FAIRBANKS, Alaska. – After a big win on Thursday night the Montana State University Billings volleyball team (9-21, 5-15 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) fell in five sets (16-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 15-11) on Saturday night to the University of Alaska Nanooks (12-17, 5-15 GNAC) in Fairbanks, Alaska.
 
The match concludes the Yellowjackets 2017 season as the team that started the season with two returners and nine true freshman improved the MSUB win total from just a year ago.
 
"This is a tough match to end the season on," head coach Casey Williams said. "We saw on Thursday just how much we've grow this season and we have played some of our best matches in this past month. The team competed really well today and I am so proud of how far we've come. The future is bright for all of these girls and we will be excited to get back on the court next season."
 
MSUB recorded their second-best hitting percentage against a conference opponent this season as they out hit the Nanooks .261 to .227 on Saturday. The Yellowjackets also posted a 7-4 advantage in blocks during the match led by two solo blocks from Bayli Monck. Hali Ehresmann and Miranda McConnell each recorded a solo block against the Nanooks attack as well.
 
The Yellowjacket offense got off to a great start hitting .302 on their way to earning a 25-16 first set victory. Izela Alvarez recorded 12 digs in the opening game to become the first 'Jacket to record more than 600 digs in a single season. Clarke paced the offense with 13 assists as Maddi Vigil, Jordan Mix, Monck and Ehresmann all recorded three kills in the set.
 
Vigil finished with 14 kills and 19 digs in the match to end the season with consecutive double-doubles against the Alaska schools. Clarke went on to record her third 50-plus assists performance with 55 in the match. Alvarez led the defense with 32 digs while Mina Duong added 10 for the back row.
 
In the second set, the Nanooks defense put the pressure on the MSUB attack holding them to their lowest hitting percentage of the night at .139. Vigil and Mix had four kills each in the set with McConnell connecting on two more kills. Lahra Weber made the difference for the UA offense as she carried the Nanooks with six kills on nine attempts in the set.
 
Alaska jumped to a 4-0 lead in the third set and carried the momentum throughout the set never allowing as much as an MSUB tie. The Yellowjacket's middles did much of the work on offense in the third set as Ehresmann and McConnell each had three kills in the set.
 
A .382 hitting percentage by the 'Jackets paired with four blocks gave them a distinct advantage on their way to tying the match at two sets a piece. Vigil hit 6-for-9 to lead all attackers and Katie Campbell delivered three digs in her first set of action. Monck had both of her solo blocks in the fourth game while MSUB held the Nanooks to a .056 hitting percentage.
 
The Nanooks were nearly perfect in the fifth set as they recorded 10 kills on 18 attacks with only one error. Ehresmann had three kills for the 'Jackets and Campbell recorded two more but UA would ultimately take the set and the match.