Thursday, November 2
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
vs
Northern Arizona
Photo by: Tanner Ecker/UM Photo
Montana returns home looking for a reset
10/31/2023 3:02:00 PM | Volleyball
Montana vs. Northern Arizona
Thursday, Nov. 2 / 7:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch / Live Stats
Montana vs. Northern Colorado
Saturday, Nov. 4 / 12:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch / Live Stats
There is no better place to shake off a tough stretch than at home, and Montana has the chance to do just that this week with a pair of games in Dahlberg Arena to kick off November. It will be the first home matches for Montana in 19 days.
The road trip included a visit to league leaders Sacramento State along with Portland State and Montana State. The Grizzlies finished 0-3 during the stretch with all three losses coming in four sets. It drops them to 8-14 overall and 4-6 in Big Sky play.
The home gym has been kind to Montana in recent weeks though, as the Grizzlies will return looking to extend a home winning streak to four matches. They have dropped just a single set in the previous three wins.
"It will be great to be back and I think we're playing well at home and needing a big response," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "There is no better place to do that than here with all our fans. I think we're just eager to get into a new week."
It starts a stretch of four home matches out of the last six for Montana. The Griz are 3-4 at home this season, but two of the losses came to nationally ranked opponents.
Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado come to town for a pair of repeat matchups from earlier this year. Montana started October with two road losses against the Lumberjacks and Bears, but now have a chance for revenge as they enter the home stretch of the season.
Montana lost in five sets to Northern Arizona in Flagstaff in a match that saw the Griz hit just .130. Defensive battles are nothing new for these two teams. Over the last two seasons, Montana's three highest dig totals have all come against the Lumberjacks, including 102 digs back in October.
"Northern Arizona is very scrappy. They get a lot of balls back and play very good defense," Lawrence said. "In that match it was pretty even digs-wise and blocks-wise. I feel like statistically it was a very even match, so you go into this one knowing there is going to be a lot of long rallies and just a grittiness on both sides."
The match will have some postseason implications as well as Northern Arizona enter the week two games behind Montana in the league standings.
The Grizzlies will then host a matinee against Northern Colorado. Since football will host a night game on Saturday, the Bears and Griz will bump up the start time to noon.
The Bears won in Greeley in four sets in a completely different type of game than the NAU match. Montana hit .303 as a team, but the defense couldn't slow down the potent UNC attack, allowing a conference play high .360 percentage.
"Northern Colorado just offensively is always firing on all cylinders," Lawrence said. "They have great middles. Their setter distributes well and is super physical so I think that piece is a good test of our defensive structure and seeing how far we've come defensively since the last time we saw them."
It's a tricky formula for Lawrence, and her opposing head coaches, in taking the good from the first meeting and making in work the second time around. For Lawrence, it's far more important to look at a team's recent stretch and to just focus on your own action.
"I think we look back and want to tighten up some breakdowns from last time but honestly it's just looking at their last three to five matches and seeing what their tendencies are now," Lawrence said. "October is a crazy month. This time of year, it's all about mental and emotional resiliency."
Montana are currently tied for seventh in the league standings with Eastern Washington. One year removed from a 10-6 league record and a tied-fourth place finish, they are grappling with how to take the next step and what they may even look like.
Despite all the success of 2022, the Grizzlies were eliminated in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament. This year has been much more about preparing for postseason success than matching any win total.
As part of that growth, however, there have been some challenges. It's a natural part of this process. As internal and external expectations rise, so too does the pressure.
"I think we're a much stronger team this year than last year, and yet we've had setbacks that we didn't have last year," Lawrence said. "What meaning are we making of that, and also how are we moving on and taking it one day at a time? Big picture is, position ourselves in the tournament and make a run in the tournament to do something that we haven't done since 2013."
At the end of the day, more than any result, Lawrence is looking for her team to play freely and to play like themselves. If they can take the challenges that have come this season, including the current streak they are on, and emerge from the other side stronger, than it will be a success.
"It's all about growth, it's all about evolution, and it's all about resiliency," Lawrence said. "If we're doing those three things, at the end of the day outcome is outcome. Those are the three things that I care about."
ANDERSON RISES IN THE RANKINGS
Setter Carly Anderson has been rising in the all-time rankings at Montana and has another chance to move up this week. The Mississauga, Ontario native has 3,406 career assists. She now trails Ashley Watkins by just seven career assists.
It's a full circle moment. Watkins played for Montana from 2016 to 2019, handling the setting in a 5-1 system that began with Brian Doyon and continued into the first years of Allison Lawrence's tenure. She left a massive hole in the lineup upon graduating in 2019. Anderson stepped in as a freshman and the Grizzlies haven't missed a beat since.
"Any setter like Ashley and Carly that play in a 5-1 where we don't have two setters on the court, our style of offense reflects their style as players in amazing ways," Lawrence said. "There's little ways that their leadership and personality kind of take over and show themselves. It's been amazing that Carly has been able to come in as a freshman and take on that role and lead and execute in the ways that she has is a testament to her strength and athleticism."
Anderson earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors last season and currently ranks third in the Big Sky with 9.27 assists/set.
"Over the last eight years and COVID and all the tumultuous things that have happened in athletics since 2020, she's been a mainstay and something that has really steadied us out and something consistent that we rely on," Lawrence said. "As hitters have matured in our system, she's a piece that has allowed growth in her teammates."
MONTANA'S HOME SUCCESS
The Grizzlies have been on fire inside Dahlberg Arena lately, winning the last three home matches in dominant fashion. They dropped just a single set at home during an undefeated month of October, and have outscored opponents 246-180 for an average win of 6.6 points per set.
Paige Clark has averaged over 4.0 kills per set on .270 hitting to lead the offense, Carly Anderson has directed traffic to the tune of 10.2 assists per set, and Alexis Batezel has taken up a lot of space defensively with 4.70 digs per set.
As a team, Montana are outhitting opponents .258-to-.133 during the stretch. They have an even split on blocks, but the ground defense for the Griz has averaged nearly 4.0 digs per set more than their opponents.
The service game has also been a huge advantage as Montana have twice as many aces (20-10) than opponents with 12 fewer errors (16-28). It leads to a net 22-point advantage.
The Grizzlies have done all of this in front of an average crowd of 1,277 fans, but more on that in a moment.
ALL EYES ON US
Montana have averaged 945 fans per contest this season with four home games remaining on the schedule. The season-long number would be the second-best average in program history, trailing only the 1991 team that went 26-4 overall, 16-0 in Big Sky play and 12-0 at home.
The Grizzlies haven't averaged more than 700 fans per game since 1993.
THEMED NIGHTS AND TRADING CARDS
There will be giveaways at both matches this weekend featuring trading cards with your favorite Griz volleyball players. The freshmen will be featured on Thursday and the sophomores on Saturday.
Thursday will also be Esports night, while Saturday is the Non-Profit Night with a ball giveaway to the Ronald McDonald House.
COVERAGE
Both games can be viewed on ESPN+. The "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran will call the action on Thursday with Nate Michael on color commentary. Ace Sauerwein will take over for Saturday's match.
INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA (5-16, 2-8 Big Sky)
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (11-10, 6-4 Big Sky)
SERIES HISTORIES
Thursday, Nov. 2 / 7:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch / Live Stats
Montana vs. Northern Colorado
Saturday, Nov. 4 / 12:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch / Live Stats
There is no better place to shake off a tough stretch than at home, and Montana has the chance to do just that this week with a pair of games in Dahlberg Arena to kick off November. It will be the first home matches for Montana in 19 days.
The road trip included a visit to league leaders Sacramento State along with Portland State and Montana State. The Grizzlies finished 0-3 during the stretch with all three losses coming in four sets. It drops them to 8-14 overall and 4-6 in Big Sky play.
The home gym has been kind to Montana in recent weeks though, as the Grizzlies will return looking to extend a home winning streak to four matches. They have dropped just a single set in the previous three wins.
"It will be great to be back and I think we're playing well at home and needing a big response," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "There is no better place to do that than here with all our fans. I think we're just eager to get into a new week."
It starts a stretch of four home matches out of the last six for Montana. The Griz are 3-4 at home this season, but two of the losses came to nationally ranked opponents.
Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado come to town for a pair of repeat matchups from earlier this year. Montana started October with two road losses against the Lumberjacks and Bears, but now have a chance for revenge as they enter the home stretch of the season.
Montana lost in five sets to Northern Arizona in Flagstaff in a match that saw the Griz hit just .130. Defensive battles are nothing new for these two teams. Over the last two seasons, Montana's three highest dig totals have all come against the Lumberjacks, including 102 digs back in October.
"Northern Arizona is very scrappy. They get a lot of balls back and play very good defense," Lawrence said. "In that match it was pretty even digs-wise and blocks-wise. I feel like statistically it was a very even match, so you go into this one knowing there is going to be a lot of long rallies and just a grittiness on both sides."
The match will have some postseason implications as well as Northern Arizona enter the week two games behind Montana in the league standings.
The Grizzlies will then host a matinee against Northern Colorado. Since football will host a night game on Saturday, the Bears and Griz will bump up the start time to noon.
The Bears won in Greeley in four sets in a completely different type of game than the NAU match. Montana hit .303 as a team, but the defense couldn't slow down the potent UNC attack, allowing a conference play high .360 percentage.
"Northern Colorado just offensively is always firing on all cylinders," Lawrence said. "They have great middles. Their setter distributes well and is super physical so I think that piece is a good test of our defensive structure and seeing how far we've come defensively since the last time we saw them."
It's a tricky formula for Lawrence, and her opposing head coaches, in taking the good from the first meeting and making in work the second time around. For Lawrence, it's far more important to look at a team's recent stretch and to just focus on your own action.
"I think we look back and want to tighten up some breakdowns from last time but honestly it's just looking at their last three to five matches and seeing what their tendencies are now," Lawrence said. "October is a crazy month. This time of year, it's all about mental and emotional resiliency."
Montana are currently tied for seventh in the league standings with Eastern Washington. One year removed from a 10-6 league record and a tied-fourth place finish, they are grappling with how to take the next step and what they may even look like.
Despite all the success of 2022, the Grizzlies were eliminated in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament. This year has been much more about preparing for postseason success than matching any win total.
As part of that growth, however, there have been some challenges. It's a natural part of this process. As internal and external expectations rise, so too does the pressure.
"I think we're a much stronger team this year than last year, and yet we've had setbacks that we didn't have last year," Lawrence said. "What meaning are we making of that, and also how are we moving on and taking it one day at a time? Big picture is, position ourselves in the tournament and make a run in the tournament to do something that we haven't done since 2013."
At the end of the day, more than any result, Lawrence is looking for her team to play freely and to play like themselves. If they can take the challenges that have come this season, including the current streak they are on, and emerge from the other side stronger, than it will be a success.
"It's all about growth, it's all about evolution, and it's all about resiliency," Lawrence said. "If we're doing those three things, at the end of the day outcome is outcome. Those are the three things that I care about."
ANDERSON RISES IN THE RANKINGS
Setter Carly Anderson has been rising in the all-time rankings at Montana and has another chance to move up this week. The Mississauga, Ontario native has 3,406 career assists. She now trails Ashley Watkins by just seven career assists.
It's a full circle moment. Watkins played for Montana from 2016 to 2019, handling the setting in a 5-1 system that began with Brian Doyon and continued into the first years of Allison Lawrence's tenure. She left a massive hole in the lineup upon graduating in 2019. Anderson stepped in as a freshman and the Grizzlies haven't missed a beat since.
"Any setter like Ashley and Carly that play in a 5-1 where we don't have two setters on the court, our style of offense reflects their style as players in amazing ways," Lawrence said. "There's little ways that their leadership and personality kind of take over and show themselves. It's been amazing that Carly has been able to come in as a freshman and take on that role and lead and execute in the ways that she has is a testament to her strength and athleticism."
Anderson earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors last season and currently ranks third in the Big Sky with 9.27 assists/set.
"Over the last eight years and COVID and all the tumultuous things that have happened in athletics since 2020, she's been a mainstay and something that has really steadied us out and something consistent that we rely on," Lawrence said. "As hitters have matured in our system, she's a piece that has allowed growth in her teammates."
MONTANA'S HOME SUCCESS
The Grizzlies have been on fire inside Dahlberg Arena lately, winning the last three home matches in dominant fashion. They dropped just a single set at home during an undefeated month of October, and have outscored opponents 246-180 for an average win of 6.6 points per set.
Paige Clark has averaged over 4.0 kills per set on .270 hitting to lead the offense, Carly Anderson has directed traffic to the tune of 10.2 assists per set, and Alexis Batezel has taken up a lot of space defensively with 4.70 digs per set.
As a team, Montana are outhitting opponents .258-to-.133 during the stretch. They have an even split on blocks, but the ground defense for the Griz has averaged nearly 4.0 digs per set more than their opponents.
The service game has also been a huge advantage as Montana have twice as many aces (20-10) than opponents with 12 fewer errors (16-28). It leads to a net 22-point advantage.
The Grizzlies have done all of this in front of an average crowd of 1,277 fans, but more on that in a moment.
ALL EYES ON US
Montana have averaged 945 fans per contest this season with four home games remaining on the schedule. The season-long number would be the second-best average in program history, trailing only the 1991 team that went 26-4 overall, 16-0 in Big Sky play and 12-0 at home.
The Grizzlies haven't averaged more than 700 fans per game since 1993.
THEMED NIGHTS AND TRADING CARDS
There will be giveaways at both matches this weekend featuring trading cards with your favorite Griz volleyball players. The freshmen will be featured on Thursday and the sophomores on Saturday.
Thursday will also be Esports night, while Saturday is the Non-Profit Night with a ball giveaway to the Ronald McDonald House.
COVERAGE
Both games can be viewed on ESPN+. The "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran will call the action on Thursday with Nate Michael on color commentary. Ace Sauerwein will take over for Saturday's match.
GRIZ NOTES𝕳𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖞 𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓!
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) October 31, 2023
We love the annual holiday practice. Who wins for best costume this year? #GrizVB pic.twitter.com/7B7kMONLyB
- Montana enter Thursday's match on a three-match losing streak, which ties the longest such streak this season.
- The Grizzlies are 3-4 at home this season, but began the year 0-4 in a run that included two matchups against nationally ranked opponents.
- The first set has been a good indicator of how the rest of the match will go all season. Montana is 8-3 when winning the first set, but dropped to 0-11 when losing the opening set with last Friday's loss.
- Montana are 6-2 when holding opponents under .200 hitting. They are 2-12 when the opponent reaches the .200 mark. They have allowed the last three opponents to all hit over .270. Conversely, Montana are 6-4 when hitting at least .200 and 2-10 when held below it.
- The Grizzlies are 3-3 in three-set matches this season and 1-2 in five-set matches. They have a 4-9 record in matches that have ended in four, including losses the previous three matches.
- When outhitting opponents this year, Montana are 7-2. They are 1-12 when opponents hit the higher percentage.
- Montana are 199th in the latest RPI Rankings. It's the sixth-best rank in the Big Sky Conference. Northern Colorado, despite a 6-4 conference record, are the top-ranked Big Sky team at 134th, according to RPI.
- The 1.62 aces per set by Montana ranks 115th overall in the NCAA and 5th in the Big Sky Conference. They are 3rd in total aces in the Big Sky with 138.
- Montana are hitting .200 on the season, which is 197th in the country and 7th in the Big Sky.
- The Grizzly lineup has been very consistent with five players appearing in all 85 sets this year and three more with at least 83 sets played.
INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING
- #2 Paige Clark leads Montana with 3.20 kills/set. She ranks 9th in the Big Sky and 215th in the NCAA in the category, and has 16 matches with double-digit kills this season.
- Clark has seven double-doubles on the year.
- #4 Carly Anderson is averaging 9.27 assists per set which ranks 3rd in the Big Sky and 101st nationally. She is also 3rd in the Big Sky and 81st in the NCAA with 0.42 aces per set. Her total numbers in both categories (36 aces, 788 assists) both rank inside the top 80 in the country.
- Anderson also has seven double-doubles on the year and has been involved in the attack with at least one kill in 21 of 22 matches.
- #5 Madi Chuhlantseff has been one of the top offensive options as of late for Montana. She has at least eight kills in four straight matches, including 10 kills on .474 hitting last Friday. It was the seventh match in double-figures for her, and she has hit at least .269 in all seven of them.
- Chuhlantseff is hitting .359 in Big Sky Conference matches, which ranks 4th in the league during the stretch.
- #7 Alexis Batezel has been one of the Big Sky's top defenders this year, ranking 2nd in the league with 350 total digs. She's been in double-figures in 20 straight matches, and her 4.37 digs/set in Big Sky play ranks 3rd in the league.
- #8 Maddie Pyles has seen action in 49 sets this year as a defensive/serving specialist. She has six aces and 32 digs on the season.
- #10 Ellie Scherffius is averaging 1.67 kills and 1.14 blocks per set this year. She ranks 2nd in the Big Sky and 94th in the NCAA in blocks, and has upped that number to 1.29 per set in league play. She has multiple blocks in 21 straight matches.
- Scherffius is hitting .306 this season to up her career average to .294. The number is currently tied with Karen Goff (1991-94) for the highest hitting percentage in Montana history.
- #12 Sarah Ashley is a key part of Montana's rotation both defensively and in the service game. She has 27 aces this year and has four matches with at least three aces. She's also fourth on Montana with 2.04 digs/set.
- #16 Catie Semadeni has appeared in every set for Montana this year and averages 1.64 kills/set on .201 hitting. She has three matches with double-digit kills, most recently doing it on the road against Boise State.
- #22 Maddie Kremer has back-to-back 10-kill matches to bring her season total to 204 kills. She averages 2.46 per set to rank second on Montana, and she is also second with 2.18 digs/set. Kremer has nine total matches with double-digit kills.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA (5-16, 2-8 Big Sky)
- The Lumberjacks enter on a five-match losing streak, not having won a game since the last meeting between these two schools.
- During the losing streak, Northern Arizona have won just a single set. It came at home against Portland State last weekend in a 3-1 loss.
- Hannah Stoddard leads NAU with 3.24 kills/set, which ranks 8th in the Big Sky. Millie O'Ketter is second in the league with 4.25 digs/set, but the duo are the only players in the league's top 10 in any statistical category.
- NAU are hitting .159 on the season, which ranks 9th in the Big Sky. They are also allowing opponents to hit .217 which is the 7th best mark in the league.
- They are 0-4 on the road in conference play, and just 1-6 overall in true road matches.
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (11-10, 6-4 Big Sky)
- The Bears split results last weekend at home. They were swept by league leading Sacramento State on Thursday but responded with a sweep of Portland State on Saturday.
- The defending Big Sky champions already have more losses in 2023 than they did the entire league season in 2022. They finished 13-3 in league play before going on to win the conference tournament and take a set off nationally ranked San Diego in the NCAA Tournament.
- This will be just the sixth away match of the season for Northern Colorado. They are 2-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Sky play in true road matches.
- The offense leads the way for Northern Colorado. They hit .234 on the season, the 2nd-best mark in the Big Sky, but have allowed opponents to hit .228.
- Isabel Bennett leads the Big Sky in hitting percentage at .335. She has 121 kills to just 36 errors.
- Syd Cole is 2nd in the league with 9.85 assists/set. She was voted the Big Sky Player of the Year in 2022 and named to the All-Big Sky Touranment Team. She was also AVCA D1 All-American Honorable Mention in 2022.
SERIES HISTORIES
- The Grizzlies and Lumberjacks are perfectly even in wins in the series with 36 each. Northern Arizona snapped a two-match winning streak for Montana in the series in October. Montana are 18-15 all-time at home against NAU, including a five-set win last season. The last three meetings between the schools have all gone five sets.
- Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 26-9, including a winning 9-7 record in Missoula. They have dominated the series over the last decade, winning 17 straight matches. Montana have reached a fifth set in just two of those losses.
Players Mentioned
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OPP
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