MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Yellowjackets lost a four set Great Northwest Athletic Conference match on the road against Western Oregon 13-25, 25-20, 29-27, and 25-15.
Freshman Angala Jensen notched a triple-double of 10 kills, 14 digs, and 37 assists. The setter from Colorado Springs was all over the court for the Yellowjackets, finishing with a .346 attack percentage and adding two blocks at the net.
After dominating the opening set, 25-13, by hitting .433 in the frame and finding a clean rhythm at the net, the Yellowjackets went up against an emotional Western Oregon team on their Senior Night. The Wolves countered the opening set loss by winning the second frame. In the all-important third set, both teams battled to gain an edge. MSUB held a 21-19 lead when the Wolves were able to tie the set on a kill from Alisha Bettinson and a forced error on the 'Jackets. Montana State Billings held set points at 24, 25, 26, and 27, but each time Western Oregon was able to battle back. Down 27-26, WOU earned three straight points to take the 2-1 lead. Western Oregon dominated the last frame, going ahead 20-12, and finishing the match with a kill from Amanda Short.
"Tonight was disappointing," MSUB head coach Casey Williams said. "I didn't think we played as hard as we could have."
With the loss, Montana State University Billings falls to 7-10 on the season and 5-12 in the GNAC. Western Oregon moves to 10-15 and 7-11 in the conference.
MSUB's Stormy Siemion finished with 14 kills and 13 digs. Ashlynn Ward had 11 kills and Miranda McConnell seven. On defense, five Yellowjackets ended the night with double-digits. Kylee Cornelio led the team with 15 digs. Mataia Robinson had 12 digs and four service aces. Freshman Faith Taylor had 12 digs. Casey Rich led the team in blocks with three.
Bettinson led the Wolves with 19 kills. Maddie Mehciz had 48 assists. Christie Colasurdo finished with a match-high 21 digs.
The Yellowjackets blasted out ahead 20-9 in the opening frame, using an 8-1 run to seal the first frame. The second set was tight, until the final seven points. A double block from RIch and Bre Rodrigues tied the set at 18. The Wolves evened the match using a pair of kills from Bettinson and one from Mehciz. MSUB led 11-9 in the third set on a kill from Siemion. WOU fired off six straight points to take the lead. MSU Billings took the lead back on three straight WOU errors. MSUB was unable to finish the frame, as WOU took a 2-1 advantage on three straight points. In the fourth frame, Western Oregon flew out to a double-digit lead, competing to a four set win to even the season series against MSUB 1-1.
UP NEXT: MSUB continues with its conference road trip travelling to Portland, Ore., for a match against Concordia (Ore.), on Saturday, Nov. 12, beginning at 7 p.m. PST.
THE BUZZ: Jensen named the St.Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Match.
