Thursday, November 7
Cheney, Wash.
7:00 PM (MT)
Montana
7-16,2-10Big Sky
3
at
0
Eastern Washington
10-12,6-6Big Sky
1
2
3
F
Montana
25
29
25
3
Eastern Wash.
21
27
13
0
Griz dominate Eagles in sweep
11/7/2024 10:01:00 PM | Volleyball
It's been a challenging conference season so far for the Montana volleyball program, but they took out their frustrations on a good Eastern Washington team on Thursday night in Cheney, dominating offensively in a three-set sweep of the Eagles.
It's the second win of the conference season for Montana, both of which have come in sweeps, and keeps them alive in the race for the Big Sky Conference Tournament at the end of the month.
It's Montana's third straight win in Cheney as they've won five of the last six overall against Eastern Washington. The Griz (7-16, 2-10 Big Sky) won 25-21, 29-27, and 25-13 to secure the sweep.
"It feels amazing," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It's just such a testament to the loyalty and commitment of the group to each other because I think since the last time we played them we have grown a ton and learned a lot. Even in the last two weeks, it has felt like we've been growing exponentially. The team is still hungry and still fighting, and it was really cool to see so much growth show up and get the big reward for it."
The offense carried the day as Montana hit .328 as a team, displaying remarkable consistency with all three sets landing between .324 and .333. It's the second-best attacking percentage of the season for Montana, trailing only their first match-up with Saturday's opponent Idaho.
It's even more impressive when you take the opponent into consideration. Eastern Washington entered the night with the 13th ranked block in the entire country, and were holding opponents under .200.
Montana's .328 percentage was the highest by an Eagles' opponent in all 22 of their matches this season. The Grizzlies were only the second team this year to hit over .300 on them.
The five blocks for Eastern Washington were also a season-low for one of the best teams nationally in that department. Montana knew that beating the block would be crucial if they wanted a road win, and the team executed on the game plan.
"We had worked on shot selection and range and just choices in the air for our pins and middles over the last two weeks, and I just feel like we went in with a consistent mindset, a lot of confidence from executing it in practice, and then we just did it," Lawrence said. "I think that piece allowed us to breathe early because we were scoring past their block, and I think we loosened up."
It was a balanced effort from the Griz as six different players had at least 10 attacks and every one of them finished with five or more kills. Maddie Kremer had 11 on .379 hitting, Maddy Pyles had nine on .444 hitting, and Paige Clark had eight on .207 hitting to lead the way.
They did the damage on sets from both Gracie Cagle and Casi Newman. The two setters finished with 19 assists each. Cagle added two kills to that number, while Newman had eight digs.
The Griz looked good from the very first point of the night, which was a kill from Pyles. It started a very impressive performance for her, as she played particularly well in the first stretch of the game. She gave Montana a 4-1 lead with an ace.
Eastern Washington pulled it back level and the teams traded points to be tied at 10-all. Then a 4-0 run by the hosts forced Lawrence to take her first timeout. The set was headed down an all too familiar road for Montana, but they got a big response out of the break.
Pyles gave Montana the serve back with a kill, and then recorded back-to-back aces during a 6-0 run that forced an Eastern Washington timeout at 16-14. The Eagles scored one point out of it, but then Newman served as part of a 4-0 run. She had an ace, the fourth of the set for the Griz, to make it 20-15 Montana.
"I feel like that performance by (Pyles), which we had talked about serving mentality with the team before the match, flipped the entire match," Lawrence said. "All of a sudden, we're back in there. Casi quickly after that goes on a several point serving run, and it felt like from that point we were free to be the aggressors."
The Griz closed out the first set 25-21, their first set victory over the Eagles this season. Pyles had three kills and three aces in the first set, and Montana had six different players record at least one kill.
Montana has been good at playing from behind this year, but has struggled in close matches when they have the lead down the stretch. The serving run, and overall play, from Pyles helped give her teammates the confidence to finish it off.
"I think without Maddie Pyles asserting that from the service line that first set could have been point-for-point down the stretch where we were playing from behind in significant ways," Lawrence said. "We dug our heels in and decided to flip the script and took control, which was awesome to see."
The confidence rolled into the second set, where Pyles remained hot from the service line and in the attacking game. The Griz jumped out to a 7-2 lead after another scoring run that came as the result of Pyles' serving. She had six kills on eight swings to go with three aces at the time.
Montana continued to hold a lead up to 15-13, when a long break in the action to check the score occurred. There were nine minutes between points, which cooled off some of the Griz momentum. Eastern Washington went on a 3-0 lead following the delay to go up 16-15.
The teams were tied at 17-all, but back-to-back kills from freshman middle Sydney Pierce put Montana back in charge. Pierce and fellow middle blocker Brenley Hansen had one of the best performances of the year from the Grizzly middles as they combined for 11 kills on 25 swings.
It's the most combined kills by the duo this year. Their success, particularly early, allowed for the pins to heat up down the stretch.
"Our middles had an incredible night," Lawrence said. "Their success early opened things up for our pins, and then we settled into a rhythm where we were ball controlling well enough that we could evenly distribute the ball and everyone was finding success."
Montana's first set point came at 24-23, but Eastern Washington were able to fend it off. The Griz would have four more chances to put the set away, never falling behind the hosts but also struggling to get the final blow.
They finally did behind a fantastic serve from Pyles. She continued her tremendous night with a serve that caused issues on Eastern Washington's side. The reception popped back onto the Montana side of the net, and Clark put it away to end a marathon set in emphatic fashion.
The Griz were just 4-12 in two-point sets entering the night. They had struggled in that situation before, but with a set lead already didn't let the opportunity go to waste this time around.
"Incredibly proud of that," Lawrence said. "It was point-for-point, we were out of subs, and so were they, so we had people playing out of position. Even through that, we were still scoring and fighting, and it was pretty incredible."
Montana left no doubt in the third set. They jumped ahead 6-1 to force a very early Eastern Washington timeout. The Eagles took their second timeout trailing 12-3, but Montana continued to pile on. It was the second biggest set win of the year for the Griz at 25-13, and it ended in sweet style.
Olivia Liermann entered for the first time on match point, and the lefty dialed up an ace for the first point of her Grizzly career.
"That's a really hard thing to do on match point and to go in cold and just rip that ball, she went for it and it was the exclamation point of the match," Lawrence said. "It was such a team win, and that was one of the coolest finishes to a match."
The arms were obviously on point for the offense, but it all started with the passing ability. The Grizzlies' ball control was exceptional on the night, and it allowed them to find a good rhythm offensively.
"I think we passed really well. It's a really tough gym to pass in, and that part of our game showed up right away," Lawrence said. "Maddie Kremer and Maddie Pyles, out of the gate, were so locked in on serve receive and that opened things up and gave our setters options."
Montana now has a chance to start a winning streak as they head to Idaho on Saturday. The Vandals are 0-12 in Big Sky play this year, and won just their second set during conference play on Thursday night against Montana State.
But before they lock in for the match against the Vandals, Lawrence and her team are going to live in this moment that they've worked so hard for and celebrate a well-earned win.
"This team has fought so hard for a reward and hasn't gotten one for a while, so we're going to sit in this one and celebrate and love our growth, where we are at, and the fact that we keep fighting and digging and growing," Lawrence said. "Then we will switch gears because we need to put together a complete weekend. All the factors that led us into the mentality that we entered the gym in tonight we need to recreate with even more hunger to grab that momentum."
It's the second win of the conference season for Montana, both of which have come in sweeps, and keeps them alive in the race for the Big Sky Conference Tournament at the end of the month.
It's Montana's third straight win in Cheney as they've won five of the last six overall against Eastern Washington. The Griz (7-16, 2-10 Big Sky) won 25-21, 29-27, and 25-13 to secure the sweep.
"It feels amazing," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It's just such a testament to the loyalty and commitment of the group to each other because I think since the last time we played them we have grown a ton and learned a lot. Even in the last two weeks, it has felt like we've been growing exponentially. The team is still hungry and still fighting, and it was really cool to see so much growth show up and get the big reward for it."
The offense carried the day as Montana hit .328 as a team, displaying remarkable consistency with all three sets landing between .324 and .333. It's the second-best attacking percentage of the season for Montana, trailing only their first match-up with Saturday's opponent Idaho.
It's even more impressive when you take the opponent into consideration. Eastern Washington entered the night with the 13th ranked block in the entire country, and were holding opponents under .200.
Montana's .328 percentage was the highest by an Eagles' opponent in all 22 of their matches this season. The Grizzlies were only the second team this year to hit over .300 on them.
The five blocks for Eastern Washington were also a season-low for one of the best teams nationally in that department. Montana knew that beating the block would be crucial if they wanted a road win, and the team executed on the game plan.
"We had worked on shot selection and range and just choices in the air for our pins and middles over the last two weeks, and I just feel like we went in with a consistent mindset, a lot of confidence from executing it in practice, and then we just did it," Lawrence said. "I think that piece allowed us to breathe early because we were scoring past their block, and I think we loosened up."
It was a balanced effort from the Griz as six different players had at least 10 attacks and every one of them finished with five or more kills. Maddie Kremer had 11 on .379 hitting, Maddy Pyles had nine on .444 hitting, and Paige Clark had eight on .207 hitting to lead the way.
They did the damage on sets from both Gracie Cagle and Casi Newman. The two setters finished with 19 assists each. Cagle added two kills to that number, while Newman had eight digs.
The Griz looked good from the very first point of the night, which was a kill from Pyles. It started a very impressive performance for her, as she played particularly well in the first stretch of the game. She gave Montana a 4-1 lead with an ace.
Eastern Washington pulled it back level and the teams traded points to be tied at 10-all. Then a 4-0 run by the hosts forced Lawrence to take her first timeout. The set was headed down an all too familiar road for Montana, but they got a big response out of the break.
Pyles gave Montana the serve back with a kill, and then recorded back-to-back aces during a 6-0 run that forced an Eastern Washington timeout at 16-14. The Eagles scored one point out of it, but then Newman served as part of a 4-0 run. She had an ace, the fourth of the set for the Griz, to make it 20-15 Montana.
"I feel like that performance by (Pyles), which we had talked about serving mentality with the team before the match, flipped the entire match," Lawrence said. "All of a sudden, we're back in there. Casi quickly after that goes on a several point serving run, and it felt like from that point we were free to be the aggressors."
The Griz closed out the first set 25-21, their first set victory over the Eagles this season. Pyles had three kills and three aces in the first set, and Montana had six different players record at least one kill.
The Texas Hammer 🤠🔨 is feeling it tonight! Her 9th kill of the night makes it a 9-point lead! pic.twitter.com/cRaCPs7t7N
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 8, 2024
Montana has been good at playing from behind this year, but has struggled in close matches when they have the lead down the stretch. The serving run, and overall play, from Pyles helped give her teammates the confidence to finish it off.
"I think without Maddie Pyles asserting that from the service line that first set could have been point-for-point down the stretch where we were playing from behind in significant ways," Lawrence said. "We dug our heels in and decided to flip the script and took control, which was awesome to see."
The confidence rolled into the second set, where Pyles remained hot from the service line and in the attacking game. The Griz jumped out to a 7-2 lead after another scoring run that came as the result of Pyles' serving. She had six kills on eight swings to go with three aces at the time.
Montana continued to hold a lead up to 15-13, when a long break in the action to check the score occurred. There were nine minutes between points, which cooled off some of the Griz momentum. Eastern Washington went on a 3-0 lead following the delay to go up 16-15.
The teams were tied at 17-all, but back-to-back kills from freshman middle Sydney Pierce put Montana back in charge. Pierce and fellow middle blocker Brenley Hansen had one of the best performances of the year from the Grizzly middles as they combined for 11 kills on 25 swings.
It's the most combined kills by the duo this year. Their success, particularly early, allowed for the pins to heat up down the stretch.
"Our middles had an incredible night," Lawrence said. "Their success early opened things up for our pins, and then we settled into a rhythm where we were ball controlling well enough that we could evenly distribute the ball and everyone was finding success."
Montana's first set point came at 24-23, but Eastern Washington were able to fend it off. The Griz would have four more chances to put the set away, never falling behind the hosts but also struggling to get the final blow.
They finally did behind a fantastic serve from Pyles. She continued her tremendous night with a serve that caused issues on Eastern Washington's side. The reception popped back onto the Montana side of the net, and Clark put it away to end a marathon set in emphatic fashion.
𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝒂. 𝒔𝒆𝒕.
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 8, 2024
Pyles serve leads to the easy put away for Clark, and the Griz win the marathon! pic.twitter.com/sjn1q3Esan
The Griz were just 4-12 in two-point sets entering the night. They had struggled in that situation before, but with a set lead already didn't let the opportunity go to waste this time around.
"Incredibly proud of that," Lawrence said. "It was point-for-point, we were out of subs, and so were they, so we had people playing out of position. Even through that, we were still scoring and fighting, and it was pretty incredible."
Montana left no doubt in the third set. They jumped ahead 6-1 to force a very early Eastern Washington timeout. The Eagles took their second timeout trailing 12-3, but Montana continued to pile on. It was the second biggest set win of the year for the Griz at 25-13, and it ended in sweet style.
Olivia Liermann entered for the first time on match point, and the lefty dialed up an ace for the first point of her Grizzly career.
"That's a really hard thing to do on match point and to go in cold and just rip that ball, she went for it and it was the exclamation point of the match," Lawrence said. "It was such a team win, and that was one of the coolest finishes to a match."
The first career point for Olivia Liermann is a 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝-𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙘𝙚! pic.twitter.com/fpE5ZMKdud
— Montana Griz Volleyball (@MontanaGrizVB) November 8, 2024
The arms were obviously on point for the offense, but it all started with the passing ability. The Grizzlies' ball control was exceptional on the night, and it allowed them to find a good rhythm offensively.
"I think we passed really well. It's a really tough gym to pass in, and that part of our game showed up right away," Lawrence said. "Maddie Kremer and Maddie Pyles, out of the gate, were so locked in on serve receive and that opened things up and gave our setters options."
Montana now has a chance to start a winning streak as they head to Idaho on Saturday. The Vandals are 0-12 in Big Sky play this year, and won just their second set during conference play on Thursday night against Montana State.
But before they lock in for the match against the Vandals, Lawrence and her team are going to live in this moment that they've worked so hard for and celebrate a well-earned win.
"This team has fought so hard for a reward and hasn't gotten one for a while, so we're going to sit in this one and celebrate and love our growth, where we are at, and the fact that we keep fighting and digging and growing," Lawrence said. "Then we will switch gears because we need to put together a complete weekend. All the factors that led us into the mentality that we entered the gym in tonight we need to recreate with even more hunger to grab that momentum."
Team Stats
Mont
EWU
Kills
47
41
Errors
7
16
Attempts
122
125
Hitting %
.328
.200
Points
59.0
49.0
Assists
44
36
Aces
8
3
Blocks
4
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
3
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballGriz Volleyball Weekly Press Conference - 9/8/25
Tuesday, September 09
Griz Volleyball Press Conference - 9/8/25
Tuesday, September 09
Griz Volleyball Weekly Press Conference - 9/1/25
Monday, September 01
Griz Volleyball Press Conference - 9/1/25
Monday, September 01
