BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Montana State University Billings' volleyball team opens its Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule Thursday at Alaska. The Yellowjackets will be looking for their first ever GNAC season-opening win.
YELLOWJACKETS OPEN GNAC SLATE
* MSU Billings has three conference season-openers since 2000.
* Montana State Billings has never won a Great Northwestern Athletic Conference season-opening match, falling in all seven since 2007.
* The Yellowjackets opened the 2008 and 2009 GNAC seasons with losses to Alaska-Fairbanks.
* MSUB is 21-25 all-time against Alaska-Fairbanks and 5-13 on the road.
* The Nanooks have won the last two meetings in Fairbanks, including a four-set match last season.
* MSU Billings has won six of the last eight matches versus UAF.
* The Yellowjackets have won 10 of the 45 matches with Alaska-Anchorage.
* UAA has won 17 of the 21 matches in Anchorage.
* The Seawolves have won six straight matches in the series.
* The last MSUB win in Anchorage was a sweep in 2009.
THE FIRST SERVE
* This is the 34th season of Yellowjacket volleyball.
* Montana State Billings begins its seventh season in the GNAC.
* MSU Billings finished tied for sixth in the GNAC with an 8-10 record.
* Montana State Billings was selected sixth in the GNAC preseason poll.
* The Yellowjackets' 40 points in the preseason poll was the second most since MSUB joined the GNAC in 2007.
* Montana State Billings lost six letterwinners, but return seven.
* MSUB welcomes back four starters, while losing two and a libero.
* Last season, the Yellowjackets were 3-0 in five-set matches.
* MSUB is 7-3 in its last 10 five-set matches.
* Her 1,222 assists is eighth on the MSUB all-time list, 11 away from seventh.
WALTER NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
At the Seaside Invitational in San Diego,
Chelsey Walter was named to the All-Tournament team. Through the four matches at the tournament she had a team-high 45 kills and .432 hitting percentage. The junior also has a team-high nine total blocks. Walter is currently fifth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in hitting percentage. Williams is third in assists per set (9.69).
