BILLINGS, Mont. – In an electrifying fifth-set, Maddi Vigil and the Montana State University Billings volleyball team took down Central Washington University 3-2 on Saturday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium 12-25, 25-23, 25-21, 17-25, 15-13. The Yellowjackets lost the first set decisively but persevered through the early struggles to complete the upset victory.
 
Vigil ended the night with 18 kills and 18 digs for her ninth double-double of the season and Izela Alvarez pitched in 28 digs in the back row for the Yellowjackets to lead the team. It was the first time the 'Jackets had defeated Central Washington since September, 2013. MSUB defeated Northwest Nazarene on Thursday as well, helping them improve to 2-0 on the week.
"I was unbelievably proud of our performance tonight," said MSUB head coach Casey Williams at the conclusion of the match. "We showed a lot of maturity as a team and we were able to overcome a tough first set. I am really excited to see what this team can do in the second round of conference."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Yellowjackets struggled to generate offense in the first set and fell 25-12. CWU jumped out to a 7-3 advantage and gradually extended their lead throughout. Central Washington outhit MSUB .394 to .000 and Kyla Morgan led the Wildcats with 10 digs.
 
The one sided first set could have spelled disaster for the Yellowjackets, who were up against a 14-2 Central Washington squad that had lost just one conference matchup all season. The Wildcats looked to keep momentum they gained from the first set and quickly went ahead 5-1 to start the second set. MSUB then went to work to turn the entire match around.
 
It began with a four-point run to tie the set at 5-5 then was followed by the capture of the first lead of the night 7-6. MSUB rallied later in the set to go up 20-18 but Central Washington recorded kills on three straight points to get back in front. A foot-fault was called against CWU's Kacee O'Brien, enabling the 'Jackets to tie the score again 22-22. Then Bayli Monck finished off a cross court kill to give MSUB set point 24-23. Monck put away another kill on the next point to seal it for the 'Jackets 25-23, tying the match 1-1.
 
Montana State Billings continued to battle in the third set and were on an upward trajectory in their overall hitting percentage. Riley Moore found room for angled kills from the far post on multiple occasions and the 'Jackets took a 17-14 lead, prompting a timeout call from Central Washington's bench. After the break, Maddi Vigil made back-to-back kills and MSUB grabbed the set and the lead 2-1, 25-19. Eavan Taylor and Miranda McConnell both stood up for solo blocks to help on defense as well.
 
A 7-0 run helped the Wildcats assemble a 12-4 lead in their bid to send the match into a deciding set. The 'Jackets had two 4-0 runs of their own and tried hard to even the score, but it was not enough. Central Washington hit .412 in the fourth set, well above their .220 average for the match and took the fourth frame 25-18.
 
Again, it seemed the Yellowjackets had lost their chance to overcome Central Washington, a proven GNAC power but they kept chipping away. The fifth set score line was tight early but Vigil found gaps in the CWU defense on multiple points, laying out what would become a 7-0 run to put MSUB on top 10-6. Alexa Smythe recorded one service ace over the seven point stretch.
 
Central Washington pushed back and closed the gap to a two-point margin, but the Yellowjackets stayed afloat by winning the longest rally of the night, going ahead 13-9. During the rally, Alvarez tracked down a ball 20 feet beyond the baseline, and Riley Moore helped bump it over the net, leading to an eventual Wildcats attack error. Then Moore made a crucial kill on a tip to the middle of the court to give MSUB match point 14-12. Again, Central Washington came back and won the next point, but Alexa Smythe set the ball for Skylar Reed who was able to put away a kill for the 15^th and final point of the match.
 
INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS: Strong defense was a big reason for the Yellowjackets' success against CWU and Alvarez had 28 digs in the effort. Vigil made 18 digs and Taylor Sherman pitched in 13. On the block, Eavan Taylor finished with two solo blocks and one block assist while Miranda McConnell recorded one solo block and four block assists. McConnell also made seven kills and had a team high .263 hitting percentage.
 
Bayli Monck was a noticeable contributor to the offense for MSUB. Monck made 13 kills and hit .176 while adding two block assists and four digs. Setters' Smythe and Kylee Clarke combined for 59 assists with 21 and 35 respectively.
 
For the Wildcats, Shelby Mauritson and Makala Swart led the CWU offense with 19 kills apiece and Kyla Morgan led all players with 39 digs at defensive specialist. Sarah Absalonson made 44 assists and Madison Weg recorded eight block assists.
 
UP NEXT: Montana State University Billings (9-10, 3-7 GNAC) moved up one position in the GNAC volleyball standings with two wins this week. They are now in ninth position ahead of Western Oregon (2-8) and behind Northwest Nazarene (4-6). MSUB's next opponent is the University of Alaska Fairbanks (7-10, 5-5 GNAC) on October 11 at p.m. PT. at Alaska Airlines Court. The Nanooks defeated the Yellowjackets in Billings on September 15, 3-0. MSUB will also play Alaska Anchorage (14-3, 8-2 GNAC) on the road on October 13.
 
THE BUZZ: Izela Alvarez was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for her outstanding defensive effort against Central Washington. Alvarez had 28 digs and two assists on the night…Montana State Billings is now 5-21 all-time against CWU (3-10 at home). The two teams played for the first time in September, 1990.