Grizzlies wear down Eagles for road win

Thursday, October 27

Cheney, Wash.

7 PM (MT)

Montana

13-9, 6-4Big Sky

Eastern Washington

8-13, 3-6Big Sky

Montana

Eastern Washington

Jackie Howell vs. Northern Arizona - 10/13/22

Photo by: Derek Johnson

10/27/2022 10:14:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana and Eastern Washington had played five sets in the last four meetings between the two schools in Cheney. The Eagles had won all four, as Montana couldn't find a way to win on Reese Court. Early on in Thursday night's match, it looked like there might be a similar story on the way.

Eastern Washington took the opening set 25-23. The Grizzlies responded with back-to-back sets of their own, winning each by the identical 25-23 score. The opening three sets featured 33 ties, 15 lead changes and it looked destined to be going five.

Montana used the fourth set to free themselves from any perceived Cheney curses. The Griz didn't trail the entire way, dominating on their way to a 25-13 victory in the set and a 3-1 win. Montana (13-9, 6-4 BSC) remained undefeated against teams currently below it in the Big Sky standings.

"It felt kind of like what we expected. Eastern is a really good team and they just scrap like crazy for every point so there were a lot of long rallies and out of system swings and moments where balls stayed alive that normally fall," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "They blocked really well, and they really challenged our range attacking-wise, so we had to slowly find our offense and trust that process."

The Grizzly offense wore the Eagles down as the match went on, improving its hitting percentage in all four sets. It was particularly evident in the individual stat line of Paige Clark. The Eagles found a way early on to limit the Big Sky's leading attacker, holding her to just seven kills with seven errors through the second set.

She found her groove down the stretch, recording nine kills in the final set to pace the Grizzly offense. She closed with 21 kills, reaching at least 20 for the third time in the previous five matches for Montana.

It was back and forth in the first set, with no team holding a multiple point advantage until the Grizzlies pulled away 9-7. The Eagles bounced right back with four consecutive points of their own and it stayed tight through the media timeout. Eastern opened up the largest lead of the night at 20-17, but a Grizzly timeout shifted the momentum.

Montana came out of the break with three straight to tie the match up. Then Montana was able to take the lead, and Clark's first kill of the night made it 22-20 Grizzlies. But the lead didn't last, as Eastern Washington went on a 4-0 run and then were able to see out the set 25-23.

The opening set alone featured 16 ties and nine lead changes.

The second opened much the same. Several marathon points went in the direction of Eastern Washington, who had the lead for a large portion of the early stretch. Jackie Howell, who stepped up massively in this match, would keep Montana in it. The Griz went on a little run and Howell picked up her fifth kill of the match to make it 12-11.

Jackie Howell swinging hard!! 💪 Being a huge playmaker for the Griz!#MontanaVB pic.twitter.com/pUuJOeAPpj
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 28, 2022

The teams traded runs and Eastern Washington closed in on a 2-0 lead, going up 19-16. Montana just wouldn't go away. Carly Anderson and Ellie Scherffius combined for a crucial block to cut into the lead. Clark had back to back kills, and Montana tied it at 20-all.

Then freshman Maddie Pyles, making just her eighth appearance of the season, came off the bench to deliver a clutch kill that gave Montana its first lead since 4-3. The defense would close it out, as Howell and Elise Jolly combined for a block to give the Griz the 25-23 lead.

The play of Pyles was a key turning point in the match. The freshman would end the night tied for third on the team with six kills, which was a new career high for her.

"It's a lot for a freshman to come in after not a ton of time over the last couple of matches to feel comfortable, and against a team that's blocking really well and just swing for it," Lawrence said. "She had some really gutsy, out-of-system swings and I think just played smart and didn't try to do too much. I think she really mentally helped steady us out."

After another tight start to the third set, the Griz went on a nice run capped off by back to back aces on the float serves of Sarah Ashley. It made it 14-12 in favor of the Griz, whose offense had really taken off. Montana went on a 3-0 run helped along by a nice kill from Joly to take the 22-19 lead. The Eagles battled right back to tie it at 22 and set up another dramatic finish.

Howell stepped up in the clutch, smashing a kill past the defense and then heading to the service line to dial up an ace that gave Montana the 24-22 lead. She had 12 of her 13 kills on the night in the first three sets, hitting .273 and buoying a Grizzly offense that had struggled to beat the Eagle defense.

She matched a career high for kills, had her third double-double of the season and also had a career high four aces. It was a special night for the senior.

"I'm really proud of Jackie. She just looked really aggressive the entire time and was intent on scoring points on all sides of the ball," Lawrence said. "She came out serving lights out, passed really well, and was just so in rhythm. She trusted what she was and went for it and I think it really gave our team confidence when we weren't easily getting kills through those first two sets."

The set would be ended by the Grizzly defense as Jolly yet again shared a block – this time with Anderson – to reject the Eagles and win the set for Montana.

Elise Jolly with the block to win the 3rd set!!! 🤩 #MontanaVB pic.twitter.com/10qIBcQA1X
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 28, 2022

There was never doubt in the final set of the night. The Griz led 4-1 and Clark began catching fire. Her 15^th kill of the night capped a 5-0 Grizzly scoring run and made it 10-3. Down the stretch, the sophomore would not be denied. Clark had three of Montana's four points in the closing stretch to set up match point.

Anderson ended it from the service line, producing Montana's ninth ace of the night to close it out 3-1. The service game has been crucial for Montana lately, and was so again on Thursday. They now have 19 total aces over the previous two matches.

"I really think we kept so much sustained pressure on them with our serve and pass, particularly on our serve, and out of system they weren't scoring as well from the pins," Lawrence said. "18 was on fire for most of the match and then I think the more out of system they got in serve-receive the less they were able to use her in system. I think our floor defense helped frustrate them in ways that put us in that situation too."

Anderson ends it with an ace!!! 🏐 🐻 #MontanaVB pic.twitter.com/4EkEsbLigL
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 28, 2022

The Grizzlies improved to 6-4 in Big Sky play with the win, matching its best 10-match start in the league since 2013. Montana's 13^th overall win is also the most they've had in a single season since that year.

Montana had lost its previous four matches in Cheney, and were just 3-24 since 1996. It's a place that has always given the Grizzlies fits, which made it even more special to come out with a win on Thursday. Now, attention is turned to Moscow where the Grizzlies will meet with an Idaho team that has just one win in conference play.

The Grizzlies have never swept the road trip to Eastern Washington and Idaho before. But if any Griz team were to do it, it would be this one.

"All of our road blocks, emotionally in the beginning of the match, just were from how much weight we were putting on our need to win here. I think when we got out from under that anxiety of needing to play perfect or needing to turn it around here, I think we just loosened up and found our stride," Lawrence said. "I'm proud of the girls for trusting that process and allowing that to happen."