Friday, September 29
Missoula, Mont.
6 PM
Montana
6-9,2-1Big Sky
3
vs
0
Montana State
9-4,2-1Big Sky
1
2
3
F
Montana St.
20
25
11
0
Montana
25
27
25
3
Photo by: Tommy Martino/UM Athletics
Griz dominate Cats, sweep rivalry match for first time in seven years
9/29/2023 9:32:00 PM | Volleyball
It took 31 years for Montana to break the all-time volleyball attendance record, setting a new high in a 3-1 win over Montana State last season. They wouldn't have to wait long to break it again. For the second straight season, the Grizzlies had a record number of fans in the gym for the Brawl of the Wild. And for the second straight home match, and fourth time overall in the series, they defeated the Bobcats to bring home the Main Line Trophy.
Montana left no doubt, dominating the in-state rivals 25-20, 27-25, 25-11.
"I'm just so proud of the team. The way they prepared all week, their mentality point-for-point in the match, their execution of the scout," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "They were so poised throughout all the ups-and-downs in that match. They just did what they said they were going to do, and it was the coolest thing to watch."
It's the fourth straight win in the series for Montana, which evens up the all-time record at 61-61. It's also the first sweep over the Bobcats since 2016. The cherry on top of it all? The Grizzlies did it in front of 2,237 screaming fans.
Montana State entered the top team in the Big Sky Conference with a 9-3 overall record and a perfect mark in conference play. In fact, the Bobcats hadn't dropped a set through two league matches. Montana didn't care. The Grizzlies controlled the entire way and put together one of the more impressive final sets you will see in the sweep.
The Grizzlies had their best offensive night of the season, hitting .344 as a team with 46 kills and 15 errors. They did more than just play stellar offense, they outpaced the Bobcats in nearly every statistical category.
Montana had 14 more kills and hit .119 better than Montana State. They had six aces to MSU's two, and also committed four fewer errors from the service line. They won the defensive categories, outdigging Montana State 39-27 and outblocking them 6-5. Montana sided out nearly 60 percent of the time, a significantly higher number than Montana State's 43 percent.
Simply put, Montana dominated.
"I think we just really tried to focus on ways to hold consistent pressure. I think that looks like a lot of details being executed in a row, and I think you saw that tonight," Lawrence said. "Everybody stepped up and became a playmaker and all held their details individually so that the pressure we were able to exert was consistent and dominant. It felt in our control."
Paige Clark had one of the best offensive nights that you will see, ripping off 14 kills on just 19 attempts. She had the set of a lifetime in putting Montana State away in the third, recording seven kills on eight swings. She hit .875 in the set, and .632 in the match. It's the best single-match hitting percentage in Clark's career (min. 10 kills).
Madi Chuhlantseff had a huge performance in the middle with 10 kills on .421 hitting. It was her fifth match with double-digit kills this season and first since Sept. 9. Maddie Kremer had nine kills, Catie Semadeni six, and Ellie Scherffius four.
"(Clark and Chuhlantseff) did a great of putting themselves in position to pick the shot they wanted to hit. Great vision and great feet."
Carly Anderson controlled the offense the entire way, leading Montana to its second consecutive game hitting .300 or better after not reaching the mark in the first 13 matches of the season. Anderson averaged 12 assists per set (36 total) and added three kills.
Alexis Batezel had a match-high 11 digs.
"I think when you see those kinds of offensive numbers, it's also the work of your passers," Lawrence said. "I think the pass-set-hit rhythm and Carly's decisions on top of great passing produces that. Once we found that flow, we kept feeding off of each other."
The teams battled in the early going. When Montana went ahead 13-10 in the opening set, it was the first multi-point lead of the match. The Grizzlies started hot offensively, a sign of what was to come all night. They were hitting over .400 at the time.
Montana State was able to tie it up at 13-all before the Grizzlies inched back in front at the media timeout at 15-14.
The match again came to a tie at 17-all. There was practically nothing separating the two teams at the time. They had identical kills, aces, service errors, blocks, and sideout percentage. The match seemed completely balanced.
Then Montana turned it on. Clark had two kills as part of a 3-0 Grizzly run that made it 20-18. Then Maddie Kremer had two kills as part of a 4-0 Grizzly run that put them ahead 24-19. They took the opener 25-20 on a service error from Montana State.
Montana hit .361 as a team in the opening set, and balanced out the attack. Clark had just five swings, tied for fourth most on the team. She turned them into four kills, sharing the set lead with Kremer and Chuhlantseff. Scherffius had three kills on .600 hitting.
Early in the second set Montana took a lead, and maintained it for much of the set. They led 15-12 at the media timeout, and then again 19-16 late in the set. Cue Sarah Ashley.
The senior from Helena came in and served for Montana, starting a match-changing rally for the Grizzlies. It looked like Montana State was on its way to evening the match up at one set apiece. Instead, Ashley served up a 4-0 Grizzly scoring run to give Montana its first lead since 2-1.
"It was huge. We were struggling passing. I think their servers had found a rhythm and exploited some things that we weren't really adjusting to and Sarah really flipped the momentum of that whole set," Lawrence said. "It was huge. It's what you want a senior to do in their final Griz-Cat. It's that amount of experience, her time in that role, and the mentality to go be a playmaker."
It wouldn't come easy down the stretch. The teams were tied at 21, then again at 22. Montana scored back-to-back to make it set point at 24-22, but the Bobcats rallied back. Three straight points from the visitor momentarily quieted the record crowd.
A service error on set point tied it at 25-all. Then a kill from Madi Chuhlantseff made it set point for Montana. They went to the veteran Catie Semadeni with the set on the line, and she delivered with the winning kill to ignite the Grizzly crowd with a 27-25 win in the second.
It was all over from there.
Montana played its best set of the season to close it out. The Grizzlies went ahead 6-1. Then built it up to 8-2. Montana State scored nearly half of its points in the third in one rally that brought it back to 9-8 Montana, but it was lights out after that.
The Grizzlies went on a 4-0 run to move ahead 13-8. Then another 4-0 run made it 17-9. The Bobcats scored two straight before Montana closed the match out in the most emphatic way possible.
The final eight points of the match all went to Montana, and five of them came on Grizzly kills, as the ball was flying off the hands of Clark, Kremer and co. The 25-11 win is the biggest single-set victory of the year for Montana.
The 2,200-plus fans couldn't be contained all night with a packed students section on its feet all night and one side of Dahlberg Arena nearly filled to capacity. Montana nearly set a season-long attendance record in 2022 and after Friday are averaging over 1,000 fans per game in 2023. Lawrence credited Nic Hallisey and Gabi Toulon in the marketing department, and her team's engagement with the fans, as the key reasons for the attendance increase.
"We talked about it in the locker room and at the end of the match. It's an emotional thing to see, especially with our seniors, what our athletes have built in terms of a following and a level of enthusiasm from their fans and fellow students," Lawrence said. "It gives me chills to see their hard work, dedication and relationship building.
"It doesn't happen just because we play the Bobcats or just because it's Homecoming weekend," she continued. "That is built off years and years of investment by our athletes and relationship building, and I think doing things the right way. It brings tears to my eyes."
The crowd, the performance, the moment, it all felt perfect for the Grizzlies. In a season that has been trying at times, Montana showed why it feels like a team that is capable of competing at the very highest level in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats were in first place, and were picked ahead of Montana in the preseason poll. None of that mattered on Friday night in Dahlberg Arena.
"I think the Big Sky is anyone's night on any given night," Lawrence said. "I think when you know you play this huge rivalry game in the first two weeks of conference there is a sense of urgency to be at your best at the very start. It feels amazing, and kind of helps launch us into that highest gear."
It won't get any easier for the Grizzlies. Next week they hit the road for a match against defending champion Northern Colorado on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m., then it is on to Flagstaff to face Northern Arizona on Saturday at noon.
But after the way that Montana played on Friday, a date with the defending champs brings on more of a feeling of excitement than one of fear.
"The urgency is there and I think this win provides momentum to keep finding a higher gear for us. I think we're still finding our rhythm in ways that feels so exciting."
Montana left no doubt, dominating the in-state rivals 25-20, 27-25, 25-11.
"I'm just so proud of the team. The way they prepared all week, their mentality point-for-point in the match, their execution of the scout," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "They were so poised throughout all the ups-and-downs in that match. They just did what they said they were going to do, and it was the coolest thing to watch."
It's the fourth straight win in the series for Montana, which evens up the all-time record at 61-61. It's also the first sweep over the Bobcats since 2016. The cherry on top of it all? The Grizzlies did it in front of 2,237 screaming fans.
Montana State entered the top team in the Big Sky Conference with a 9-3 overall record and a perfect mark in conference play. In fact, the Bobcats hadn't dropped a set through two league matches. Montana didn't care. The Grizzlies controlled the entire way and put together one of the more impressive final sets you will see in the sweep.
The Grizzlies had their best offensive night of the season, hitting .344 as a team with 46 kills and 15 errors. They did more than just play stellar offense, they outpaced the Bobcats in nearly every statistical category.
Montana had 14 more kills and hit .119 better than Montana State. They had six aces to MSU's two, and also committed four fewer errors from the service line. They won the defensive categories, outdigging Montana State 39-27 and outblocking them 6-5. Montana sided out nearly 60 percent of the time, a significantly higher number than Montana State's 43 percent.
Simply put, Montana dominated.
"I think we just really tried to focus on ways to hold consistent pressure. I think that looks like a lot of details being executed in a row, and I think you saw that tonight," Lawrence said. "Everybody stepped up and became a playmaker and all held their details individually so that the pressure we were able to exert was consistent and dominant. It felt in our control."
Paige Clark had one of the best offensive nights that you will see, ripping off 14 kills on just 19 attempts. She had the set of a lifetime in putting Montana State away in the third, recording seven kills on eight swings. She hit .875 in the set, and .632 in the match. It's the best single-match hitting percentage in Clark's career (min. 10 kills).
Here comes the 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗠!
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) September 30, 2023
Paige Clark has seven kills on eight swings 🤩#GrizVB | #BigSkyVB | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/apOxDQ8f8x
Madi Chuhlantseff had a huge performance in the middle with 10 kills on .421 hitting. It was her fifth match with double-digit kills this season and first since Sept. 9. Maddie Kremer had nine kills, Catie Semadeni six, and Ellie Scherffius four.
"(Clark and Chuhlantseff) did a great of putting themselves in position to pick the shot they wanted to hit. Great vision and great feet."
Carly Anderson controlled the offense the entire way, leading Montana to its second consecutive game hitting .300 or better after not reaching the mark in the first 13 matches of the season. Anderson averaged 12 assists per set (36 total) and added three kills.
Alexis Batezel had a match-high 11 digs.
"I think when you see those kinds of offensive numbers, it's also the work of your passers," Lawrence said. "I think the pass-set-hit rhythm and Carly's decisions on top of great passing produces that. Once we found that flow, we kept feeding off of each other."
The teams battled in the early going. When Montana went ahead 13-10 in the opening set, it was the first multi-point lead of the match. The Grizzlies started hot offensively, a sign of what was to come all night. They were hitting over .400 at the time.
Montana State was able to tie it up at 13-all before the Grizzlies inched back in front at the media timeout at 15-14.
The match again came to a tie at 17-all. There was practically nothing separating the two teams at the time. They had identical kills, aces, service errors, blocks, and sideout percentage. The match seemed completely balanced.
Then Montana turned it on. Clark had two kills as part of a 3-0 Grizzly run that made it 20-18. Then Maddie Kremer had two kills as part of a 4-0 Grizzly run that put them ahead 24-19. They took the opener 25-20 on a service error from Montana State.
Set one to Montana and it is LOOOUUUD in here! #GrizVB | #GoGriz | #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/ZEaXe7qY9Z
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) September 30, 2023
Montana hit .361 as a team in the opening set, and balanced out the attack. Clark had just five swings, tied for fourth most on the team. She turned them into four kills, sharing the set lead with Kremer and Chuhlantseff. Scherffius had three kills on .600 hitting.
Early in the second set Montana took a lead, and maintained it for much of the set. They led 15-12 at the media timeout, and then again 19-16 late in the set. Cue Sarah Ashley.
The senior from Helena came in and served for Montana, starting a match-changing rally for the Grizzlies. It looked like Montana State was on its way to evening the match up at one set apiece. Instead, Ashley served up a 4-0 Grizzly scoring run to give Montana its first lead since 2-1.
"It was huge. We were struggling passing. I think their servers had found a rhythm and exploited some things that we weren't really adjusting to and Sarah really flipped the momentum of that whole set," Lawrence said. "It was huge. It's what you want a senior to do in their final Griz-Cat. It's that amount of experience, her time in that role, and the mentality to go be a playmaker."
It wouldn't come easy down the stretch. The teams were tied at 21, then again at 22. Montana scored back-to-back to make it set point at 24-22, but the Bobcats rallied back. Three straight points from the visitor momentarily quieted the record crowd.
A service error on set point tied it at 25-all. Then a kill from Madi Chuhlantseff made it set point for Montana. They went to the veteran Catie Semadeni with the set on the line, and she delivered with the winning kill to ignite the Grizzly crowd with a 27-25 win in the second.
Hey @umontana students, having any fun tonight!? Griz take the second set for a 2-0 lead over the Cats!#GrizVB | #BigSkyVB | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/WV2uVMFnF3
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) September 30, 2023
It was all over from there.
Montana played its best set of the season to close it out. The Grizzlies went ahead 6-1. Then built it up to 8-2. Montana State scored nearly half of its points in the third in one rally that brought it back to 9-8 Montana, but it was lights out after that.
The Grizzlies went on a 4-0 run to move ahead 13-8. Then another 4-0 run made it 17-9. The Bobcats scored two straight before Montana closed the match out in the most emphatic way possible.
The final eight points of the match all went to Montana, and five of them came on Grizzly kills, as the ball was flying off the hands of Clark, Kremer and co. The 25-11 win is the biggest single-set victory of the year for Montana.
Unbelievable. Eight straight points. Montana wins the final set 25-11 to sweep the Brawl in front of a record crowd of 2,237 fans. pic.twitter.com/SFWsYucnOb
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) September 30, 2023
The 2,200-plus fans couldn't be contained all night with a packed students section on its feet all night and one side of Dahlberg Arena nearly filled to capacity. Montana nearly set a season-long attendance record in 2022 and after Friday are averaging over 1,000 fans per game in 2023. Lawrence credited Nic Hallisey and Gabi Toulon in the marketing department, and her team's engagement with the fans, as the key reasons for the attendance increase.
"We talked about it in the locker room and at the end of the match. It's an emotional thing to see, especially with our seniors, what our athletes have built in terms of a following and a level of enthusiasm from their fans and fellow students," Lawrence said. "It gives me chills to see their hard work, dedication and relationship building.
"It doesn't happen just because we play the Bobcats or just because it's Homecoming weekend," she continued. "That is built off years and years of investment by our athletes and relationship building, and I think doing things the right way. It brings tears to my eyes."
The crowd, the performance, the moment, it all felt perfect for the Grizzlies. In a season that has been trying at times, Montana showed why it feels like a team that is capable of competing at the very highest level in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats were in first place, and were picked ahead of Montana in the preseason poll. None of that mattered on Friday night in Dahlberg Arena.
"I think the Big Sky is anyone's night on any given night," Lawrence said. "I think when you know you play this huge rivalry game in the first two weeks of conference there is a sense of urgency to be at your best at the very start. It feels amazing, and kind of helps launch us into that highest gear."
It won't get any easier for the Grizzlies. Next week they hit the road for a match against defending champion Northern Colorado on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m., then it is on to Flagstaff to face Northern Arizona on Saturday at noon.
But after the way that Montana played on Friday, a date with the defending champs brings on more of a feeling of excitement than one of fear.
"The urgency is there and I think this win provides momentum to keep finding a higher gear for us. I think we're still finding our rhythm in ways that feels so exciting."
Team Stats
MSU
Mont
Kills
32
46
Errors
12
15
Attempts
89
90
Hitting %
.225
.344
Points
39.0
58.0
Assists
28
41
Aces
2
6
Blocks
5
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OPP
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