BILLINGS, Mont. – A late surge was not enough for the Montana State University Billings volleyball team as they dropped a 3-0 decision to visiting Simon Fraser University Saturday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match.

Simon Fraser slammed 49 kills in the three-set affair and overpowered the Yellowjackets, who were playing their fourth match this week.
 
"We just didn't match Simon Fraser's energy from the start of the first set," said 'Jackets head coach Casey Williams. "We found a surge in the third set but it wasn't enough to pull it out. We'll certainly be looking to get a faster start next time out."
 
Montana State Billings fell to 2-3 over the five-match homestand and is 11-15 overall this season (5-11 in the GNAC). Meanwhile, Simon Fraser (11-11, 8-8 GNAC) improved their position in the standings to a tie for fifth position with the win Saturday night.
 
The Clan took early leads in sets one and two and held the advantage through to the end to take the match lead 2-0 (25-18, 25-21). In the third, MSU Billings rallied to tie the score at 24 points apiece, but lost two points in a row to fall 26-24.
 
The biggest difference between the two teams Saturday night was total offense. The Clan outhit the Yellowjackets .277 to .190, including .385 in the first set. SFU also slammed 49 kills compared to 34 for MSUB.
 
Tessa May and Kirsten Pinkney dominated the front line for the SFU. May posted a match high 16 kills and .577 hitting percentage and Pinkney had 11 kills and hit .212.
 
May and Pinkney were set up by Julia Tays, who conjured up 45 assists in three sets for Simon Fraser. Despite losing in the minimum number of sets, sophomore Maddi Vigil played exceptional for MSUB.

Vigil recorded her 12^th double-double of the season with 10 kills and 13 digs and also added four blocks and one service ace while hitting .333.
 
On defense, SFU made 53 total digs compared to 46 for Montana State Billings. Bianca Te led all players with 19 digs for the Clan.
 
Simon Fraser had a strong night offensively but struggled on the serve line as they endured eight service errors compared to three for MSUB. Simon Fraser posted five service aces while the 'Jackets mustered only three.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Tessa May made six kills to lead the Clan to a 25-18 first set victory. Betsie de Beer and Angelica Kilberg also had four kills each for Simon Fraser. SFU outhit the 'Jackets .385 to .167 and recorded 19 kills off 17 assists by Tays. The 'Jackets struggled to generate offense and last saw the lead at the 3-2 mark before the Clan took over the rest of the way.
 
MSU Billings raised its' kill total in the second set by four but again fell behind on the scoreboard 25-21. Simon Fraser continued to pile up kills and Tessa May made her 11^th kill of the match without recording an attack error.
 
MSUB took a 13-12 lead but the Clan reset and nabbed 12 of the final 20 points. Simon Fraser narrowly outhit MSUB .122 to .108 in the second frame and held a .291 to .153 advantage for the match after two.
 
For the third straight time, Simon Fraser received a boost from an early kill by de Beer, resulting in an SFU 8-5 advantage. Montana State Billings picked up the pace with long-rally digs by and Alvarez and Bayli Monck.
 
After eight lead changes, MSUB tied the third set at 24-24, but lost its' final two points, punctuated on match point by a de Beer kill. Both teams hit the ball well in the third and the 'Jackets were narrowly beaten in hitting percentage .333 to .289.
 
Saturday night was the second time this season Simon Fraser has posted a shutout win over the Yellowjackets. The first match was held in Burnaby, British Columbia back on September 28.
 
UP NEXT: Montana State University Billings makes its' final road trip of the year next weekend beginning with a match against Central Washington University (17-5, 11-4 GNAC) Thursday, November 1 at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are in third place in the GNAC and defeated MSUB 3-2 in Billings on October 6.
 
The Yellowjackets will then play Northwest Nazarene (6-17, 6-10 GNAC) Saturday, November 3 at 7 p.m. before returning home to face Concordia University (10-13, 7-9 GNAC) and Western Oregon (6-17, 6-10) the second week of November to end the regular season.
 
 
THE BUZZ: Maddi Vigil was tabbed St. Vincent Healthcare player of the match for MSUB. Vigil recorded her 12^th double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs for the Yellowjackets. Vigil leads the team this season with 269 kills…MSUB is 6-14 all-time against the Clan. SFU has won the last 11 meetings between the two sides. The 'Jackets have not beaten Simon Fraser since November, 2012.