Box Score

After falling early, MSUB rallies for win over Chaminade
 
After falling to Dominican earlier in the day, the Yellowjackets rally to win their second match of the tournament in four sets over Chaminade University.
 
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Behind another strong performance from senior captain Chelsey Walter, the Yellowjackets finished Day 1 of the PacWest/GNAC tournament with a 25-22, 25-15, 24-26, and 25-18 victory over Chaminade University.
 
Delivering the Silverswords their first loss of the season, the Yellowjackets hit .341 and dominated the net with 11.0 total blocks to Chaminade's 4.0.
 
Walter pounded down 14 kills on a .480 attack percentage and added in a match-high five blocks to help the Yellowjackets seal the match against the Silverswords at the last event of the night.
 
Sets one and two were all Yellowjackets as MSUB was in total command the entire way. Set two featured a dominant performance by MSU Billings. At 12-5 MSUB, the Yellowjackets went on an 8-3 run to open the lead up 20-8. The Yellowjackets held the lead and on a kill by Monica Grimsrud from a feed by Kyndal Williams, MSUB  took a 2-0 set lead.
 
Chaminade University (4-1) would not go away quietly. After losing set two 15-25, the Silverswords stayed in the third set by coming up with 19 kills on a .459 attack average. The Yellowjackets had the set and the match in their grasp at 24-22, but Chaminade kept themselves in the match after three kills by Reigna Johnson and one by Madeline Barrett gave the set to Chaminade 26-24 forcing a fourth set to be played.
 
The Yellowjackets came back to the court starting off the set with an early 6-2 lead, but opened up a lead in the middle of the set with a 20-13 advantage. Chaminade made one more push as they rallied to pull back within four points 18-22. This time the Yellowjackets buckled down and added three straight points to win the match at 3-1.
 
MSUB's Ashlynn Ward led all players with 15 kills. Grimsrud had 10 and Stormy Siemion threw in her third double-double of the season as she finished with 12 kills and 10 digs.
 
Chaminade's Barrett had 14 kills and Johnson 13 while Cassie Rushlow had a team double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Valentin Bevilacqua had 43 assists while Athena Maskarich had a team high 13 digs.

Williams finished the match with 42 digs, while Haley Wells scooped up 13 digs and Mataia Roderick added 10 for MSUB.

Friday, Montana State University Billings (5-1) will play one match, facing Fresno Pacific University at 11 a.m. PT.
 
To follow the team's live stats and video, plus more tournament coverage please visit the PacWest/GNAC tournament website HERE.


Match 1

After battling back in the second set to tie the match at 1-1, MSUB couldn't continue the momentum and lost its first match of the season 20-25, 25-19, 23-25, and 15-25 to host school Dominican University of California at the PacWest/GNAC tournament.
 
After falling in a close first set by five points, the Yellowjackets battled back in the second set to even the match. In set two, MSUB never lost the lead, and led by as many as nine points. Down nine points 22-13, Dominican called a timeout. Back on the court, the Penguins rallied to get back within six points, but a kill from Walter at 24-19, would send the match to at least four sets.
 
Set three would see the Yellowjackets with the early lead. Three kills by MSUB's Grimsrud had the team up 8-4, when Dominican called its first timeout of the third set. Following the break, the Penguins rallied to take the set to an 11-11 tie. From there, the two teams traded points all the way to a 23-23 tie. A service error by MSUB and a kill by Dominican's Madeline Powelson gave the Penguins a 2-1 set lead.
 
The fourth set again started close as both teams were tied early at 6-6. A few points went back-and-forth, but then Dominican reeled off a 7-2 run and took a 20-13 lead. The Penguins held strong for five more points to end the match 3-1.
 
The loss gives Montana State University Billings a 4-1 overall record and gives Dominican University of California its first win for a 1-4 record.
 
Dominican was led by Powelson who had 19 kills. Aimee Steinwand with 12 and Susanna Pilkerton with 11 also numbered kills in the double digits. The team had 51 kills overall and had a .312 attack percentage.
 
Hannah Smith had a match-high 45 assists and libero Amanda Lee had 10 digs for the Penguins.
 
Dominican had 12.0 total blocks to the Yellowjackets 3.0. Samantha Rains had four solo blocks and three block assists for Dominican, while Walter had two of the three total blocks for the Yellowjackets.
 
MSU Billings had 47 kills, but had a .172 overall attack percentage. Walter for the Yellowjackets had 13 kills and hit .375. Grimsrud had 11 kills. Williams led the team in assists with 41 and Wells was the lone Yellowjacket with more than 10 digs; she finished the match with 12.