MONMOUTH, Ore. – Eight Montana State University Billings volleyball players recorded kills and Bayli Monck led the way with a 21-kill, 16-dig double-double as the Yellowjackets beat Western Oregon 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-21) in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday night.
 
"We looked really cohesive tonight and got a great team win," MSUB head coach Casey Williams said. "We were firing on all cylinders and made some great hustle plays throughout the match. I am proud of the resiliency that we showed after that first set to bounce back and control the match."
 
The Yellowjackets (10-13, 5-8 GNAC) bounced back after the Wolves (3-16, 1-11 GNAC) had another upset on their minds after they earned their first GNAC win against Seattle Pacific earlier this week. So far, WOU is the first GNAC opponent MSUB has swept this season, yet the Yellowjackets have five games left in conference play.
 
QUICK HITS

• MSUB's .264 hitting percentage was its third-highest of the season.
• Hannah Hashbarger ran the offense to the tune of 40 assists while also finishing with 12 digs and a kill.
• Rounding out the offense, Joelle Mahowald finished with 13 kills and Skylar Reed had a dozen plus eight digs.

 
MATCH STATS

• MSUB hitting: .264 overall (.061 set one, .333 set two, .255 set three, .370 set four)
• Western Oregon hitting: .209 overall (.179 set one, .195 set two, .217 set three, .239 set four)
• Service aces: MSUB 4, WOU 4
• Digs: MSUB 83, WOU 79
• Blocks: MSUB 7, WOU 4
• Western Oregon was led by Isabel Hurliman's 14 kills and 17 digs.

 
Bayli Monck's first kill got MSUB on the board in set one, but the Wolves jumped out to a 7-3 lead. Trailing 8-5, Joelle Mahowald's second kill of the night flirted with tailing out-of-bounds in front of the Wolves' sideline, which prompted a challenge, yet the call stood and the 'Jackets held serve. On the next point, MSUB won its first long rally of the night thanks to freshman libero Christine Funk diving to the floor for digs not one, but twice before Skylar Reed and Mahowald finished off the point with a block.
 
MSUB tied the game at nine with Hannah Hayden's big block, then again at 10 as a Wolves' swing erred out of bounds. From there, the hosts threatened to pull away with a 5-1 run until Zoe Bibb snapped the run with her tip at the net and Funk dropped in an ace to pull within two. A 7-2 Wolves run nearly put the set out of reach, yet their serves didn't land inbounds, leaving the door open for a MSUB comeback. Mahowald answered the call with her third kill of the set to make the score 22-16, WOU, but the Wolves eventually won the first set 25-17.
 
The 'Jackets came out fighting in the second set, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead with a kill and an ace by Reed, then a combo block from Monck and Hayden. The second set became a back-and-forth affair until Reed had the hot hand; the junior had five of her kills in the second set alone. Reed tied the game at nine and 10 with back-to-back kills, then with her behind the service line, the 'Jackets took a 14-11 lead.
 
Western Oregon only pulled within one point in the second set until MSUB went on a backbreaking 8-1 run. Everything was clicking: Reed and Mahowald teamed up for a block to make the score 18-15, Jahsita Fa'ali'i dropped in an ace on the next point, then two more kills from Reed sandwiched a bad swing by the Wolves. All of a sudden, MSUB had a 22-16 lead. Mahowald chipped in an ace, Hannah Hayden's second kill of the night brought set point and then Monck finished off the Wolves to take a 25-17 second-set win.
 
The Wolves took a 4-2 lead before MSUB reclaimed the lead off kills from Mahowald and Fa'ali'i. Western Oregon couldn't string together points in the early goings but MSUB could; with Monck back to serve, MSUB strung together three points to lead 8-5. However, WOU went on a 5-2 run to tie the game at 10, but that was all. MSUB got four kills from Mahowald and Monck, plus three from Reed – whose back-to-back kills gave the 'Jackets a 21-17 lead. MSUB got to set point off a kill from Hayden, then two WOU errors, yet the Wolves won the next two set points to pull within four. The final point of set three was a freewheeling affair: Hayden's first two swings were dug out, WOU's attack made Funk dive to keep it alive, then Hayden made a quick recovery at the net. Reed's one-handed save bounced just high enough to land and roll along the top of the net before two Wolves couldn't keep the play alive.
 
Set four was all Yellowjackets. Monck and Mahowald came through to give MSUB a 3-2 lead, then Funk's pass over the net dropped inbounds at the feet of WOU's opposite hitter for Funk's fifth kill of the season. WOU tied the game at six and at eight, but Reed gave MSUB's offense a lift with three-consecutive points before Monck took the baton for two more of her own to make the score 13-8, Yellowjackets. Monck went off for 10 kills in the final set; she was responsible for four-straight points for MSUB to make things 16-11.
 
A Mahowald kill, then a WOU error and a block by Reed and Hayden gave MSUB a 20-16 lead, but the Wolves used a 5-0 run to pull ahead. Yet MSUB retaliated with a 5-0 run of their own, thanks to three-straight kills from Monck, one from Fa'ali'i and then Monck's 21^st kill slammed the door on the Wolves for good.
 
THE BUZZ: Bayli Monck was the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game for her 21-kill, 16-dig double-double…Monck's 21 kills tied a season-high, which also came against the Wolves.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets have a week-long break before traveling to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle Pacific on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. MT. Links to live stats and video can be found on msubsports.com.