Griz seniors prepare for final matches at home

Leave it better than you found it.

It's a simple line of instruction that can apply to so much in life. It's cleaning up after yourself when you visit a friend's home. Carrying out what you carried in to your hike in the woods. Renovating a home that you live in, or volunteering in a community that you reside in.

It's meaning is simple, plainly stated. When you interact with something, or someone, try your best to always leave that situation in a better position than you found it in.

For this year's Montana volleyball senior class, it's about leaving the program in a much better place when they close out their careers at home Saturday night than it was when they played their first match.

Paige Clark, Maddie Kremer, Sierra Dennison, Jackie Howell, Ginny Pace, and Casi Newman will all be honored on Saturday night prior to the first serve as part of Montana's Senior Night. The emotions will come-and-go as they take the floor with their families, and think back on all the swings, the digs, the serves, and the smiles that they shared on this floor.

They will be honored on Saturday night, but this group will be remembered for a long time at Montana as one that changed what Griz volleyball can be.

Clark, Kremer, and Dennison arrived in 2021 as freshmen, recruited to a program that had won just nine total matches over the previous two seasons. Howell came to UM in 2021 as well, a transfer from Tyler Junior College.

There were pieces around that had Montana on the right track to rebuild, but this class has been one of the most important of the previous two decades. Head coach Allison Lawrence and her staff had a hard job of selling a program that on paper didn't have a lot of wins to show.

"They sent a lot of letters and in them they just said that they wanted me to be part of what started to bring this program back, and that was something that was really special to me." Clark said. "Being a part of something cool that was struggling and helping get it back towards the top."

The family aspect of Griz volleyball is something that has always been strong. Lawrence, the staff, and all the current players are involved in the recruiting process, and it's heavy on relationships and the culture of the team and where a possible recruit might fit in that.

"They have a really special way of recruiting," Kremer said "It really makes you feel so special and like you're part of the team already."

This group gave Lawrence immediate positive feedback. In their first year on campus, Montana won 11 matches, its most in nearly a decade. In the second year with the group, the first season for Pace, the Grizzlies won 17 matches, the most since 1999. They won 11 in 2023 and have eight wins this year.

Casi Newman arrived from UC Davis to bolster Montana's setter position, and has been a key player all year as a veteran playing out her final year of college volleyball in a place that has become a second-home.

All four of their seasons have season Montana's win total pass six of the seven years prior to their arrival.

Montana still hasn't reached the place that it wants to be. There is still work to be done. But this group changed the narrative, and helped attract the types of players that can take it to a championship level to Missoula.

There are still plenty of alumni that attend games, or support on social media from afar. They've supported the program, and shared messages of what being a Grizzly meant to them.

The Griz are still chasing the dream of a first Big Sky title since 1994, but even without hardware this group's accomplishments have been special.

"We have some of the women that were on the team in the 90s that we really looked up to and we were like, that's what we would like to be," Kremer said. "We're still on the way to be them and do that, but every game in the last couple years there have been records coming out that I didn't know were possible. The only people that know and see behind the scenes are us, and we know how special our team is and the record might not show it, but it is really special."

Success is a fickle thing. The 2024 season hasn't quite gone to Montana's plan. There are reasons for that, big and small, but this team isn't done fighting. There is still a pathway to the Big Sky Tournament, and if they are able to get there they would be the first class since the 90s to make four tournaments.

And if they fall short, it won't tarnish the fact that this group has been one of the most successful in the last two decades.

Their real impact may come in what they helped bring to Montana. This year's freshman class, one of the largest in program history, is also one of the best. Sydney Pierce and Delaney Russell have both solidified themselves as key players down the stretch, and they should only get better in time.

It's an exciting group that may not have been here without this group of seniors. Russell, an outside hitter that has learned under Clark and Kremer, has learned about volleyball and life from the two seniors this year.

"I think those two, I honestly couldn't ask for two better players to look up to," Russell said. "I think that they are so uniquely different in their own ways and I think that there are parts of my game that are similar to both of theirs but also things that are super different. I think just being able to look at their energy, love for the game, and love for their teammates is so inspiring."

The seniors are inspiring the freshmen, but the younger players are also leaving their mark on the outgoing players.

"They are the freshmen that I wish that I was," Kremer said. "They are kicking but and I'm so excited to be able to come back and watch them and have a relationship with them. I know that I'll be cheering them on and they will be cheering me on with whatever I'm going to do."

There are intangibles possessed by this freshman class that go hand-in-hand with what the current team at Montana is doing. It's a shared relationship, and Lawrence said that the most important thing in the recruiting process was the characteristics that her seniors and current team possess.

"I think the qualities that these recruits bring, what attracted those people here, is our current team," Lawrence said. "The work that they've done have attracted the qualities that are required for the next step in our program. I think that's so cool."

It's that connection that will carry on, not just from this group but from all the players that Montana has had under Lawrence.

Because this is about so much more than the on-court product. It's about the relationships that these players have made, and the footprint that they have set in the ground to build a solid foundation from.

It's a team that relates to the community of Missoula and welcomes everyone, win or lose, to share the floor with them after the game for autographs and a friendly word or two.

"It's super important. I feel like I'm a very personal person, that's just what I love, I love to have relationships with people and so just being able to have fans that I literally knew nothing about and then just being able to talk to them and I'll probably end up going to dinner with them over Christmas break," Clark said. "I just love it here, and then my family also gets to come visit, so I love the family atmosphere of this place."

It's a love that is evident every time they take the floor. When Paige Clark has a big kill, everyone in the arena feels it. When Sierra Dennison stops an attack and sends it to the floor, you sense the shared joy in every player and coach. When Jackie Howell dives for a ball to keep it alive, the fans watching smile knowing how much she went through to get back on the floor.

"It's such a family and that is just the culture that Allison, Dana, and now Ollie bring to this team," Kremer said. "They want everyone's opinions on recruits and if they mesh with us, and that's what builds this program and makes it so close and such a family."

And regardless of what the final record ends up being in 2024, they have given the rest of the conference a new outlook on Griz volleyball.

"It definitely means a lot," Clark said. "Obviously, we all did it together and that's super cool. When I committed, my high school coach was telling me that they had some losing seasons and she didn't know if I would love that. I think being able to say I had a part in making it not that kind of program is super cool."

Now, they get ready for their final two games inside Dahlberg Arena. They will host Sacramento State at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, and then have Senior Night at 7:00 p.m. against Portland State.

The Griz will essentially need to win out to extend their season to the conference tournament. It's something that would have sounded absurd three weeks ago, but now seems like a realistic result.

They swept through last weekend on the road at Eastern Washington and Idaho in perfect fashion, hitting over .300 in both matches to finish the weekend 6-0. Prior to that, they took second-place Idaho State to five sets, nearly pulling off the upset.

It's a team that has found new life in the closing stretch of the season. Is it improbable? Sure. But this is a team that has faced long odds before.

One thing is certain, they will be soaking up every last moment that they get together on that floor.

"They are legit my best friends. I love them," Clark said. "When Sierra told us that she was deciding not to take her fifth year she texted me and said we're going to be old and saggy best friends forever. The three of us are going to have a relationship that goes way beyond here and every alumni weekend we're going to get back together and hang out and I just literally love them and I would not have chosen to do this with anyone else.

"Those are the things I'm going to remember, I won't really remember the wins and losses, but I'll definitely remember the people that I did it with," Clark said.

It's easy to look ahead and try to plan out how the next two weeks will go and what that will mean for their season. But it's also a time to look back on just how great the last four years have been.

"Recently I've been thinking about how lucky I was to even come here," Kremer said. "I didn't get many offers out of high school, COVID and recruiting was crazy for me, and the fact that I got this chance with this team and these coaches and this school and city, I think about that all the time. I think this is the best place I could have ended up, and I can't see myself anywhere else."

As for her emotions during Senior Week?

"They are definitely sad," Clark said. "I can't really talk too much about them or I will cry. But it's super fun. I am just excited to do this with the coaches. I feel like we've been through the highs and lows of college volleyball together and so just being able to sit in this moment and enjoy my last time here and be with the fans and my family, I'm super excited for that."

One thing is for sure, in so many ways, this senior class has certainly left it better than they found it.

THE POSTSEASON PICTURE
Montana enters the week in 9th place in the Big Sky standings. The top eight teams will
make the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Sacramento from Nov. 27-29.

The Grizzlies trail Northern Arizona by 1.5 games, but the Lumberjacks hold the tiebreaker
having won the only regular season meeting between the two teams. Northern Arizona has
four games remaining, including one against winless Idaho.

Portland State is in 7th place, leading Montana by 2.5 games. The Vikings won the first meeting between the two school in four sets. Montana would need to win in three sets at home, or win in four sets by a total point margin greater than 19, to get the tiebreaker over the Vikings.

Montana could still overtake Montana State in the league standings, but would need to win out and have MSU lose out. The Griz would then need to sweep the rivalry match by more than 17 points to get the tiebreaker.

MONTANA NOTES

Head coach Allison Lawrence is one win away from 75 in her Montana career. She is third in program history behind Dick Scott (403) and Jerry Wagner (102) in wins.
Montana is 3-0 when hitting at least .300 this season. They did so in both matches last weekend, hitting .328 in the win over Eastern Washington and .333 against Idaho.
The win over Eastern Washington was just the second this year for Montana when the opponent has hit .200 or better. They were 1-15 on the year prior to the win on Thursday night.
Montana had fewer digs than Eastern Washington, and the same as Idaho. All six of Montana's wins prior to last weekend came when they had more digs than their opponent.
The Griz also had fewer blocks than both Eastern Washington and Idaho. They are the first two wins on the year for Montana when they had fewer blocks than their opponent.
In sets decided by the minimum two points, the Griz are now 6-12 in such sets this year. They won a two-point set against both Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Olivia Liermann had her first career point in the win over Idaho, serving an ace for the match winning point.
Calista Ousley had her first career kill in the win over Eastern Washington.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE (16-9, 9-3 BIG SKY)

The Hornets come into the week with a 9-3 record in Big Sky play which has them very much alive in the conference championship race. It's tight at the top with Northern Colorado leading at 10-2 and three teams tied at 9-3.
Sacramento State is one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They enter Thursday on a four-match winning streak having dropped just a single set in that time.
Last weekend, they completed a perfect 6-0 weekend at Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. The loss was just the second of the conference season for UNC, who had one eight straight matches by a combined set score of 24-2.
Bridgette Smith was named the Big Sky Player of the Week after her performance in the sweep of the road trip. She had 19 kills on .459 hitting in the big win over Northern Colorado.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HORNETS

This is the first meeting between the two schools this season. Sacramento State and Northern Arizona are the only two schools that Montana will play just once in 2024.
Sacramento State leads the all-time series 40-15, and are also in the lead 17-11 in Missoula. They have won six straight against the Griz and 10 of the last 11.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE (6-17, 5-7 BIG SKY)

The Vikings were swept twice last week on the road trip to UNC and NAU. The losses snapped what was a two-match winning streak for PSU.
Portland State are currently in 7^th place in the Big Sky Conference. If Montana wins out and Portland State loses their final four, the Griz will jump them in the standings. Montana would still have a chance to pass Portland State by going 2-1 down the stretch with a win over PSU and losses by the Vikings in their other three matches.
They have struggled away from Viking Pavilion this year, going just 1-8 on the road. The only win came in Moscow, a four-set win over Idaho. It's one of just two sets won by the Vandals in Big Sky play this year.
Makayla Lewis was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on Nov. 4 after recording 17 kills vs. EWU and 11 on .308 hitting against Idaho.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE VIKINGS

Portland State won the first meeting between the two schools in four sets.
The Vikings lead the all-time series 65-19. Montana is 14-16 at home against Portland State. The Griz won the last meeting, in Missoula, 3-0, and have won two straight inside Dahlberg Arena against the Vikings.

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Players Mentioned

Paige Clark

Sierra Dennison

Jackie Howell

Maddie Kremer

Olivia Liermann

Casi Newman

Calista Ousley

Ginny Pace

Sydney Pierce

Delaney Russell

University of Montana Athletics