Thursday, October 6
Sacramento, Calif.
8 PM (MT)
Montana
at
Sacramento State
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Riding a 5-match winning streak, Montana faces toughest test yet
10/4/2022 11:05:00 PM | Volleyball
Montana at Sacramento State
Thursday, Oct. 6 / 8 p.m. (MT) / Sacramento, California
ESPN+ Stream / Live Stats
Montana at Portland State
Saturday, Oct. 8 / 8 p.m. (MT) / Portland, Oregon
ESPN+ Stream / Live Stats
The Montana volleyball team is riding high following Friday's rivalry win over Montana State, a 3-1 road victory that was played in front of a Big Sky Conference record 6,547 fans. For Montana, it was the program's third straight win over MSU in Bozeman and improved the Grizzlies' league record this season to a sterling 3-0.
Montana is currently the only undefeated team in the Big Sky Conference, sitting atop the league standings after two weeks of play.
The Grizzlies are doing things that haven't been done in Missoula in most of the players' lifetimes:
The Grizzlies had won in Bozeman the past two trips, as well, so it wasn't just beating a rival that made last Friday special, but the way in which the Grizzlies earned the victory.
"It was the biggest win of my whole career, and the most special match to be a part of," Lawrence said. "I have never, even as a player, been part of a volleyball match that had that type of environment. The rivalry is great and heated, but I think our team fed off of that energy and really rose to the occasion.
"MSU had the momentum after the first set, but once we made that run in the second and took the momentum back, we were really dominant and took full control of the match. You could see and feel our team's belief grow and grow, which is what made that win so special to me."
There are currently three teams in the Big Sky who already have three wins. Montana is on top, at 3-0, but right behind the Grizzlies are Sacramento State and Portland State (both 3-1), who will host Montana this week.
In fact, the entire league is shaping up to be pretty stiff and unpredictable.
Idaho State – picked to finish last in the league's preseason poll – beat preseason No. 1 Northern Colorado and took Weber State, the preseason No. 2 team and last year's regular-season champs, to five sets. Portland State swept Weber State but needed five sets to come from behind and squeak by Eastern Washington. The same Montana State team that the Grizzlies beat on the road was coming off of a four-set road win over the defending champion Bears.
"We know that every night will be a grind and that any team can beat anyone," Lawrence said. "But we're so excited to be part of that group and feel like we can compete with anyone.
"A lot of these girls, we recruited on the premise that they were going to be part of us turning the corner. I've wanted this for them for so long, so to now see us get some breakthroughs, and see the confidence and excitement on their faces, it's the coolest part of my job and just motivates you to keep working hard."
SCOUTING THE FIELD
This week will be Montana's toughest road trip of the season, as the Grizzlies face two good teams who are even better on their home courts.
Montana is just 15-35 all-time against Sacramento State, including 4-19 in Sacramento. The Grizzlies upset Sacramento State last October in Missoula, but are looking for their first win at The Nest since 2013. The Hornets have swept their last eight Big Sky opponents at home, not dropping a set in nearly a full calendar year (Oct. 7, 2021).
Montana has fared even worse against Portland State, going 18-63 all-time against the Vikings, including 5-33 in Portland. The Grizzlies have just one win in Portland since 2001. The Vikings, who were picked third in the preseason poll and earned a first-place vote, are 3-1 to open Big Sky play, also picking up a non-conference win over Oregon State earlier in the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
After playing 13 of 14 matches away from Missoula, the Grizzlies finally get to return home, where they will play seven of their next nine matches, beginning Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Northern Arizona. Montana is 3-1 inside Dahlberg Arena this season.
Tickets are currently on sale for every match, and to celebrate the Grizzlies' win over the Cats, discounted tickets are available this week only for Montana's Nov. 11 match vs. Montana State (30 percent off).
Thursday, Oct. 6 / 8 p.m. (MT) / Sacramento, California
ESPN+ Stream / Live Stats
Montana at Portland State
Saturday, Oct. 8 / 8 p.m. (MT) / Portland, Oregon
ESPN+ Stream / Live Stats
The Montana volleyball team is riding high following Friday's rivalry win over Montana State, a 3-1 road victory that was played in front of a Big Sky Conference record 6,547 fans. For Montana, it was the program's third straight win over MSU in Bozeman and improved the Grizzlies' league record this season to a sterling 3-0.
Montana is currently the only undefeated team in the Big Sky Conference, sitting atop the league standings after two weeks of play.
The Grizzlies are doing things that haven't been done in Missoula in most of the players' lifetimes:
- Montana is 10-5 on the season, the program's best 15-match start in 22 years (the 2000 team also started 10-5).
- Montana is on a five-match winning streak dating back to Sept. 16, its longest since 2006.
- Montana is 3-0 to begin Big Sky play for the third time in the past 28 years. A win on Thursday would be the program's best Big Sky start since the 1994 team began league play 13-0 on its way to the program's most-recent conference title.
- The Grizzlies have been doing most of this away from Missoula, currently in the midst of 13 road/neutral matches in a 14-match span. Montana is 4-2 in true road matches this year, already its most in a season since 2013.
- With 10 wins on the season, Montana is one win away from matching its win total from a season ago, which was the program's most since 2013.
The Grizzlies had won in Bozeman the past two trips, as well, so it wasn't just beating a rival that made last Friday special, but the way in which the Grizzlies earned the victory.
"It was the biggest win of my whole career, and the most special match to be a part of," Lawrence said. "I have never, even as a player, been part of a volleyball match that had that type of environment. The rivalry is great and heated, but I think our team fed off of that energy and really rose to the occasion.
"MSU had the momentum after the first set, but once we made that run in the second and took the momentum back, we were really dominant and took full control of the match. You could see and feel our team's belief grow and grow, which is what made that win so special to me."
As much fun as Montana is having, though, the road is about to get a whole lot tougher.The Main Line Trophy is staying in Missoula as Montana beats Montana State for the 3rd straight year in Bozeman!#GRIZcat #GrizVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/RJhXKi1Xiv
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 1, 2022
There are currently three teams in the Big Sky who already have three wins. Montana is on top, at 3-0, but right behind the Grizzlies are Sacramento State and Portland State (both 3-1), who will host Montana this week.
In fact, the entire league is shaping up to be pretty stiff and unpredictable.
Idaho State – picked to finish last in the league's preseason poll – beat preseason No. 1 Northern Colorado and took Weber State, the preseason No. 2 team and last year's regular-season champs, to five sets. Portland State swept Weber State but needed five sets to come from behind and squeak by Eastern Washington. The same Montana State team that the Grizzlies beat on the road was coming off of a four-set road win over the defending champion Bears.
Looking up and down the league standings, every team looks both beatable and like it could compete for a title.3-0 in conference play @MontanaGrizVB 🤝#ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/xMvtwMfz6w
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) October 4, 2022
"We know that every night will be a grind and that any team can beat anyone," Lawrence said. "But we're so excited to be part of that group and feel like we can compete with anyone.
"A lot of these girls, we recruited on the premise that they were going to be part of us turning the corner. I've wanted this for them for so long, so to now see us get some breakthroughs, and see the confidence and excitement on their faces, it's the coolest part of my job and just motivates you to keep working hard."
GRIZ BITS📸#NCAAWVB Photo of the Week 🏐@MontanaGrizVB celebrates a road rivalry win over Montana State to go 3-0 in conference play! 🥳 https://t.co/AVCxAgeyMj pic.twitter.com/Z6YaFar7kY
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) October 4, 2022
- Montana is balanced on both offense and defense, ranking second in the Big Sky for hitting percentage (.225) and opponent hitting (.182). The Grizzlies also rank second for assist (11.98 per set) and kills (13.00) and are fourth for service aces (1.63).
- Sophomore outside hitter Paige Clark is one of the league's top attackers, ranking second for both kills (3.83 per set, 62nd in the NCAA) and points (4.52, 50th). Through two weeks of Big Sky play, she leads the league with 5.04 points per set. Clark has been in double figures for kills in all but one match this season, including five in a row (4.20 kills per set on .272 hitting).
- Setter Carly Anderson has had a fantastic start to her junior season, earning Big Sky Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors in September and ranking second in the league with 10.17 assists per set (51st in the NCAA). The versatile setter has four double-doubles (assists-digs), is among the team's top servers and is totaling 12 kills compared to two attack errors during league play.
- Both Clark (0.40 per set, fourth) and Anderson (0.37 per set, fifth) are among the league leaders for service aces. Clark has at least one ace in nine straight matches, including nine in the past four contests.
- Senior middle blocker Elise Jolly ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 1.04 blocks per set. She is coming off of a career night at Montana State, where she stuffed a personal-best eight attacks.
- Senior libero Sarina Moreno ranks fifth in the Big Sky for digs (3.79 per set). She ranks second in school history with more than 1,600 for her career.
- Junior middle blocker Ellie Scherffius ranks seventh in the Big Sky with a .320 hitting percentage. She has hit above .400 in a match seven times this season, and earlier this year became the first Grizzly in 15 years to total 20 kills at a .500 clip.
- Senior outside hitter Jackie Howell has started every match this season and leads the Grizzlies for reception percentage. She is coming off of her best offensive match of the season (11 kills on .256 hitting), also tallying a double-double (11 digs).
- Senior right-side attacker Catie Semadeni has recorded double-digit kills in three of the past five matches, including 14 kills on .444 hitting at Northern Arizona.
- The season's first RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) came out this week, an NCAA tool that is used to measure teams based off of winning percentage and strength of schedule. The Grizzlies rank third in the Big Sky and 140th nationally. For comparison, the program's average RPI from 2016-20 was 279, before jumping to 225 in 2021. According to online records kept by the NCAA, which date back to 2001, Montana's highest final RPI is 155.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
This week will be Montana's toughest road trip of the season, as the Grizzlies face two good teams who are even better on their home courts.
Montana is just 15-35 all-time against Sacramento State, including 4-19 in Sacramento. The Grizzlies upset Sacramento State last October in Missoula, but are looking for their first win at The Nest since 2013. The Hornets have swept their last eight Big Sky opponents at home, not dropping a set in nearly a full calendar year (Oct. 7, 2021).
Montana has fared even worse against Portland State, going 18-63 all-time against the Vikings, including 5-33 in Portland. The Grizzlies have just one win in Portland since 2001. The Vikings, who were picked third in the preseason poll and earned a first-place vote, are 3-1 to open Big Sky play, also picking up a non-conference win over Oregon State earlier in the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
After playing 13 of 14 matches away from Missoula, the Grizzlies finally get to return home, where they will play seven of their next nine matches, beginning Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Northern Arizona. Montana is 3-1 inside Dahlberg Arena this season.
Tickets are currently on sale for every match, and to celebrate the Grizzlies' win over the Cats, discounted tickets are available this week only for Montana's Nov. 11 match vs. Montana State (30 percent off).
No one's having more fun right now than the Griz bench! 🎳#GrizVB #BigSkyVB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/JKz7Arqu9T
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 4, 2022
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