BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings volleyball team (6-11, 2-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) won't have much rest this week as they return home to host two top contenders starting with the Central Washington University Wildcats (12-5, 7-2 GNAC) on Thursday at 7 p.m. and the No. 10 Northwest Nazarene Crusaders (16-1, 8-1 GNAC) Saturday at 7 p.m. The Crusaders sit alone atop the GNAC while the Wildcats are currently third in the conference behind No. 11 Western Washington.
 
The Yellowjackets were winless against both teams last season after losing both matches to NNU in straight sets while only taking one set against CWU in two contests. MSUB is 4-19 all-time against the Wildcats with their last win coming in November of 2013 in Alterowitz Gym. The 'Jackets carry a similar 5-20 record against the Crusaders and have lost the last nine matches to NNU.
 
LAST TIME OUT: MSUB returns home after a difficult week in Oregon where they lost to Concordia University and Western Oregon University. Each loss came in straight sets as the 'Jackets struggled to find their offense leaving themselves at the mercy of their opponents attack.
 
Maddi Vigil led the Yellowjacket offense in each of the games with 17 kills against Concordia and seven kills against Western Oregon. Alexa Smythe and Kylee Clarke shared setting duties on the trip as Smythe's 33 assists paced the offense against the Cavaliers and Clarke led the team with 16 assists against the Wolves. Izela Alvarez led MSUB's defense with 25 total digs in the two contests.
 
 
NUMBERS AND NOTES
 
SMYTHE AND CLARKE PUT ON A CLINIC: MSUB's freshman setting tandem of Alexa Smythe and Kylee Clarke have put up big numbers while leading the Yellowjacket offense this season. Clarke's 9.54 assists per set average ranks fifth in the conference while Smythe's 8.08 average would rank her seventh in the GNAC. They're the most prolific freshmen setters in the conference as they trail only juniors and seniors in the conference rankings. This week the pair took some time to explain what they're looking for when setting up the MSUB attack.


 
.200 MARKS THE SPOT: The 'Jackets are 6-1 this season when they combined for a hitting percentage of .200 or better. Their only loss when hitting .200 came in their first match of the season against Minnesota State University Moorhead. MSUB lost the five-set match despite out hitting the Dragons .212 to .188, and it is also their only loss when having a better attacking percentage than the opposition. Overall the 'Jackets are 5-1 when out hitting opponents. MSUB defeated the University of Alaska after being out hit .216 to .212, their only win of the season while recording a lower hitting percentage than the opponent. 
 
SLOW AND STEADY RECORD PACE: Izela Alvarez didn't get many dig opportunities in six sets last week. The 25 digs in two matches is the lowest combined total for the freshman libero this season. However her 328 digs on the season and 5.56 dig per set average still lead the 'Jackets and keep her on pace to break the record for most digs in a season by a single dig. Alvarez needs to average just over 19 digs per match through the rest of the season to set a new Yellowjacket record. The Dumas, TX native has recorded 19 or more digs in seven of the 17 matches this season.
 
BRAVE ENOUGH: Junior Miranda McConnell, nicknamed Brave, is third on the team in kills this season with 92. The captain is now first on the team in hitting percentage, .215 and has improved her offensive numbers across the board compared to last season. Since the start of conference play, Brave has recorded a hitting percentage of .200 or better in 7-of-9 matches. Her top performance came at Simon Fraser where the junior had 11 kills and a .455 hitting percentage.
 
FILL IN THE RANK: Alvarez ranks first in the GNAC with 5.56 digs per set, the average ranks 30th nationally. Alvarez is also 15th in aces per set, averaging .29. Maddi Vigil is sixth in the conference with 3.48 kills per set and eighth with 3.80 points per set. Bayli Monck is 17th in kills per set at 2.76 and 18th in points at 3.11 per set. Kylee Clarke has the fifth highest assist average in the GNAC with 9.54.
 
GNAC PACK: The 'Jackets are welcoming two of the top GNAC schools to Billings this weekend in first-place No. 10 Northwest Nazarene and third-place Central Washington. CWU handed the Crusaders their first loss of the season on Tuesday night in five sets. No. 11 Western Washington is currently second in the GNAC standings with a record of 13-3, 7-1 GNAC. The Yellowjackets are currently 10th in the conference and are tied with Saint Martin's and Western Oregon with a 2-6 conference record.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS: The Wildcats come into Thursdays match after earning a big 3-2 (25-16, 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-8) win over the previously undefeated Crusaders. CWU recorded 11 blocks in the match and committed just 14 errors while NNU made a season-high 31 errors in the match.
 
The Wildcats are known for a dominant defense as the team ranks first in the nation in blocks per set 3.01 and are tied with NNU with a GNAC leading .153 opponent hitting percentage. CWU has recorded 205 blocks this season while Western Washington, second in the GNAC, has recorded 148 blocks.
 
Senior Sabrina Wheelhouse owns the front line for the Wildcats as she leads the nation with 1.74 blocks per set. Sara Joffs pitches in another 1.18 blocks per set for CWU, good enough for fifth in the GNAC. Sophomore Kyla Morgan leads the back line for Central with 4.82 digs per set ranking sixth in the GNAC.
 
Junior Shelby Mauritson has a 3.38 kill per set average to lead the Wildcat's offense while Nikki Cook and Gabrielle Aihara each average over five assists per set for CWU. Wheelhouse is an efficient offensive threat with a .345 hitting percentage which ranks second among qualified GNAC attackers.
 
Mario Andaya is in his 22nd season as the head coach at Central Washington. The Wildcats have a 349-245 record over Andaya's tenure as head coach and he has led them to six NCAA tournament appearances since the program joined the GNAC in 2001. The Bothell, Wash. native competed on the CWU track and field team before embarking on his coaching career.
 
No. 10 NORTHWEST NAZARENE CRUSADERS: The Crusaders have been nearly perfect relying on offensive excellence throughout this season as they rank second in the conference in hitting percentage and kills, and first in the GNAC in assists. NNU has also shown defensive prowess as they're tied with NNU for first place in opponent hitting percentage and rank second in digs.
 
Seniors Kendra Bodine and Madi Farrell have had their way with opposing defenses this season as the duo ranks first and second in the conference for kills per set this season. Bodine's 4.16 kills per set ranks 18th nationally while Ferrell's 4.11 average is 20th among attackers. Ferrell also boasts the fifth highest hitting percentage in all of Division II with her GNAC leading .428. Hailey Cook gets the offense moving with a GNAC leading 11.60 assists per set which ranks seventh in the nation.
 
Ferrell's impact is also felt on the defensive side of the court with her 1.28 blocks per set leading the Crusaders and ranking second in the GNAC. Junior defensive specialist Shayli Siegfreid averages 5.41 digs per set and ranks third in the conference.
 
Doug English is in his fifth season guiding the Crusaders and holds a 98-27 record at the helm of the program. In 2016 Northwest Nazarene reached the NCAA tournament for the second time under English and the Crusaders recorded their first tournament win. Prior to joining NNU English was an assistant at the University of Delaware.    
 
FOLLOW LIVE: Live video and statistics will be available for all MSUB home matches and all GNAC road contests throughout the 2017 season, through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal.