Monday, March 22
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
2-14, 2-14Big Sky
1
vs
3
Sacramento State
10-6, 10-6Big Sky
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento State | 22 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Montana | 25 | 23 | 16 | 15 | 1 |
Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Montana closes spring season with 4-set loss, looks ahead to fall
3/22/2021 10:23:00 PM | Volleyball
MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana's abbreviated spring season came to a close on Monday night with a 3-1 loss to Sacramento State (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-15). For the second consecutive night, the Grizzlies took the opening set from the Hornets, before dropping the final three.
Montana started the match strong, winning a tight contest, 25-22. Neither team led by more than three points, but the Grizzlies took a 7-6 lead early on a Catie Semadeni kill and never trailed again. The set would remain tight, but Montana always remained one step ahead of Sacramento State, until a 3-0 scoring run by the Hornets tied the set at 22-22.
Semadeni tallied a kill on the next point, however, to put Montana back on top, and the Grizzlies followed with two more points, the set clincher coming on a block from Semadeni and freshman Madi Chuhlantseff.
The set featured eight tie scores, but Montana was able to win it behind a higher hitting percentage and by out-blocking the Hornets – who lead the Big Sky for blocking – five to zero.
"One thing we've talked about each week is coming out on the second night and executing our game plan with 100-percent energy, effort and focus," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I thought we did that and were in control of the match."
"She had a similar progression last season," Lawrence said of Semadeni. "The thing about Catie is she's a learner who studies the game and studies her own process really closely. She's dealt with a lot of adversity this spring, but she's used it to fuel her growth, and I love the way that she's responded to setbacks by getting back to work and staying curious about ways she can get better. I'm really proud of her."
Montana held a 4-2 lead early and the two teams were tied at 6-6, before the Hornets rattled off the next six points to double up the Grizzlies, 12-6. During the run, Sacramento State got kills from three different players, in addition to a block and an ace.
Just moments later, though, the two teams were again tied, as Montana worked its way back to a 15-15 tie, scoring four consecutive points at one point. The run included a kill and an ace from sophomore outside hitter Amethyst Harper and a kill from freshman Ellie Scherffius, who saw extended playing time at middle blocker after Chuhlantseff went down with a knee injury early in the second set.
The teams would be tied at seven consecutive points from 15-15 to 21-21, before the Hornets scored consecutive points to take a 23-21 lead, and won it 25-23.
Montana had 20 kills in the set and hit .292, but Sacramento State was even better, hitting .318 with 15 kills compared to one error.
"To have 20 kills in a set and not win is a statistical anomaly," Lawrence said. "To produce at that level, and hit at that efficiency, and not win is defeating. Then you have an athlete who has been a starter all year go down. We put ourselves in such a great position to win, but we didn't, and I thought that changed the rest of the match."
Gallery: (3-22-2021) VB: vs. Sacramento State (03.22.21)
After the first two sets saw 20 ties and tight scores throughout, Sacramento State ran away with the third and fourth sets. Montana held a 9-6 lead in the third set before a 7-0 run for the Hornets flipped the momentum and led to a 25-16 Hornets victory. The two sides were tied at 9-9 in the fourth set, but Sacramento State scored 10 of the next 11 points, including eight in a row at one point, to open up a commanding 19-10 advantage.
After hitting .238 through the first two sets, Montana unraveled over the final two frames with 13 kills compared to 18 errors, including -.152 hitting in the fourth set.
"Sacramento State does such a good job at the service line, and we got rattled a little passing, and had to set more pin to pin, out of system," Lawrence said of the change. "That forced our hitters to swing even more aggressively, in even worse situations, and it kind of compiled."
Montana was also even at the net, with both teams earning nine blocks; Sacramento State leads the Big Sky and ranks in the top 40 nationally for blocking.
Senior middle blocker Peyten Boutwell had four blocks in addition to her five kills, while freshman setter Carly Anderson added four blocks, eight digs, three kills and a service ace to her 36 assists. Anderson started every match as a true freshman and finished the year with more than 560 assists (8.56 per set).
As she has all season, however, Lawrence believes that the abbreviated spring – even with the hardship – will pay dividends for a young lineup that consistently started multiple true freshmen.
"It was an extremely beneficial season," Lawrence said. "This was a free season, so those matches are almost a preseason for the fall. We are a team that had very little match experience from top to bottom, and for us to be able to get that much match experience, and not have any shutdowns from COVID, is something to build off of. Even though the environment was different and the schedule was different, we have to look at this as the best preseason to a regular fall that we could have gotten."
Of the 12 players to see consistent playing time this spring, the group consisted of five true freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and a senior transfer who will be returning for another season in the fall.
"We fell short, and the results definitely weighed heavy, but I think our team was really good about knowing the bigger picture about what this is building," Lawrence said. "We had so many sets where we had set point, or we had leads to 20 or after 20. If we're able to do that now, I know this match experience is putting us in positions to do that in the fall. There's no doubt in my mind that we have what we need, and this group is figuring out how to get it done.
"This has been the hardest season of my career in so many ways, and for a lot of them the hardest season of their athletic careers, but I've never been more sure of the direction of this program."
Montana started the match strong, winning a tight contest, 25-22. Neither team led by more than three points, but the Grizzlies took a 7-6 lead early on a Catie Semadeni kill and never trailed again. The set would remain tight, but Montana always remained one step ahead of Sacramento State, until a 3-0 scoring run by the Hornets tied the set at 22-22.
Semadeni tallied a kill on the next point, however, to put Montana back on top, and the Grizzlies followed with two more points, the set clincher coming on a block from Semadeni and freshman Madi Chuhlantseff.
The set featured eight tie scores, but Montana was able to win it behind a higher hitting percentage and by out-blocking the Hornets – who lead the Big Sky for blocking – five to zero.
"One thing we've talked about each week is coming out on the second night and executing our game plan with 100-percent energy, effort and focus," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I thought we did that and were in control of the match."
Semadeni, a sophomore who had 100 kills during her true freshman season in 2019, has been more limited during her sophomore campaign. On Monday, however, she finished with a season-high nine kills, including three kills and two blocks in the opening set.Semadeni and Chuhlantseff with the BIG block to win the first set 25-22. pic.twitter.com/Fvae7VIKgF
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) March 23, 2021
"She had a similar progression last season," Lawrence said of Semadeni. "The thing about Catie is she's a learner who studies the game and studies her own process really closely. She's dealt with a lot of adversity this spring, but she's used it to fuel her growth, and I love the way that she's responded to setbacks by getting back to work and staying curious about ways she can get better. I'm really proud of her."
During Sunday's four-set match, all four sets were decided by six points or fewer, and it was no different through two sets on Monday. Following Montana's 25-22 win in the opener, the Hornets came back to win the second set, 25-23.Semadeni with the kill! #GrizVB #GoGriz #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/XzJayJyTKm
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) March 23, 2021
Montana held a 4-2 lead early and the two teams were tied at 6-6, before the Hornets rattled off the next six points to double up the Grizzlies, 12-6. During the run, Sacramento State got kills from three different players, in addition to a block and an ace.
Just moments later, though, the two teams were again tied, as Montana worked its way back to a 15-15 tie, scoring four consecutive points at one point. The run included a kill and an ace from sophomore outside hitter Amethyst Harper and a kill from freshman Ellie Scherffius, who saw extended playing time at middle blocker after Chuhlantseff went down with a knee injury early in the second set.
The teams would be tied at seven consecutive points from 15-15 to 21-21, before the Hornets scored consecutive points to take a 23-21 lead, and won it 25-23.
Montana had 20 kills in the set and hit .292, but Sacramento State was even better, hitting .318 with 15 kills compared to one error.
"To have 20 kills in a set and not win is a statistical anomaly," Lawrence said. "To produce at that level, and hit at that efficiency, and not win is defeating. Then you have an athlete who has been a starter all year go down. We put ourselves in such a great position to win, but we didn't, and I thought that changed the rest of the match."
After the first two sets saw 20 ties and tight scores throughout, Sacramento State ran away with the third and fourth sets. Montana held a 9-6 lead in the third set before a 7-0 run for the Hornets flipped the momentum and led to a 25-16 Hornets victory. The two sides were tied at 9-9 in the fourth set, but Sacramento State scored 10 of the next 11 points, including eight in a row at one point, to open up a commanding 19-10 advantage.
After hitting .238 through the first two sets, Montana unraveled over the final two frames with 13 kills compared to 18 errors, including -.152 hitting in the fourth set.
"Sacramento State does such a good job at the service line, and we got rattled a little passing, and had to set more pin to pin, out of system," Lawrence said of the change. "That forced our hitters to swing even more aggressively, in even worse situations, and it kind of compiled."
As a team, Montana was led by freshman Sophia Meyers, who tied a career high with 18 kills. Semadeni finished with nine kills, followed by seven from Harper. Junior libero Sarina Moreno totaled a season-high 25 digs – including 10 in the first set alone – as Montana once again out-dug Sacramento State, a team that ranks second in the Big Sky Conference for the category. In five matches after returning from an ankle injury, Moreno averaged 4.48 digs per set.And that's 16 KILLS for Sophia Meyers!#GrizVB #GoGriz #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/Tq9GcyI9TK
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) March 23, 2021
Montana was also even at the net, with both teams earning nine blocks; Sacramento State leads the Big Sky and ranks in the top 40 nationally for blocking.
Senior middle blocker Peyten Boutwell had four blocks in addition to her five kills, while freshman setter Carly Anderson added four blocks, eight digs, three kills and a service ace to her 36 assists. Anderson started every match as a true freshman and finished the year with more than 560 assists (8.56 per set).
The loss ends a challenging spring season for the Grizzlies, who earned victories over Idaho State and Idaho but missed the Big Sky Conference tournament after qualifying in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.Anderson and Scherffius with the block!#GrizVB #GoGriz #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/JQi9HjE880
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) March 23, 2021
As she has all season, however, Lawrence believes that the abbreviated spring – even with the hardship – will pay dividends for a young lineup that consistently started multiple true freshmen.
"It was an extremely beneficial season," Lawrence said. "This was a free season, so those matches are almost a preseason for the fall. We are a team that had very little match experience from top to bottom, and for us to be able to get that much match experience, and not have any shutdowns from COVID, is something to build off of. Even though the environment was different and the schedule was different, we have to look at this as the best preseason to a regular fall that we could have gotten."
Of the 12 players to see consistent playing time this spring, the group consisted of five true freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and a senior transfer who will be returning for another season in the fall.
"We fell short, and the results definitely weighed heavy, but I think our team was really good about knowing the bigger picture about what this is building," Lawrence said. "We had so many sets where we had set point, or we had leads to 20 or after 20. If we're able to do that now, I know this match experience is putting us in positions to do that in the fall. There's no doubt in my mind that we have what we need, and this group is figuring out how to get it done.
"This has been the hardest season of my career in so many ways, and for a lot of them the hardest season of their athletic careers, but I've never been more sure of the direction of this program."
Godwin picks up her 18th ace of the season!#GrizVB #GoGriz #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/6y3Cf949nA
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) March 23, 2021
Team Stats
SAC
UM
Kills
54
46
Errors
20
31
Attempts
156
159
Hitting %
.218
.094
Points
70.0
58.0
Assists
48
44
Aces
7
3
Blocks
9.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
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