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Box Score 2
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The Montana State University Billings' volleyball team won one of its two matches at the Seawolf Spike hosted by Sonoma State University Friday.
In the first match, despite another double-double effort from
Monica Grimsrud, the Montana State Billings fell in a close four-set match to Cal State-Chico. The Wildcats (2-3) held off MSUB 28-26 in a back-and-forth fourth set for the 3-1 victory. Chico State's Ellie Larronde matched a tournament record with 29 terminations in the win. Lindsay Quigley added 13 kills, and Alex Shurtz had a double-double with 14 kills and 18 digs. Quigley finished with a .478 hitting percentage and the Wildcats outhit MSU Billings .219 to .212.
Torey Thompson had a match-high 55 assists, while adding 12 digs. Emily Duran and Lauren Orozco also had 15 and 11 digs. Chico State had a 63-52 kills advantage, 60-50 assists advantage, and a 71 to 67 edge in digs. The Wildcats also finished with eight team blocks to MSUB's four. Natalie Nordahl was in on five blocks.
The heavily competitive match featured 29 ties and eight lead changes. The lead was never larger than four in the opening set. Chico State took a 19-15 lead following a Yellowjacket attack error, and then was able to hold off a rally by MSUB for the 25-21 victory. The Wildcats hit .300 in the set.
It was the Yellowjackets that hit a match-high .400 in the second set. Montana State Billings' hitting percentage was its highest in a single set this season. MSUB controlled the tempo, leading by as many as nine. The Yellowjackets took the set 25-17. With the score tied at eight in the third set, Chico State made a decisive 11-1 run capped by a Larronde kill. In a set that featured only one lead change, the Wildcats eased to a 25-16 win.
The final set had 11 ties and nine lead changes. Chico State hit .190 in the set, while MSUB hit .182. The Yellowjackets had an early 5-2 lead, and stretched it to 13-7 after a Chico State attack error. The Wildcats rallied and went on a 12-2 run. The score tied five times after a 20-20 score, including MSUB battling back from a 24-22 set point deficit. In the end, Chico State held on for an epic 28-26 win.
Four Yellowjackets finished with double-digit kill totals, including Grimsrud's team-high 17.
Stormy Siemion and
Ashlynn Ward both had 11, while
Chelsey Walter added 10.
Kyndal Williams had 40 assists.
Sydney Oberstein led MSU Billings with 18 digs, while Grimsrud and
Kimmy Kirk both had 15.
Montana State Billings (2-4) controlled its second match of the day, in its second match of the week against Cal State-Stanislaus. A week ago, the Yellowjackets won a four-set match over the Warriors, and they only needed three sets to sweep Stanislaus Friday.
Grimsrud totaled 22 kills in the win, while Williams had a match-high 42 assists. Through the first day, Grimsrud is second in the tournament with 39 kills, and third with a .427 hitting percentage. Williams is third with 82 assists. After recording three service aces in the first match Friday,
Kierney Findon added a pair in the second match. She leads the tournament with five. Oberstein led MSUB with nine digs against the Warriors.
The match featured six ties and two lead changes, with all of them coming in the first set. The Yellowjackets seized momentum early and controlled it the rest of the match. Grimrud's .656 hitting percentage led MSUB to a team .339 percentage. Stanislaus (1-5) finished with .104. Blair Ehrlich led the Warriors with 10 terminations. Hannah Green had 21 assists and Sarah Crowl posted 15 digs. Green and Taylor Massingale both were in on five blocks.
Montana State Billings opens the second day of the tournament with San Francisco State at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The Yellowjackets then face the hosts, No. 24 Sonoma State, at 7 p.m. Both matches will have live video and stats on MSUBSports.com.
