BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State University Billings volleyball finishes off the regular season this week with a pair of home matches at Alterowitz Gymnasium. On Thursday, November 8 the Yellowjackets (12-16, 6-12 GNAC) host Concordia University (10-15, 7-11 GNAC) at 7 p.m. Then on Saturday, November 10 at 2 p.m. the season wraps up with a matchup against Western Oregon University (6-19, 2-15 GNAC).
 
MSU Billings is currently tied for eighth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings and is hoping to finish on a high note after grabbing a 3-1 win over Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday. The 'Jackets are one position and one game behind Concordia in GNAC play and are three wins better than Western Oregon.
 
It has been a season of highs and lows for the Yellowjackets. The team began the fall with six straight victories but failed to convert a conference win until their seventh match versus Saint Martin's University. Wins and losses have balanced out since and the 'Jackets went 1-1 last week.
 
"We are looking to finish out 2018 on a positive note," commented head coach Casey Williams. "We have made really great progress throughout this season and I am looking forward to showcasing our improvement against the Oregon schools."
 
LAST TIME OUT: On a quick two match road trip, MSU Billings lost in decisive fashion 3-0 to Central Washington Thursday night but rebounded for a 3-1 victory over Northwest Nazarene Saturday, earning the season sweep over the Nighthawks. Bayli Monck led the Yellowjackets with 13 kills and Alexa Smythe earned a double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs. Katie Campbell nearly broke her personal best record with 20 digs for MSUB and was matched on defense by Izela Alvarez, who also notched 20 digs along with one service ace. Freshman middle-blocker Eavan Taylor recorded seven block assists and 10 kills for MSUB.
 
VIGIL WITH THE KILL: After posting a remarkable 330 kills as a freshman, Maddi Vigil is 54 kills short of tying her 2017 mark with 276 kills in 107 sets played. She leads the team in total kills by over 100 and is on pace to finish 18^th in the GNAC with 2.58 kills per set. Vigil also has six more service aces than a year ago and is seven digs ahead of her freshman campaign with two matches to play.

Year	Sets Played	Matches Played	Kills	Kill Per Set	Errors	%	Serve Aces
2017	103	30	330	3.20	147	.179	18
2018	107	27	276	2.58	141	.144	24
Total	210	57	606	2.89	288	.163	42

 

FOUR YEAR CAREER: Senior Miranda McConnell has been in the lineup for MSUB's biggest wins and toughest losses over the last four seasons. A consistent presence on the floor has vaulted her into the top ten for career sets played. With 111 sets in 2018, the Sandy, Utah native is up to 398 since 2015, in seventh place. If McConnell plays three more sets this year, she will move ahead of Ashlynn Ward for sixth all-time. McConnell is also 3^rd in block assists with 255 and seventh in total blocks with 275.
ALVAREZ DIGS: Izela Alvarez made 622 digs in 2017 to set a new MSUB single-season record and has followed the historic performance with a strong sophomore campaign. With 505 digs in 2018, Alvarez is in third behind her 2017 self and Erin Compton (577 digs in 2012). After two seasons, Alvarez is sixth in career digs on pace to surpass No. 1 Gina Langer who recorded 1530 digs from 1996-99.
 
TEAM RANKS: The Yellowjackets rank seventh in the GNAC for hitting percentage (.164), 10^th in kills (11.26), eighth in blocking (1.93), seventh in service aces (1.41), and eighth in digs (15.85). The 'Jackets are 4-5 at home, 4-9 away, and 4-2 neutral this season.
 
MINUTES MUNCHERS: MSU Billings has played more total sets this season than any other GNAC team and four players have appeared in all 111 sets for the Yellowjackets. They include Alvarez, Vigil, McConnell, and Taylor Sherman.
 
TOP 10 TAYLOR: Freshman middle-blocker Eavan Taylor assisted on seven blocks against Northwest Nazarene Saturday night and moved into eighth place in the MSUB record book for single-season block assists with . Taylor's 112 total blocks ranks her tied for 10^th in a single-season.
 
Scouting Concordia University
Game Day: Thursday, November 8 – 7 p.m.  
2018 Record: 10-15, 7-11 GNAC (7-5 home, 3-7 away, 0-3 neutral)
2017 Record: 13-14, 8-12 GNAC (7-6 home, 4-6 away, 2-2 neutral)
Head Coach: Melanie Hambelton (11^th season)
 
Concordia will play Western Oregon Tuesday night having lost seven straight sets. Last week, the Cavaliers had losses against No. 2 Western Washington (3-0), Simon Fraser (3-0), and Alaska Anchorage (3-1).
 
The Cavaliers are led by outside hitter Jessica Wheeler who has 206 kills and a .133 hitting percentage this fall. Other offensive weapons that could factor in to the match Thursday night include Elyssa Rose (148 kills), Livia Strandberg (147 kills), and Tori Johnson (160 kills).
 
Freshman libero Callie Wilkins has made a positive introduction to the GNAC and is currently second in the league with 5.66 digs per set for a total of 436 digs. Wilkins made 18 digs on November 3 against Western Washington and added 21 digs November 1 versus Simon Fraser.
 
The Yellowjackets picked up a 3-1 win against Concordia on September 9 in Portland. Vigil made 13 kills and earned a double-double and Alvarez had a notable 16 dig performance. Wheeler (14), Rose (14), and Johnson (10) made it to double figures in kills for the Cavs and Wilkins finished with 19 digs.
 
MSU Billings is 1-6 all-time against the Cavaliers in matchups dating back to 2015.
 
Scouting Western Oregon University
Game Day: Saturday, November 10 – 2 p.m.
2018 Record: 6-19, 3-15 GNAC (1-9 home, 3-6 away, 2-4 neutral)
2017 Record: 7-20, 3-17 GNAC (4-10 home, 1-9 away, 2-1 neutral)
Head Coach: Tommy Gott (2^nd season)
 
The Wolves play Concordia Tuesday night before heading to Billings on Saturday. Currently, the Wolves are on a five-match losing streak with recent shutout losses to No. 2 Western Washington and Simon Fraser. On September 6, the Wolves bested MSU Billings 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-23). WOU outhit the 'Jackets .178 to .088 and had 39 kills compared to 31. Sianna DeCarli was effective against MSUB with 10 kills and five block assists. Sierra Stultz had 13 digs in the match to lead the Wolves.
 
Western Oregon features a roster with five freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors, and four seniors. Mariella Vandenkooy leads the attack with 216 kills and is hitting .137. Vandenkooy is also effective defensively with 229 digs, second highest on the team. Stultz is the team leader in digs with 372.
 
Morgan Haskett has 93 total blocks for WOU.
 
MSU Billings is 8-19 all-time against the Wolves and 5-5 over its' last ten matchups. Playing in Billings has been favorable to MSUB as the team is 6-5 against WOU at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: No. 2 Western Washington (23-3, 18-0 GNAC) has won the conference title and has not dropped a set in its' last five matches. After losing three straight matches to ranked teams to start the year, the Vikings have been a perfect 23-0, led by Abby Phelps who has 357 kills.
 
Competition remains fierce for second place with Central Washington (20-5, 14-4 GNAC) and Alaska Anchorage (20-6, 13-5 GNAC) still jockeying for position. Alaska (13-12, 11-7 GNAC), and Simon Fraser (13-11, 10-8 GNAC) help round out the top five.
 
Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington) leads all players with a .396 hitting percentage. Phelps (Western Washington) is No. 1 in kills per set at 4.01 and Kyla Morgan (Central Washington) leads the league with 5.94 digs per set.
 
There is not a conference tournament for volleyball in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Washington receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II regional tournament. All other teams in the conference will hope to earn an at-large bid.