BILLINGS, Mont. – Five players reached double-digit digs for the Yellowjackets and the Montana State University Billings volleyball team defeated Northwest Nazarene University in five sets 25-22, 20-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-11 on Thursday evening at Alterowitz Gymnasium. After trailing two sets to one, MSUB rallied back to victory thanks in part to late fifth-set kills by Maddi Vigil, who recorded her eighth double-double of the season. MSUB improved to 8-10 (2-7 GNAC) on the season while Northwest Nazarene fell to 4-13 (4-6 GNAC).
 
Izela Alvarez led all players with 27 digs, while Vigil (15), Alexa Smythe (12), Taylor Sherman (12), and Kylee Clarke (11) all cleared the ten dig mark.
 
"We played very aggressively tonight," said head coach Casey Williams following the match. "Our defense was the scrappiest that I've seen us play this season. We did a good job of getting NNU out of system and sticking to our game cues.  I look forward to rolling this momentum into our game against Central Washington."
 
Things started out well for Montana State Billings as they played in front of their home crowd for just the third time in 18 contests. A competitive first set went to the Yellowjackets 25-22 after they broke a 16-16 tie and went on a 4-0 run. Skylar Reed led all players in the first frame with four kills and Montana State Billings outhit the Nighthawks .282 to .162. Kylee Clarke made her return to the lineup at setter, splitting time with Smythe. Clarke made a set for Bayli Monck who made the kill on set point.
 
Mistakes proved costly to MSUB in the early stages of the second set and the 'Jackets fell behind 10-3. Riley Moore chipped away at the NNU lead with back-to-back kills, leading into the longest and most exciting point of the match. MSUB still trailed in the score 18-13, when Izela Alvarez dove forward from the middle of the back row and was able to barely slip a hand under two straight kill attempts by the NNU frontline.

 
Later in the very same point, Alvarez scrambled to a position adjacent to the scorer's table and kept the ball alive. After the regroup, Miranda McConnell and Maddi Vigil came away with a block to win the point and get the 'Jackets within three of a tie. Northwest Nazarene did not let the galvanizing point deter them however, and the Nighthawks went on to take the set 25-20 and finished the second frame with a .316 hitting percentage.
 
Service errors and receiving errors against the Yellowjackets proved difficult to overcome in the third set as NNU took the set 25-17 along with a 2-1 advantage in the match. The two sides remained close in kills, digs, and attack errors collectively heading into set four and Reed reached double-digits kills in the third set with 11.
 
Miranda McConnell's kill up the line gave the Yellowjackets their first lead of the fourth set 11-10 and the team turned it into a 6-1 run to go ahead 17-12. After a timeout by Northwest Nazarene, MSUB continued to win points and took hold of the fourth set 25-16. Bayli Monck made her way into double-figures in kills for the 'Jackets.
 
Riding energy gained from winning the fourth set, Montana State Billings jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth and the 'Jackets led 8-6 at the change of ends. An extended point blocked by Natalie Knauf and Abby Blum got the Nighthawks within a single point 12-11. Maddi Vigil came alive and made a kill off a Clarke set. The Nighthawks made a team error on the following point setting up match point for MSUB. Vigil conquered again with a decisive kill to give the Montana State University Billings volleyball team their second GNAC win of the season. It was also the first home victory of the year in three tries.

Cami Heninger had 13 kills and 16 digs for NNU and Shayli Siegried also posted 21 digs. The Yellowjackets hit .191 for the match while Northwest Nazarene made it to .156. MSUB had more total kills (59-52) but made 12 service errors compared to seven for Northwest Nazarene.  Miranda McConnell led MSUB with six of the team's ten total blocks. Kylee Clarke was the leading setter with 37 assists.

ALL TIME: Montana State University Billings improved their all-time record against the Nighthawks to 6-22 and broke NNU's streak of 11 straight wins dating back to September, 2012.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets are back in action against the Central Washington Wildcats Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
 
THE BUZZ: Skylar Reed won the distinction of St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for MSUB. Reed led players on both teams with 18 total kills and also posted a respectable hitting percentage of .297.