Friday, September 8
Grand Forks, N.D.
3 PM (MT)
Montana
3-5,0-0Big Sky
3
vs
1
New Mexico
5-3,0-0Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Montana
25
21
25
25
3
New Mexico
21
25
22
20
1
Photo by: Tanner Ecker/UM Photo
Griz serve up big win over New Mexico
9/8/2023 6:09:00 PM | Volleyball
The Montana volleyball had its best serving match in over a decade on Friday afternoon in North Dakota, controlling the action with aggression in a 3-1 win (25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 25-20) over New Mexico. The win brings Montana to 3-5 on the season and sets them up for a chance to win the UND Classic against host North Dakota on Saturday.
Entering the weekend at 1-5 and with a pair of difficult opponents stacked in front of them, Montana's season could have gotten out of hand inside the "Betty" in Grand Forks. Instead, back-to-back wins against highly talented teams have completely changed the narrative of the year.
"It feels incredible. I'm just so proud of our team," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I think our tough schedule has exposed some hard things and prompted us to deal with some difficult growing pains, but I think we found a mentality and chose a focus tonight that allowed us to relax and play our game and just go for it.
The "go for it" attitude could be summed up with a single stat from the match. Montana served up 14 aces, its most in a single match since Nov. 1, 2008. The Grizzlies had a handful of players contribute to that as Paige Clark and Sarah Ashley each finished with four aces, while Carly Anderson had three and two other Grizzlies had at least one.
The biggest momentum shifts in the match all seemed to come thanks to a great serve. The Grizzlies needed the scoring runs that were generated from them in a tight match against a Lobos team that entered with a 5-2 record.
"I think our service effort won us the match," Lawrence said. "Sarah in particular, her aces came in many different zones on the court. Not only was she getting an ace, but she was also changing up her serve drastically to get another ace. She was just going for it."
The rest of the numbers may not tell the most beautiful of stories, but at the end of the day a win is all that Montana needs. The Grizzlies hit .137 in the match, their second-lowest percentage of the year. They committed 26 attacking errors and had 12 service errors.
But for every error they committed, Montana also had a gamebreaking play. The aggression and physicality led to several momentum-shifting points for the Grizzlies. The style of play is exactly what Lawrence wanted out of her team.
"We talked before the match about how we don't need to play perfectly to win and to be a good team," Lawrence said. "And we didn't tonight. You look at the stat sheet and we had a lot of attacking and service errors, but we also made a lot of incredible plays and were physical and got a lot of kills and aces."
Clark gave the Grizzlies some momentum to start the match, ripping two kills in a match-opening 3-0 run and adding her first ace later on the back of another three-point run to put the Griz ahead 10-5. They wouldn't allow New Mexico back within four points until the late stages of the set.
The Lobos would get it as close as 21-19, and then back to two points again at 23-21. But Clark picked up her fifth kill of the opening set and Anderson and Madi Chuhlantseff combined for a block to seal the set one win.
The Grizzlies started the second in much the same way, reeling off six straight points early to jump out to a 9-4 lead.
Like much of the rest of the match, Montana weren't perfect in gaining the lead. They were hitting just .167 in the set at that point, but the defense and service game were strong enough to take the lead. When those two things went away, it turned sour for Montana.
New Mexico went on a 10-2 to take the lead, and later scored three straight points to push it all the way out to five points at 19-14.
Anderson helped Montana back into it with great passing and a kill that forced a New Mexico timeout at 21-18. The Griz wouldn't climb any close in dropping the second set 25-21, but they had started to find something that would work the rest of the way.
Anderson had five kills, tied for second-most on Montana, at the set break. She not only was serving it and attacking well, but setting a fantastic game as well. And her aggression early opened up the rest of the Montana attack. She wouldn't record a kill over the last two sets, but that didn't matter.
"Carly had a really complete match," Lawrence said. "She was super dymanic and physical. As the match went on every time she was tight and showed that she might dump, she would pull a blocker or two with her and created a lot of single block or no block situations for our pins and middles."
The teams went back-and-forth in the all important third set, and control of the match stood in the balance. New Mexico jumped ahead 16-13 and the Lobos could possibly taste the set advantage and their second victory in as many days, but the Griz put forth a response.
Ellie Scherffius had two solo blocks and two kills for a mini four-point run of her own, and Ashley tacked a pair of aces onto the back end of it to put Montana back in control at 19-16. The swings kept coming. New Mexico scored six of the next eight points, retaking the lead at 22-21.
At the most important moment of the match, Anderson and her teammates stepped up. The setter had a pair of aces, including one on set point, as part of a 4-0 run to end the set and put the Grizzlies ahead 2-1.
"I think that felt like, 'OK, this match is ours.' It was pretty tight and both teams would score a point or two in a row and there were these little mini-momentum swings, and then we kind of got one and then Carly just went for it," Lawrence said. "It felt like the match was ours from that point on."
Indeed it was. New Mexico opened up a 7-4 lead early in the fourth, but again the service game from Montana proved to be a difference maker. The Grizzlies went on a 6-0 run with Ashley at the service line, and she added another pair of aces to her tally. The defensive specialist had her second match of the season with four aces and is now up to 12 total on the year.
Montana wouldn't give up the lead the rest of the way. New Mexico made it interesting late, but the match was finished off, fittingly, with Montana's 14th ace of the match. Clark delivered the final blow for her fourth ace, which ties a career high.
This is the third time in the opening eight matches that Montana has had at least 10 aces. It already matches their total of double-digit ace matches from last year, and is tied for the most such matches in a single season since 2007. There are still 20 matches remaining on the schedule.
"I think serving is really indicative of a mentality. I think the gear that we were in tonight was that we were going to be the aggressor," Lawrence said. "It was just an unbelievable effort in that regard. It also signals belief.
"Serving is 100 percent under your control, and is 100 percent about what you tell yourself. I think we were telling ourselves to go for it, and when we started the match with really tough serving that was getting them on their heels I think we found this really great combination of calm and aggressiveness."
Anderson had five kills and no errors, hitting .357 while dishing out 35 assists. She also had three aces and six digs, while combining on three assisted blocks. Clark had a season-high 17 kills on .105 hitting. It was her fourth straight match with multiple aces.
The win required a complete team effort, and Lawrence applauded the support and energy that the bench provided as well. Serving played a massive role, but just as important to Montana's big rallies was the unknown of who would make the play.
Maddie Kremer had 10 kills and Chuhlantseff had nine, each stepping up in several key moments. Scherffius' run in the third set helped change the momentum of the match even though she would end the day with just four kills. Catie Semadeni also had just four kills but a strong overall performance.
Alexis Batezel played a key role defensively with a team-high 18 digs.
"We were not only playmakers individually but also together," Lawrence said. "We would string together points where multiple athletes would execute something, and together that was pretty overwhelming and would cause these giant swings in our favor.
"You look at the stat sheet and you can't really pick out any one person that played a very complete match numbers-wise, but I think the numbers lie in that case. I think it was all about those moments of the team stepping up together."
It's a preseason schedule that from the very start was supposed to challenge Montana. They didn't know, as they prepared for the 12-game gauntlet, how many wins might await them at the end of it. While the win total has never been the goal, winning back-to-back matches and having a chance at a tournament title has sparked some confidence in Lawrence and her team.
"I think we're in an incredible spot," Lawrence said. "We're learning what we want to be learning for conference. We're learning tough lessons and we're getting sweet rewards. Bring it on."
Entering the weekend at 1-5 and with a pair of difficult opponents stacked in front of them, Montana's season could have gotten out of hand inside the "Betty" in Grand Forks. Instead, back-to-back wins against highly talented teams have completely changed the narrative of the year.
"It feels incredible. I'm just so proud of our team," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I think our tough schedule has exposed some hard things and prompted us to deal with some difficult growing pains, but I think we found a mentality and chose a focus tonight that allowed us to relax and play our game and just go for it.
The "go for it" attitude could be summed up with a single stat from the match. Montana served up 14 aces, its most in a single match since Nov. 1, 2008. The Grizzlies had a handful of players contribute to that as Paige Clark and Sarah Ashley each finished with four aces, while Carly Anderson had three and two other Grizzlies had at least one.
The biggest momentum shifts in the match all seemed to come thanks to a great serve. The Grizzlies needed the scoring runs that were generated from them in a tight match against a Lobos team that entered with a 5-2 record.
"I think our service effort won us the match," Lawrence said. "Sarah in particular, her aces came in many different zones on the court. Not only was she getting an ace, but she was also changing up her serve drastically to get another ace. She was just going for it."
The rest of the numbers may not tell the most beautiful of stories, but at the end of the day a win is all that Montana needs. The Grizzlies hit .137 in the match, their second-lowest percentage of the year. They committed 26 attacking errors and had 12 service errors.
But for every error they committed, Montana also had a gamebreaking play. The aggression and physicality led to several momentum-shifting points for the Grizzlies. The style of play is exactly what Lawrence wanted out of her team.
"We talked before the match about how we don't need to play perfectly to win and to be a good team," Lawrence said. "And we didn't tonight. You look at the stat sheet and we had a lot of attacking and service errors, but we also made a lot of incredible plays and were physical and got a lot of kills and aces."
Clark gave the Grizzlies some momentum to start the match, ripping two kills in a match-opening 3-0 run and adding her first ace later on the back of another three-point run to put the Griz ahead 10-5. They wouldn't allow New Mexico back within four points until the late stages of the set.
The Lobos would get it as close as 21-19, and then back to two points again at 23-21. But Clark picked up her fifth kill of the opening set and Anderson and Madi Chuhlantseff combined for a block to seal the set one win.
The Grizzlies started the second in much the same way, reeling off six straight points early to jump out to a 9-4 lead.
Like much of the rest of the match, Montana weren't perfect in gaining the lead. They were hitting just .167 in the set at that point, but the defense and service game were strong enough to take the lead. When those two things went away, it turned sour for Montana.
New Mexico went on a 10-2 to take the lead, and later scored three straight points to push it all the way out to five points at 19-14.
Anderson helped Montana back into it with great passing and a kill that forced a New Mexico timeout at 21-18. The Griz wouldn't climb any close in dropping the second set 25-21, but they had started to find something that would work the rest of the way.
Anderson had five kills, tied for second-most on Montana, at the set break. She not only was serving it and attacking well, but setting a fantastic game as well. And her aggression early opened up the rest of the Montana attack. She wouldn't record a kill over the last two sets, but that didn't matter.
"Carly had a really complete match," Lawrence said. "She was super dymanic and physical. As the match went on every time she was tight and showed that she might dump, she would pull a blocker or two with her and created a lot of single block or no block situations for our pins and middles."
The teams went back-and-forth in the all important third set, and control of the match stood in the balance. New Mexico jumped ahead 16-13 and the Lobos could possibly taste the set advantage and their second victory in as many days, but the Griz put forth a response.
Ellie Scherffius had two solo blocks and two kills for a mini four-point run of her own, and Ashley tacked a pair of aces onto the back end of it to put Montana back in control at 19-16. The swings kept coming. New Mexico scored six of the next eight points, retaking the lead at 22-21.
At the most important moment of the match, Anderson and her teammates stepped up. The setter had a pair of aces, including one on set point, as part of a 4-0 run to end the set and put the Grizzlies ahead 2-1.
"I think that felt like, 'OK, this match is ours.' It was pretty tight and both teams would score a point or two in a row and there were these little mini-momentum swings, and then we kind of got one and then Carly just went for it," Lawrence said. "It felt like the match was ours from that point on."
Indeed it was. New Mexico opened up a 7-4 lead early in the fourth, but again the service game from Montana proved to be a difference maker. The Grizzlies went on a 6-0 run with Ashley at the service line, and she added another pair of aces to her tally. The defensive specialist had her second match of the season with four aces and is now up to 12 total on the year.
Montana wouldn't give up the lead the rest of the way. New Mexico made it interesting late, but the match was finished off, fittingly, with Montana's 14th ace of the match. Clark delivered the final blow for her fourth ace, which ties a career high.
This is the third time in the opening eight matches that Montana has had at least 10 aces. It already matches their total of double-digit ace matches from last year, and is tied for the most such matches in a single season since 2007. There are still 20 matches remaining on the schedule.
"I think serving is really indicative of a mentality. I think the gear that we were in tonight was that we were going to be the aggressor," Lawrence said. "It was just an unbelievable effort in that regard. It also signals belief.
"Serving is 100 percent under your control, and is 100 percent about what you tell yourself. I think we were telling ourselves to go for it, and when we started the match with really tough serving that was getting them on their heels I think we found this really great combination of calm and aggressiveness."
Anderson had five kills and no errors, hitting .357 while dishing out 35 assists. She also had three aces and six digs, while combining on three assisted blocks. Clark had a season-high 17 kills on .105 hitting. It was her fourth straight match with multiple aces.
The win required a complete team effort, and Lawrence applauded the support and energy that the bench provided as well. Serving played a massive role, but just as important to Montana's big rallies was the unknown of who would make the play.
Maddie Kremer had 10 kills and Chuhlantseff had nine, each stepping up in several key moments. Scherffius' run in the third set helped change the momentum of the match even though she would end the day with just four kills. Catie Semadeni also had just four kills but a strong overall performance.
Alexis Batezel played a key role defensively with a team-high 18 digs.
"We were not only playmakers individually but also together," Lawrence said. "We would string together points where multiple athletes would execute something, and together that was pretty overwhelming and would cause these giant swings in our favor.
"You look at the stat sheet and you can't really pick out any one person that played a very complete match numbers-wise, but I think the numbers lie in that case. I think it was all about those moments of the team stepping up together."
It's a preseason schedule that from the very start was supposed to challenge Montana. They didn't know, as they prepared for the 12-game gauntlet, how many wins might await them at the end of it. While the win total has never been the goal, winning back-to-back matches and having a chance at a tournament title has sparked some confidence in Lawrence and her team.
"I think we're in an incredible spot," Lawrence said. "We're learning what we want to be learning for conference. We're learning tough lessons and we're getting sweet rewards. Bring it on."
Team Stats
Mont
UNM
Kills
49
44
Errors
26
22
Attempts
168
149
Hitting %
.137
.148
Points
74.0
58.0
Assists
41
35
Aces
14
3
Blocks
11
11
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
4
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
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