BILLINGS, Mont. – Playing in another five set battle, the Montana State University volleyball team came up just short Tuesday night against rival Rocky Mountain College, falling 3-2 at Alterowitz Gymnasium in front of a raucous home crowd dressed in pink.
 
The Yellowjackets won sets one and three but the momentum shifted back to Rocky twice before the Battlin' Bears prevailed in the decider 15-12. It was the second time this season the Battlin' Bears snatched away a five-set match against the Yellowjackets with the first coming at Fortin Center back on September 18.
 
Hailey Copinga was the driving force behind the Bears' strong performance. Copinga made an immediate impact in the first set blocking on the RMC frontline and went on to connect for 17 kills plus 28 digs through five sets. Ruby Kallenbach chipped in defensively for RMC with 28 digs as well.
 

 
For the Yellowjackets, Izela Alvarez led all players with 31 digs. Offensively, it was Maddi Vigil and Miranda McConnell that paced the team. Vigil finished with 14 kills and 24 digs for her 11^th double-double of the season and McConnell posted a superior .419 hitting percentage and had 14 kills for MSUB. McConnell also limited attack errors to just one.
 
"We did some great things tonight," commented MSUB head coach Casey Williams following the match. "I give lots of credit to Rocky for their scrappy play and consistency. We are looking forward to getting back in the gym this weekend against Western Washington and Simon Fraser.
 
Rocky Mountain College outhit Montana State Billings .167 to .130 for the match. Service aces were 6-2 in favor of MSUB and the 'Jackets also led in blocking 16 to 6. Attack errors favored the Battlin' Bears 30 to 26 and the 'Jackets had six ball handling errors compared to two for RMC.
 
Tuesday night's matchup was a non-conference regular season game and Rocky Mountain College improved to 23-3 overall on the season (8-0 Frontier Conference). The Battlin' Bears also extended their current win streak to three. MSU Billings fell to 11-13 overall (5-9 Great Northwest Athletic Conference). The 'Jackets are 5-5 over their last 10 matches.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Montana State Billings grabbed an early lead with a win in the first set 25-21. Maddi Vigil had five kills to help the Yellowjackets pull away in a set featuring a multitude of single shot attacks. Coming down the stretch, the Yellowjackets received two clutch kills courtesy of McConnell, one of which was on set point. MSUB also narrowly outhit RMC .167 to .137 and had a single set match high 15 team kills.
 
Rocky Mountain College punctuated a strong second set performance with a 6-0 run which put them in front 11-5. The Yellowjackets attempted to work their way back into the set with multiple kills by McConnell and good back row defense by Alvarez but the Bears held off the charge for a 25-20 victory. Hailey Copinga continued to be stingy on the block and had 15 digs by the end of set two for Rocky Mountain College. RMC also outhit MSUB .205 to .060.
 
Montana State Billings took an early lead and didn't look back as they defeated the Bears 25-19 in set four. Maddi Vigil continued to pound the ball for the 'Jackets and two runs over four propelled the Yellowjackets to their second one set lead of the match. In a reversal of the second set, MSUB outhit RMC .175 to .048.
 
Rocky Mountain College rebounded from a set behind for the second time to force a deciding fifth. Copinga and Daniella Russell were particularly impressive offensively for the Battlin' Bears in the fourth frame and helped RMC extend an early advantage to 20-10 at the midway point. MSUB won seven of the next 12 points but the effort came up short of regaining the lead.
 
In similar fashion to the match played between the two teams in September, Rocky Mountain College took an early lead in the fifth set 6-2 to set MSUB back on their heels. After the Bears stretched their lead to 10-5, the 'Jackets began to show their desperation for a comeback.
 
Bayli Monck made a kill to get MSUB within a point at 11-10 but Copinga got the Battlin' Bears within two points of the match 13-11 with two quick kills. Another kill by Russell set up match point for RMC, and an attack error by Vigil ended the set 15-12.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets continue with their five match homestand Thursday night against #2 Western Washington at 7 p.m. Then on Saturday, MSUB plays Simon Fraser at 7 p.m.
 
THE BUZZ: Maddi Vigil earned St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for the Yellowjackets…Despite the loss, MSU Billings still holds a sizeable lead over the Battlin' Bears in the all-time series with 37 wins and 23 losses. However, the Yellowjackets have not beaten Rocky Mountain College at Fortin Center since 2007.