on a 6-0 run with senior defensive specialist Kelsey Nestegard serving, getting five kills and a block from Clark.
Idaho hit .438 in the opening set, but it didn't matter, as Montana hit .323 and applied a ton of service pressure against the Vandals.
In the second set, the Grizzlies got kills on their first seven swings and jumped out to a 10-2 advantage. At that point, three Grizzlies had six or more kills and zero errors. Montana would never trail in the second set, but did see Idaho briefly tie the score at 17-17.Paige Clark with the winning kill!! 🔥#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/axW4rQVXuh
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 6, 2021
The Grizzlies, though, scored the next six points to put the set out of reach, getting an ace from senior outside hitter Elsa Godwin, who served during the run.
"The big theme of our last seven matches has been our service pressure and our passing resiliency, and those two things showed up big in the first two sets. We executed our game plan perfectly and didn't allow the Senior-Day emotions to get in the way of what we were trying to accomplish."
Through two sets, Montana trailed for just three total points, and never by more than a single point or past 9-8.
The Grizzlies had chances to put Idaho away in the third set – leading by as many as four points early – but lost 25-23. The fourth set was back-and-forth, featuring 17 tie scores and neither team leading by more than two points. Montana took a 23-22 lead but couldn't finish the set, losing 25-23 and being blocked nine times in the frame.
"There was a little bit of stress when we felt momentum pull toward Idaho and they really started to play well and started to block lights out," Lawrence said. "You could feel a sense of dread, of 'What if we let this slip away?' But then, we had a reset in between the fourth and fifth sets and talked about how we can decide to love this pressure and take it one point at a time, or let it get the best of us."
Idaho's Allison Munday started Set 5 with a kill to give the Vandals the lead, but Boutwell fired right back to tie the score. After another tie at 2-2, the Grizzlies then scored the next five points – getting four kills from Scherffius – to recapture the momentum.
"They put their focus right where it needed to be, which was great to see," Lawrence said. "We got some momentum rolling, we got some big kills and the place got loud – and that's when it pays to be the home team, especially when you're a Griz."
Montana extended its lead to 10-3, then 14-7 and the final tally of 15-10, hitting .421 in the final stanza.
"The play from both of our middles was incredible today," Lawrence said of Boutwell and Scherffius. "Peyten is someone who, when she puts her mind toward being terminal and a force, she does it. She wanted this day to be special, and she was relentless. Ellie has been blocking so well all weekend, and she was so smart and executed her responsibilities so well."
Saturday marked the final home match for five Grizzlies who were celebrated on the court prior to first serve: Boutwell, Godwin, Holly Manchester, Moreno and Nestegard. The Grizzlies will close the regular season on the road against two of the top teams in the Big Sky in Sacramento State (Thursday, 8 p.m. MT) and Portland State (Saturday, 8 p.m. MT). Then, Montana will be off to the Big Sky tournament for the third time in the past four seasons, despite being picked last in the preseason coaches' poll.👀#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/Lb3Oq6ajeL
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB)Boutwell with a kill to start the 4th set#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/sHzxoyoVEd
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 6, 2021
"Getting back to the conference tournament has been a huge goal for this group, and to overcome a tough start and now have a ton of momentum, we feel like we're a team that is – and should be – playing with a ton of confidence. So much of that is the senior push. I love their belief and their leadership, which is helping us grow week by week."
Team Stats
UI
UM
Kills
59
67
Errors
23
27
Attempts
148
156
Hitting %
.243
.256
Points
82.0
85.0
Assists
57
60
Aces
4
8
Blocks
19.0
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
14
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballGriz Volleyball Weekly Press Conference - 9/8/25
Tuesday, September 09
Griz Volleyball Press Conference - 9/8/25
Tuesday, September 09
Griz Volleyball Weekly Press Conference - 9/1/25
Monday, September 01
Griz Volleyball Press Conference - 9/1/25
Monday, September 01
