Second-place Bengals come back to beat Griz

Thursday, October 31

Missoula, Mont.

7:00 PM

Montana

6-15,1-9Big Sky

Idaho State

17-5,8-2Big Sky

Idaho St.

Montana

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

10/31/2024 10:35:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana made a lineup change on Thursday night against Idaho State, and the move paid dividends for head coach Allison Lawrence as her team took the second-place Bengals all the way to the brink in a five-set match. It wouldn't be quite enough, as Idaho State came from behind to win in five and improve to 8-2 in Big Sky play.

The Grizzlies changed the gameplan, inserting up-and-coming freshman Delaney Russell into the starting lineup. The move caught Idaho State by surprise, and Russell showed her dynamism in the air and on the attack with an unbelievable first set.

The freshman had nine kills on just 11 swings in the opening set, and added a pair of service aces in an 11-point effort to lead the Grizzlies to a big opening set win. Russell, who entered the match with a season-high of five kills, was the story of the night as she had 18 kills on .316 hitting overall.

Her performance led to the best offensive set of the season for Montana as they hit .615 as a team against an Idaho State team that ranked third in the NCAA in blocks coming into the night.

Despite the big opening set, and another win in a back-and-forth third set, the Grizzlies couldn't hold onto the lead to get the upset.

"Tonight hurts," Lawrence said. "I think we played well enough to win and have a breakthrough against a really hot ISU team. It stings, but what stings more is, especially in that fifth set, we are letting free ball plays drop, we're not covering, there are still mental errors. While that's frustrating, it means it's in our hands if we can do our jobs individually and take care of the ball in a more disciplined way we're going to be in any match."

Montana hit .202 against the Bengals, becoming just the fifth team in the league to hit over .200 against the stout defense. The Griz also held an efficient Idaho State offense to .207 hitting, their second-worst league performance. ISU entered the match having hit .385 in their last outing and .446 two matches ago.

Montana actually led in hitting percentage until the closing moments of the fifth set when Idaho State pulled away for the victory. The loss (16-25, 25-12, 18-25, 25-19, 15-7) drops Montana to 6-15 overall and 1-9 in Big Sky play.

The story of the night was Russell from the very first serve. The freshman had Montana's first three points of the night as they took an early lead. She had a service ace to make it 8-4 and at the time she had five kills on six swings.

She kept the momentum rolling, picking up her seventh kill to send the set into the media timeout with Montana leading 15-10. It also opened up alleys for the rest of the Grizzly attackers, as Montana pulled away from the Bengals and won the opener 25-16.

The Griz had 18 kills in the first set and four service aces as they were the aggressor in the match. Paige Clark was 3-for-3 on her attacks in the opening set and Maddie Kremer also added three kills.

Russell hit .818 with no errors, completely changing the feel for a Montana team that entered the night having lost 12 straight sets.

7⃣ kills. 9⃣ swings. It's a dream start for the freshman Delaney Russell 😍 pic.twitter.com/iy9kmyO3vd
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 1, 2024

"I think the biggest bright spot was that we had a freshman come in and hit .800 in the first set and be a go-to playmaker and I think she did that throughout the match," Lawrence said. "It was a big bright spot to jump out in a new line-up and to catch them by surprise a bit and hit so well was a great spark."

The vaunted Bengal block came alive in the second set, and they used a 9-1 early run to take control. Back against the wall, Montana wouldn't go away, climbing back within two points on several occasions.

But Idaho State, behind six blocks in the set, held Montana to a .000 hitting percentage in a 25-21 win to even it up at one set apiece.

Russell started the match with 13 kills on her first 16 attacks before Idaho State was finally able to adjust and slow her down a bit.

After just three total lead changes in the first two sets, the teams finally got into a back-and-forth in the third. Every time Montana would pull ahead, Idaho State cut back, but the Grizzlies were able to get some breathing room with a 3-0 run that made it 18-15 after a solo block from Clark.

The hosts scored eight of 10 points in the home stretch, which has been a problem area for them this season, and got a big lead down the stretch. They coasted to the third set win at 25-18, putting the second-place team in the league and winners of three straight on the ropes.

Montana mixed it up in the third, and were led in the set by Clark, Kremer, and Maddie Pyles with four kills each. Pyles did it on just five swings. The junior ended the night with eight kills, eight digs, and three blocks in another solid all-around effort.

Texas Hammer 🤠🔨 pic.twitter.com/uroYy6ROOO
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 1, 2024

The Griz had an early lead in the fourth, but a 6-1 Idaho State run flipped it back in favor of the visitors. Montana staged a rally late, scoring four straight to cut it to 19-16, but weren't able to climb back into it and dropped the fourth 25-19.

The veteran Bengals team improved to 4-2 in five-set matches by pulling away early in the fifth set for the win. They led 8-3, and then went on a 6-1 run to end it at 15-7. Montana drops to 0-2 in five setters.

It's the third time this Big Sky season that Montana has hit over .200, as the change in lineup and formation paid off for Lawrence and her staff. Gracie Cagle had 26 assists and Casi Newman had 24 as the duo split the setter duties.

"This lineup definitely got more arms on the floor at all times and I think it showed in our offense most of the time tonight," Lawrence said. "It's encouraging, and a fun new problem moving forward."

At the end of the night, the highlight has to be the play of the former Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Colorado. Russell entered the night with 12 kills in 49 sets played. She nearly topped that mark in the first set, and went well past it by the end of the night.

Her 18 kills are the most by a Grizzly freshman since Paige Clark had 23 on Oct. 14, 2021 against Portland State.

"She's grown leaps and bounds," Lawrence said of Russell. "In the practice gym, she is somebody that plays with that level of intensity all the time. When you're not getting time, you are supposed to make it impossible for the coaches to keep you off the court and she's been doing that in practice. She's a dog."

Russell and the Grizzlies will return to action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m against Weber State. The Wildcats moved into third place in the league standings on Thursday night by sweeping Montana State in Bozeman.

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