Griz head on final road trip looking to clinch postseason spot

Thursday, November 9

Ogden, Utah

6 PM

Montana

Weber State

Photo by: Tanner Ecker/University of Montana

Griz head on final road trip looking to clinch postseason spot

11/8/2023 2:17:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana at Weber State
Thursday, Nov. 9 / 6 PM / Watch / Live Stats

Montana at Idaho State
Saturday, Nov. 11 / 12 PM / Watch / Live Stats

Montana volleyball had a near-miss last Saturday at home. They had a Big Sky powerhouse on the ropes, but just couldn't land the knockout blow. They get another chance at a signature victory this week as they take the road for the final time for a pair of matches.

The Grizzlies get second-place Weber State on Thursday evening before an afternoon match against a surprising Idaho State squad. The Bengals sit at 6-6 in Big Sky play and a game ahead of Montana in the standings.

The red-hot home streak for Montana finally came to an end in a five-set heartbreaker at the hands of Northern Colorado last Saturday. The Grizzlies had a set advantage on two different occasions, but the defending league champions sparked an impressive rally for the win.

The level of play is where head coach Allison Lawrence wants it to be, but the ability to close out one of those types of matches will be key for her program to make the next step in its progression. The Grizzlies haven't won a Big Sky Tournament match since 2013, and to do so they will likely need to beat a top three or four team at a neutral site.

The postseason picture is starting to take shape in the conference with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. Sacramento State have dominated all year to the tune of a 12-1 league record and likely No. 1 seed at the conference tournament.

Weber State, Montana State, Northern Colorado, and Portland State all have eight or nine wins, making the race for second incredibly tight. The Grizzlies currently sit in seventh place, a game separated from sixth-place Idaho State and eighth-place Eastern Washington.

They have a chance for an upset of Weber State on Thursday. The Wildcats won the first meeting between the two in four sets in Missoula back in September. But it's Saturday's matinee with the Bengals that could be a difference-maker in the final league standings.

This will be the first meeting of the season between the Bengals and the Grizzlies as an unbalanced schedule meant Montana played both of the Idaho schools just once this year. Idaho State was picked to finish 9^th in the league in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, but have greatly outperformed expectations.

They've done it with a balanced approach, ranking third in the league in both hitting percentage (.218) and opponent's hitting percentage (.185). They also rank in the top three in the Big Sky in both blocks and digs.

Weber State brings an impressive defense to the floor, leading the league in digs (17.02/set) while holding conference opponents to just .164 hitting.

Montana is hoping to recreate its home success on the road this week. They are 4-2 inside Dahlberg Arena in league play and have outhit opponents .228-to-.212 in those matches. On the road, the Griz are just 1-5 and have been outhit .193-to-244.

They have hit over .200 in consecutive matches, including an impressive .259 number against Northern Colorado. Madi Chuhlantseff has been on fire in the middle, hitting over .333 with double-digit kills in three straight matches.

The Grizzlies could clinch a place in the Big Sky Tournament this weekend with a single win, as they hold the tiebreaker over Northern Arizona after last week's four-set win at home. They could also get in with a Northern Arizona loss.

Clinching a place in the postseason would be a big first step for Montana. They haven't made it to three consecutive conference tournaments since doing so from 2008-2010. If they can guarantee a spot, it should free them up down the final stretch with home matches against league leading Sacramento State and a tough Portland State team.

GRIZ NOTES

Montana is looking for its sixth win in league play this season. It would make it three straight years that Montana has reached at least six league wins, which would be the longest streak since 2009-11.
The Grizzlies are just 1-8 in true road matches this season. They have lost five straight since the last road win, a 3-0 sweep of Eastern Washington on Sep. 23.
The first set has been a good indicator of how the rest of the match will go all season. The Grizzlies are 9-4 when winning the first set, and 0-11 when losing the opening set.
Montana are 6-2 when holding opponents under .200 hitting. They are 3-13 when the opponent reaches the .200 mark. They haven't held an opponent under .200 in the previous five matches, and are 1-4 during the stretch.
The Grizzlies are 3-3 in three-set matches this season, but haven't played in one since Oct. 12 vs. Idaho. They had played five straight four-setters before going the distance with Northern Colorado in the last match on Nov. 4. The loss there drops Montana to 1-3 in five sets.
When outhitting opponents this year, Montana is 7-2. They are 2-13 when opponents hit the higher percentage. They have been outhit in the previous five matches, and are 1-4 during the stretch.
Montana cracked the 1,000-assist mark on the season as a team against Northern Colorado. They are 3^rd in the Big Sky and 206^th in the country with 1,030 total this year.
The Griz were ranked 206^th in the latest RPI polls released on Nov. 5. They are sixth in the Big Sky, ahead of this week's opponent Idaho State (254^th). Weber State is the second-highest ranked Big Sky team at 135^th.

ANDERSON RISES IN THE RANKINGS
Carly Anderson moved into sixth in Montana's program record book with her 3,490^th career assist. The senior from Mississauga has been a four-year starter with at least 500 total assists every season. She currently averages 9.28 assists/set and has 872 total this year.

She passed Ashley Watkins (2016-19), the player that she inherited the role from when she arrived in 2020 and the setter that Allison Lawrence began her coaching career using at Montana.

ALL ABOARD
If you hear the sounds of train engines at a Montana volleyball game, don't be alarmed, unless of course you are the opposing team. Madi Chuhlantseff, affectionately known by her teammates as Chooie, has been eliciting the train themed "Choo-Choo" celebration all season.

She's been on a particular hot streak as of late, hitting for at least 10 kills in three straight matches. The redshirt has battled her way back from a knee injury this year to claim a starting role in the middle of Montana's defense, and has provided an offensive boost.

Chuhlantseff ranks fifth in the Big Sky with a .366 hitting percentage in conference play. She's been over .333 hitting in four straight matches and has eight matches of .400 or better hitting. On the year, she is hitting .315 with 198 kills.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

#2 Paige Clark leads Montana and ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 3.32 kills/set in conference play. She had 31 kills last weekend, including an impressive 17-kill, .371 hitting performance in the win over NAU. The junior is over 300 kills on the season and has been in double-figures in back-to-back matches.
#4 Carly Anderson continues to move up in Montana's record book, but she also ranks among the top setters in the Big Sky. She is averaging 9.34 assists/set in league play to sit in third place in the conference. She had six kills on .667 hitting against Northern Colorado.
Anderson is also 10^th in the league with 0.32 aces/set.
#5 Madi Chuhlantseffhas been on fire offensively (see above), but is also gaining steam defensively. She had 11 blocks over two matches last weekend to increase her season total to 72.
#7 Alexis Batezel continues to anchor Montana's defense from the libero position with 4.09 digs/set in Big Sky play. She ranks sixth in the league in that department, and has reached double-figures in 23 straight matches.
#8 Maddie Pyles has seen an increase in play time lately as a defensive specialist that also serves. She played all nine sets last weekend, recording an ace in both matches while registering her two highest dig totals of her career with 14 vs. NAU and nine vs. UNC.
#10 Ellie Scherffius had a bit of a hot-and-cold weekend with a tough offensive performance vs. NAU followed by a massive match against Northern Colorado. She had a season-high 14 kills against the Bears, and hit .650 for the match.
Scherffius has been a key player for four years in Missoula, and her .292 career hitting percentage is tied for third in program history with Capri Richardson. She has 557 career kills.
#12 Sarah Ashley has played a valuable role all season in the back row and with her service game. Ashley averages 1.97 digs/set and has 27 aces this year, including three matches with at least four.
#16 Catie Semadeni has played every set for Montana and averages 1.64 kills on .202 hitting. The 5^th-year player has 710 career kills and will play in her 117^th career match on Thursday.
#22 Maddie Kremer is second on Montana with 2.39 kills/set. She has nine matches with double-digit kills and four double-doubles on the year.

SCOUTING WEBER STATE (16-7, 9-3 Big Sky)

Weber State enter on a two-match winning streak. They played just a single match last week, beating Idaho State 3-1 at home. Prior to that, they swept Idaho in Moscow.
The Wildcats split the season series with Sacramento State, handing the Hornets their only conference loss of the season and doing so in impressive fashion by beating them in the Nest.
Swenson Gym has been a solid location for Weber State this year as they have an 8-4 record at home.
The Wildcats have been drastically outhitting opponents this year at .221-to-.172. They are a great defensive team, averaging 2.4 blocks/set while holding conference opponents to a .164 hitting percentage on the season, the second-best mark in the Big Sky.
Dani Richins is a four-time First Team All-Big Sky member and the 2021 MVP of the league. She is fifth in the conference this year with 3.70 kills/set to lead the Wildcat offense.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE (8-15, 6-6 Big Sky)

The Bengals are coming off a loss last weekend to Weber State. It was the only match of the week for both schools.
Idaho State have exceeded expectations this year with a .500 record in league play. They already have more wins in conference play than they did in 2022 (5-11) and will likely improve upon last year's No. 8 seed at the conference tournament.
Inside of Reed Gym the Bengals are 4-6 this year. They have won three of the last four home matches with the only loss coming in five sets to Weber State back on Oct. 6.
The Bengals are outhitting league opponents .218-to-.185 on the year. They join Sacramento State as the only Big Sky team to rank inside the top three of the league in both offensive and defensive hitting percentage.
The offense is rarely blocked, as Idaho State lead the Big Sky by allowing just 1.70 blocks/set to opponents.
Jamie Streit is third in the league with 3.91 kills/set while Marci Richins is third with a .377 hitting percentage.
Setter Aliyah Sopoaga is fourth in the Big Sky with 8.55 assists/set.

SERIES HISTORIES

Montana holds a 48-40 advantage in the all-time series, although Weber State has dominated as of late. The Wildcats are on a 10-match winning streak against Montana and have a 19-18 edge in Ogden. Weber State won the first meeting this season in four sets.
The Grizzlies also lead the all-time series over the Bengals 46-39. They are 19-24 in matches played in Pocatello, but won inside Reed Gym last year. The Grizzlies are on a two-match winning streak and have taken four of the last six from the Bengals. This is the first meeting of the year between Montana and Idaho State.