Montana seeks elusive win on West Coast trip

Montana at Sacramento State
Thursday, Oct. 19 / 8:00 p.m. (MT) / Watch / Live Stats

Montana at Portland State
Saturday, Oct. 21 / 8:00 p.m. (MT) / Watch / Live Stats

The Montana volleyball team will take a two-match winning streak on the road to face off with co-league leaders Sacramento State on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 8:00 p.m. (MT) and can be streamed on ESPN+.

It's a big week for the fifth-place Grizzlies (8-11, 4-3 Big Sky) on one of the most difficult road trips in the conference schedule. Montana has a chance to make a major statement against two of the historically elite teams in the Big Sky, and takes plenty of confidence and momentum into the weekend.

The Griz are coming off a near-perfect week at home, sweeping Idaho in resounding fashion before beating Eastern Washington in four sets to complete the season sweep of the Eagles. It followed a trend that has been true for Montana for the past few years. The Grizzlies have been great against the teams below them in the conference standings.

Montana has now won 12 straight matches against its regional rivals (Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Idaho). The Grizzlies were 10-0 against teams that finished below them in the standings last year.

The goal of the 2023 season was to start beating the teams at the top of the league standings. They have one marquee win already, sweeping a Montana State team in Missoula. The Bobcats are 6-0 against the rest of the Big Sky this season and are currently tied for first.

This weekend gives the Grizzlies another chance at a statement victory. The Hornets are 6-1 and tied for first in the league, while the Vikings have three Pac-12 wins on their resume.

ANDERSON CLIMBING THE RANKS
Carly Anderson moved into seventh place in program history with in the win against Eastern Washington. The senior setter, who still has another year of eligibility remaining, reached 3,303 career assists to pass Diana Thompson (2002-05).

Anderson trails Ashley Watkins (2016-19) by just over 100 assists for sixth place, which is likely as high as she will be able to climb this year. Ann Schwenke holds the school record with 4,650 career assists from 1988-91.

GRIZ NOTES

Montana have won four of the previous six matches and have been dominant at home during the stretch. The Griz have taken nine of the previous 10 sets inside Dahlberg Arena and have allowed their opponent to reach 20 points just four times during the home winning streak.
The first set has been an indicator of how the rest of the match will go all season. Montana improved to 8-2 when winning the first with last weekend's wins. They are 0-9 when falling in the opening set so far this year.
The eight overall wins this year are tied for the fourth-most for Montana since 2015. This is the seventh time since 2000 that Montana has been above .500 through seven league matches. The most recent occurrence was a 5-2 start in 2018.
Montana are ranked 178^th in the most recent RPI poll, which is fifth amongst Big Sky schools. They improved to 7-2 against teams outside the top 150 with last weekend's wins, and are one of only two Big Sky teams to play a pair of top 25 teams.
The third set has been a strength for Montana this year, outscoring opponents 424-412 across all 19 matches. It's the only set where Montana has a points advantage. They are equal in the fifth set (45-45) despite a 1-2 record in five-set matches.
The Griz increased their team hitting percentage to .206 for the season. The mark is close to cracking the top 10 in school history, as the 1995 team that hit .208 currently takes up the final spot.
Montana have outhit their opponents in five of the previous six matches. The loss to Northern Colorado (10/5) is the only match where they had a lower percentage, but Montana's offense still hit .303 in that loss.
The ground defense has been particularly strong in the last two weeks. The Grizzlies had 52 digs in the sweep over Idaho, the most in a three-set match this year. The win over Eastern Washington featured 70 digs, which is the third-most in a four-set match this year. In the match against Northern Arizona (10/8), Montana had 102 digs. It was the first time in triple digits since 2021 and only the second time they reached that number in the Allison Lawrence era.
After a 10-block match against Eastern Washington, the Griz have now recorded double figures in that category in three of the previous four matches.
Montana rank third in the Big Sky with 2.58 blocks/set in conference games. They have the most assisted blocks in the league with 114 total.
The Grizzly rotation has been very consistent this season. There have been five players who have appeared in all 73 sets played, while three others have played at least 71.
Allison Lawrence is third in program history with 63 career wins. She has a 63-108 career record in her seventh season at the helm.
Montana is in sole possession of fifth place in the Big Sky Conference standings.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

#2 Paige Clark had 18 kills in the win over Eastern Washington, her second-most in a match this season. She has been in double-figures in seven of the previous eight matches and leads Montana with 3.30 kills/set.
Clark has had two double-doubles in the last three matches with a season-high 16 digs against Northern Airzona (10/7) and 12 digs against Eastern Washington (10/14). She now has six double-doubles on the season.
Clark ranks sixth in the Big Sky in kills/set (3.62) and points (4.10) in league matches.
#4 Carly Anderson is averaging 9.38 assists per set this year and recorded her seventh double-double of the year in the sweep of Idaho (10/12). Anderson is now 7^th in program history with 3,303 assists. She ranks 58^th in the NCAA with 685 total assists this year.
Anderson ranks third in the Big Sky with 9.69 assists/set in conference matches. This is the third consecutive year that she has been inside the top three in the league. She has also been effective at the service line, ranking second in the league and 74^th in the NCAA with 30 total.
#5 Madi Chuhlantseff recorded her 150^th kill of the season in the last match. She averages just over two per set and is hitting .297 on the season, although she has increased that in league play. Chuhlantseff is third in the Big Sky with a .358 hitting percentage in conference matches.
Chuhlantseff has also increased her defensive numbers against Big Sky opponents. She is 10^th in the league with 1.00 blocks/set, an increase from her season average of 0.77. She has recorded multiple blocks in five straight matches and is averaging 5.00 per match in the last three.
#7 Alexis Batezel has been key to a strong defense for Montana at the libero position. She is second in the Big Sky with 4.62 digs/set in Big Sky play. She has two matches of 24 digs in the last three, nearly breaking her season-high of 25 on both occasions. She has double-figure digs in 17 straight matches and 18 of 19 overall.
Batezel cracks the top 100 nationally with her season-long average of 4.16 digs/set. It's second in the Big Sky and 98^th in the NCAA.
#8 Maddie Pyles recorded four kills on .333 hitting in the win over Idaho (10/12). She has played 41 sets this season in a limited role.
#10 Ellie Scherffius has been one of the premier net defenders in the league in 2023. She averages 1.42 blocks/set in conference play, and leads the conference overall with 1.17 blocks/set. It's the 79^th best average in the country. She has at least three blocks in eight consecutive matches, including a career-high 9.0 blocks against Northern Colorado (10/5).
Scherffius is hitting .289 for her career at Montana, which would be the fourth-best hitting percentage in program history.
#12 Sarah Ashley has been a key member of the Grizzly rotation and had two of her best matches of the season against Northern Arizona (16 digs, 10/7) and Eastern Washington (15 digs, 10/14). She averages 2.10 digs/set and 0.29 service aces.
#16 Catie Semadeni has appeared in every set this season and had seven kills on .375 hitting in the win over Eastern Washington (10/14). She averages 1.73 kills per set. Semadeni has 682 career kills across five seasons at Montana.
#22 Maddie Kremer is second on Montana with 179 kills (2.52/set) this year. She is also fourth in digs with 2.11/set. She had 19 digs against Northern Arizona and 12 against Eastern Washington.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE (13-8, 6-1 Big Sky)

Sacramento State are tied for the league lead with a 6-1 record. The only loss came last weekend against Weber State, who are also tied at the top of the standings.
The Hornets have played often and well inside The Nest with an 8-4 record at home this season. They are 3-1 in home Big Sky matches.
Sacramento State tops the Big Sky leaderboard in a number of categories, including blocks, kills, assists, and points. They also hold opponents to the lowest hitting percentage and fewest assists and kills in the league.
Bridgette Smith leads the Big Sky in kills at 4.04 per set and points with 4.82 per set. She is also fourth in service aces with 0.40 per set.
Kalani Hayes is the Big Sky leader in both blocks (1.60/set) and hitting percentage (.405).
Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin is the league leader in service aces (0.44/set) and is fourth in the conference in blocks (1.24/set).
Head coach Ruben Volta is in his 16^th season in charge of Sacramento State and is a two-time Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year (2015, 2017). Since 2015, Volta is 59-10 at home against Big Sky opponents.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE (10-8, 3-4 Big Sky)

Portland State entered conference play with all sorts of momentum after winning three straight matches, including two against Oregon State, to close the non-conference schedule. They began league play with two wins, but have since dropped four out of five matches.
The Vikings were swept last weekend at home, losing in four to Idaho State and being swept by Weber State.
Portland State is 10-0 this season when hitting .200 or better, and 0-8 when hitting .199 or lower.
Portland State will host a "Pink Out" during Saturday's match.
Lauryn Anderson is second in the Big Sky with a .392 hitting percentage. She is also fifth in service aces, a category that the Vikings specialize in, with 0.38 per set.
Gabby Hollins leads the Viking attack with 3.73 kills per set to rank fifth in the Big Sky. Sophia Meyers is ninth with 3.31 kills per set, and is also second in the league with 0.42 aces per set.
Head Coach Michael Seemann is in his 17^th season overall at Portland State and is a two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year. Seeman has a career record of 268-217 overall and 171-104 in Big Sky play.

SERIES HISTORIES

Sacramento State hold the advantage in the all-time series with a 38-15 record against Montana. The Hornets have been particularly tough to beat at home, as Montana have just four wins in 24 tries at the Nest. The teams first met in 1994. The Hornets have won four straight. Montana's last win came at home in 2021.
Portland State lead the all-time series 64-19 dating back to the first meetings in 1975. They have a dominant 34-5 overall record in games played in Portland. Montana won the last meeting between the two, taking out then top-ranked Portland State 3-1 at home.
These two locations have been particularly difficult for Montana. They haven't won in Portland since 2015 and Sacramento since 2013. Since 2000, the Griz have just four overall wins combined on the road against these two schools.

UPCOMING
The Griz will have just one match following this weekend's action. They hit the road to take on rival Montana State on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Carly Anderson

Sarah Ashley

Alexis Batezel

Madi Chuhlantseff

Paige Clark

Maddie Kremer

Maddie Pyles

Ellie Scherffius

Catie Semadeni

University of Montana Athletics