Box Score

NAMPA, Idaho – Two days after upsetting the No. 22-ranked team in the country, the Montana State University Billings volleyball team fell at Northwest Nazarene University in four sets, 18-25, 22-25, 25-22, 22-25.

The Crusaders (12-12, 5-8 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) jumped on MSU Billings early in the match and held off a Yellowjacket rally. Northwest Nazarene avenged a five-set loss in Billings from earlier this season. NNU entered the week losing five of its last six, but beat Seattle Pacific Thursday, and MSUB Saturday.

The Yellowjackets' Erin Compton finished with 24 digs, breaking a 14-year old school record. The junior now has 444 digs this season, which breaks Diane Vargo's 440-mark set in 1998.

Becky Flores led NNU with 17 kills, while Carly Dranginis added 13 kills. Michelle Terpstra finished with 47 assists. Defensively, the Crusaders had five players finish with double-digit dig totals led by Linnea Phillips 16 digs. Taylor Roberts chipped in 14 digs, Elayna Rice and Kaitlyn Tuholski both had 12 digs, and Terpstra had 10 digs. Heather Allen finished with 10 kills and five blocks.

Northwest Nazarene finished the match with a .264 hitting percentage, while MSUB had a .181 hitting percentage. The Crusaders had 62 kills to MSU Billings' 52.

In the first set, NNU trailed 5-4, but used a 6-0 run to begin to pull away from the Yellowjackets. MSUB answered with a 5-0 run to tie the score at 10, but would never take the lead. With the score tied at 13, Northwest Nazarene used a 5-0 run to make its decisive first frame run. Dranginis capped the first set with a kill to give the Crusaders the 25-18 win.

Set 2 went back-and-forth and featured 12 ties and four lead changes. An Allen kill gave NNU a 10-6 lead, but MSU Billings went on a 6-2 run to tie the set. An attack error by the Crusaders moments later gave the MSUB a 14-13 advantage. It was the Yellowjackets last lead. Northwest Nazarene made a late run, changing a 18-18 score to 22-18. NNU took the set, 25-22.

Montana State Billings controlled the third set. NNU had its only lead at 2-1, but it was the Yellowjackets that led by as many as 11. MSUB had a 23-15 lead before Northwest Nazarene made a late run, but the Yellowjackets held on and won the set, 25-22.

Northwest Nazarene never surrendered the lead in the fourth set. MSU Billings trailed 21-16, before it made a 6-1 run to tie the score at 22. But, the Crusaders scored the final three points capped Terpstra kill for the 25-22 win.

Three Yellowjackets (9-11, 6-6 GNAC) finished with double-digit kill totals. Monica Grimsrud had 17 kills, and Taylor Adams and Jody Lutz contributed 14 and 13 kills. Kyndal Williams ended with a match-high 45 assists. Grimsrud also had 14 digs, while Morgan Moss added 11 digs.

After playing three straight matches on the road, Montana State Billings returns to Alterowitz Gymnasium and host Western Oregon (15-5, 8-3) and Saint Martin's (6-11, 3-8) Thursday and Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.