MSUB defeats volleyball in straight sets
October 12, 2012
Jamie Foland
474-6807
Montana State University Billings limited Alaska to a .064 hitting percentage and took advantages of errors as it was able to pick up a 3-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball victory on Thursday evening at MSUB's Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The Yellowjackets evened their record to 8-8 overall and 5-3 in GNAC play after winning the match by scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-19. The defeat dropped the Nanooks' record to 3-11 on the year and 1-7 in conference.
“We certainly had our chances but weren't efficient,” head coach Phil Shoemaker said. “We gave up too many soft points in the sense that we need to see more of what we practice more consistently in a more disciplined manner. We need to be getting to that point to handle that on the road as well as when we're at home.”
MSUB was led by Monica Grimsrud, who tallied a match-best 12 kills while Jody Lutz had nine terminations and three block assists. Kyndal Williams tied for a match-high 31 assists and Erin Compton and Morgan Moss combined for 34 digs with 19 and 15, respectively.
Freshman outside hitter Sam Harthun led Alaska with 11 kills and a .206 hitting percentage (11-4-34) to go with three block assists. Junior outside hitter Keri Knight and senior outside hitter Reilly Stevens had eight and six kills, respectively while sophomore middle blocker Britt Glaeser had three kills and a match-high five blocks (one solo). Freshman setter Katlyn Mataya tied Williams with 31 assists while senior libero Allison Oddy took home match-high honors with 21 digs.
“I though Britt did really well,” Shoemaker said. “She had five blocks tonight in three sets and she worked her tail off in the middle to get herself available. We didn't use her very much but when we did she had a chance of doing good things for us.”
Shoemaker continued, “Ally worked hard. She had 21 digs and I'm sure she'd say that there were some plays she should have come up with as well and that happens when you lose. When you lose to a team you know you're capable of beating it's a problem and it's going to hurt.”
Billings hit .151 (38-20-119) as a team while Alaska struggled on the attack with a .064 (34-26-125) hitting percentage. The Nanooks committed 26 attack errors, to the Jackets' 20 but held a slim advantage on blocks, 6-5.
Alaska led 12-11 in the first, but a pair of errors and two MSUB kills allowed the hosts to grab a 15-12 lead. Later on, the Nanooks scored three in a row to tie the set at 17 apiece but after teams traded points, the Yellowjackets scored three to grab the 21-18 advantage. Alaska cut it to one at 21-20, but a trio of MSUB kills put the home team on set point and it would go on to take the first 25-21.
MSU-Billings led 11-10 in the second but three errors allowed Alaska to go on a 4-0 run and go up 14-11. The Nanooks committed errors on the ensuing two plays that sparked a 6-1 run for MSUB. Leading 23-18, the Yellowjackets allowed the 'Nooks back into the set as they scored five of six to trim the gap to 24-23, but Grimsrud closed the frame with a kill to give the home team a 2-0 match lead.
The Yellowjackets opened the third with a 5-0 run but the Nanooks had a 5-0 run of their own to knot it up. Leading 11-10, MSUB scored six of eight to open up a 17-12 advantage. After a Stevens kill, the Jackets took four of the next five to lead 21-14. Alaska got to within four twice, but Billings went on to take the third 25-19 to clinch the sweep.
“We had so many chances to take leads, pull away and win sets and we did not,” Shoemaker said. “It's tough on the road but that just isn't where we need to be and obviously disappointing. We had good performances but it's a team sport so you win as a team, you lose as a team. We need more consistent performances across the board.”
The Nanooks return to action Saturday at 2 p.m. (AKDT) when they face Seattle Pacific on the road at Brougham Pavilion.