LACEY, Wash. – After falling behind early, Montana State University Billings cut its deficit but failed to close out the fourth set, falling 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23) to Saint Martin's University at Marcus Pavilion Saturday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball game. The Yellowjackets carried momentum from their third set win, but a pair of late kills by Iliani Kamaka shut the door on MSUB's comeback effort.
Maddi Vigil hit 15 kills and recorded 12 digs for her ninth double-double this season and
Joelle Mahowald hit .379 with 14 kills but it wasn't enough to prevent MSUB's seventh loss in eight matches. SMU's offense was effective with a .252 team hitting percentage. Mackenzie Carter did damage with a team high 17 kills and nine digs. Kamaka had a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs for SMU and hit .262 in four sets. Kylie Alos anchored the back row with 19 digs and six assists for the Saints.
"We were not ready to play today," said MSUB head coach
Casey Williams. "We lacked energy and Saint Martin's played a great game. We have to regroup and try to end the season on a high note in Oregon."
Saint Martin's (1-26, 1-17 GNAC) collected its first win of the season on senior night in Lacey. The Saints put away 54 kills compared to 48 for MSUB with nine service aces. The 'Jackets out-blocked SMU 8-6 and
Joelle Mahowald finished with one solo block and three block assists. Three players posted double-figure dig totals including Vigil (12),
Hannah Hashbarger (10), and
Makayla Baca (10). Hashbarger also had 38 assists and a pair of block assists.
SMU was most effective in the first set with 15 kills, three errors, and a .375 hitting percentage. The Saints gained five-point separation at 20-15 and closed out the set with a kill by Kamaka. A 10-point run in the second set was the difference for SMU leading to a 2-0 lead. The 'Jackets tied the set 10-10 before the Saints took over. After trading early leads in the third, Vigil and
Bayli Monck found room for clutch kills to close out 25-22.
Saint Martin's led most of the way through the fourth set before MSUB tied it 19-19 capped by a 6-0 run and a kill by
Skylar Reed. SMU held on for the win on Mackenzie Carter's attack 25-23.
The Yellowjackets (8-20, 5-13 GNAC) split a pair of road matches on the weekend, having defeated Seattle Pacific 3-1 on Saturday. MSUB continues with away matches next week, beginning with Western Oregon University Thursday, November 21 at 7 p.m.
THE BUZZ: Maddi Vigil was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the match for MSUB.
