CHADRON, Neb. – Hannah Hayden led the charge on Saturday afternoon at the Chicoine Center, as the Montana State University Billings volleyball team beat Chadron State College and Minot State University to close out its non-conference schedule.
 
After dropping the opening set against the Eagles, MSUB won the next three frames for the 3-1 victory (18-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-22). The momentum continued in the Yellowjackets' final match of the weekend, with a straight-set triumph over the Beavers, 25-18, 25-15, 25-11. "I was proud of our effort and composure today," said MSUB head coach Casey Bonner. "We had a slow start in our first match, but found a way to battle out of a tough spot and earn a couple of great wins."
 
Hayden posted a hitting percentage of .538 on the day, totaling 15 kills while adding eight block assists. Jahsita Fa'ali'i led the Yellowjackets with 21 kills on the day. MSUB improved to 6-1 with the victories on Saturday.
 
Match 1 – MSU Billings 3, Chadron State 1 (18-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-22)
 
The Yellowjackets completed the season sweep of the Eagles, after a three-set triumph in Billings last weekend at the Yellowjacket Invitational. MSUB overcame a sluggish start, with the Eagles building a 17-11 advantage out of the gates and cruising to a 25-18 win in the opening set.
 
Four straight kills by Fa'ali'i to open Set 2 led to an ultimate 11-1 run by MSUB as the 'Jackets quickly clicked into gear. The lead was double figures for the rest of the lopsided set, as the Yellowjackets turned momentum into their favor for the rest of the match.
 
Facing set point down 24-21 in the pivotal third frame, Chadron State pulled within one on a kill by Mayson Fago and a miscue by the Yellowjackets. Coming out of a timeout, Paiten Langston slammed down the set-winning kill to keep MSUB in front.
 
The fourth set unfolded closely as well, as the teams battled to a 21-21 deadlock. Lily Gentz and Fa'ali'i had back-to-back kills, and Langston was at the hands of the match-winning swing to help MSUB complete the come-from-behind victory.
 
Fa'ali'i led the way with 14 kills, while Gentz had 13 and Langston totaled a dozen with a .409 hitting percentage. Hannah Hashbarger dished out 28 assists, Alexis King had 17 assists, and Christine Funk posted 25 digs while Kennedy Juranek contributed 18.
 
Alexia Hurtado led the Eagle offense with nine kills, while Breshawna Kelly added 25 assists and Abby Schaefer had 26 digs. The Eagles hit at just .118 in the match, while the Yellowjackets posted a mark of .192. Chadron State fell to 2-4 on the year with the defeat.
 
Match 2 – MSU Billings 3, Minot State 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-11)
 
MSUB started strong and built momentum throughout its final match of the weekend, as the Beavers (0-7) never threatened in the one-sided defeat.
 
Hayden, Fa'ali'i, and Caty Havekost tied for the team high with seven kills apiece, while Hashbarger had 18 assists and King 15. Funk did the defensive lifting with 19 digs, while Gentz led the team with four block assists. The Yellowjackets hit a stellar .308, while Minot State mustered a hitting percentage of just .021.
 
Alexandra Koontz led MSU with eight kills, Lucia Mercolini had 11 assists, and Viktoria Sedova had 10 digs for the Beavers.
 
The teams battled back-and-forth in the opening set with MSUB leading 8-7, before the 'Jackets won 11 of the next 15 points to separate themselves. Minot State made a push to pull within five points, but the Yellowjackets finished the opening set strongly and used a pair of late kills by Havekost to pull ahead in the match 1-0.
 
A 4-0 run to start the second set eventually played out into a 12-4 advantage for MSUB, before the Beavers won four points in-a-row to get back within four. Emma Burlingame kicked off a 6-1 run by MSUB with a kill, and the Yellowjackets used the burst to establish a 21-12 lead. Burlingame bookended the set by slamming home the final point on an assist from King for the 25-15 win.
 
Minot State ran out of gas in the third set, falling behind 13-6 and watching MSUB go on an 8-0 run to put the score out of reach at 21-6. The Yellowjackets were never in danger of an MSU comeback in the 25-11 win.
 
THE BUZZ: Hayden was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day.
 
NEXT WEEK: MSUB jumps into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with road matches against Simon Fraser University on Sept. 8 and at Western Washington University on Sept. 10. Live coverage for the opening weekend of conference play can be found online here.