BILLINGS, Mont. – After eight matches and two straight weeks on the road, the MSUB volleyball team is home in Billings for three contests. The Yellowjackets begin the week with a competition against crosstown rival Rocky Mountain College. The 'Jackets head to the Fortin Center on Monday, Sept. 12, for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Battlin' Bears.
 
After a tough opening start to the 2016 season, Montana State University Billings (1-7) is looking to rebound from several opening bouts against west region opponents. After winning their opening match in Hawaii against BYU-Hawaii, the Yellowjackets have lost the last seven contests.

 

Although MSUB doesn't yet have the numbers in the win column, every match this season has gone to extra sets, including three that were pushed into a fifth. Last week in California against Humboldt State, MSU Billings played its longest match of the season, a 19-17 fifth set marathon against the Jacks.
 
Despite the loss record in California, the Yellowjackets led the tournament in hitting percent at .212, and had two players, Stormy Siemion and Ashlynn Ward, as the No. 2 and No. 4 hitters across all teams at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase hosted by Cal State Dominguez Hills.
 
REIGNING GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ward is hitting above .300 this season at .304 (127-31-308). With her four matches last week, the senior outside hitter has moved onto the MSUB career top-10 in kills at No. 8 with 885. Ward is third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in hitting percentage and fourth in kills per set at 3.63.
 
TOP OF THE CONFERENCE: Siemion has posted 137 kills for MSUB this year. She has three matches with 20 or more kills, and has four contests this year with double-doubles in kills/digs. The outside hitter from Huntley Mont., leads the GNAC in kills per set at 3.91 and is second in points per set at 4.23.
 
FRESHMAN TOTALS: Setter Angala Jensen has amassed 322 assists in her opening two weeks as a Yellowjacket. She is averaging 9.20 assists per set for six-best in the conference. Jensen posted two double-doubles in California in assists/digs, and is fourth on the team in digs per set with 1.80.
 
DEFENSIVE COURT: Senior Kylee Cornelio leads the team in digs per set at 2.54. The defensive specialist is second on the Yellowjacket squad in service aces, recording a season-high five untouchable serves in the last match against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Mataia Robinson leads the team in service aces with .46 per set which is 13^th in the GNAC. The junior is averaging 2.20 digs per set and has posted 10 or more digs in four matches this season, including 19 against Humboldt State.
 
MSUB BLOCK: Out of the middle, Miranda McConnell and Casey Rich both have recorded 20 or more total blocks this season. Rich has 24.0 and McConnell 21.0, more than half of MSUB's total.
 
Monday, Sept. 12 – at Rocky Mountain College – 7:00 PM
Fortin Center – Billings, MT – Live Video with commentary – Live Stats
2016 record: 3-10
Head Coach: Laurie Kelly, 11^th season
 
Rocky Mountain College is on a five match losing streak, falling last week at home in the Fortin Center to Jamestown in four sets (25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18). The Battlin' Bears are 3-10 overall, and like MSUB haven't started their conference schedule yet.
 
Outside hitter Savannah Smith has compiled 99 kills, averaging 2.61 per set. Kylie Hadley has 73 total kills and is averaging just over two per set at 2.03. Moving into the setter position this season, Hailey Copinga has recorded 203 assists on the year, averaging 5.21 per set. She also has 42 kills, and is second on the team in blocks with 32.0.
 
Tess Hellerud leads the team at the net with 35.0 blocks and is adding in 1.41 kills per set. In the defensive court, Holland Ferguson has 186 digs on the year, leading the team with 5.03 per set. Ruby Kallenbach has 103 digs, averaging 2.64 per set.
 
RMC is hitting .120 as a team. The Battlin' Bears offense hit a season-high .280 against Evergreen. Four of the team's matches have gone to four sets, while nine of them were decided in three.
 
THE SERIES (36-18, 11-11 Away): MSUB holds an 18 match lead in wins over Rocky Mountain College. The Battlin' Bears do play better at home, holding an even 11-11 record at the Fortin Center. The two teams have played 32 times at Alterowitz and 22 at the Fortin Center. The Yellowjackets have not played a counting match at RMC since 2010.
 
LAST TIME OUT: MSUB is 1-2 against Rocky Mountain College the last three seasons. MSUB won in four sets at home in 2013, lost in straight sets in 2014, and lost in four sets in 2015.
 
First serve between the 'Jackets and Battlin' Bears is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Fortin Center on the campus of Rocky Mountain College. Live coverage, including stats, video, and commentary provided by Aaron Like and Hannah Bailey, can be found on the MSUB Stretch Internet Portal here.