Monmouth, Ore. – The Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets (2-8) fell in yet another five-set thriller to the Western Oregon Wolves (7-3). The 'Jackets lost their fourth 5-set match this year in, yet again, heart-breaking fashion, but have many positives to take away from the match.
The Yellowjackets, quickly rebounding from an off game on Thursday, responded by taking the first set against the Wolves by a score of 25-20. The 'Jackets came out looking confident and ready to go as they led the entire set to win by 5 points. Freshman
Bailey Nichols started hot for the 'Jackets with a team-high 3 kills in the first set and their strong defense led to a slew of errors by the host team, Western Oregon.
The second set was one the 'Jackets should be proud of even though they eventually fell 26-24 . The Wolves jumped out to a 19-9 lead, seemingly having everything going their way, but the 'Jackets simply would not back down. They came firing back, eventually tying the set up 24-24 after fighting off 5 set points and forcing the Wolves to call all of their timeouts. Unfortunately, the Wolves would finish the set with two points in a row to tie the match up 1-1. Locked up 1-1 with both teams looking to pick up their first GNAC win, a battle was brewing in Monmouth, Oregon between two teams that are very evenly matched.
The third set saw the 'Jackets jump out to a 20-14 lead, but behind a handful of errors, the Wolves stormed back to take the set 25-22. Trailing 2-1 in the match, The 'Jackets would come out strong to start the 4
th set as they took a 5-2 lead out of the gate. It would be a back-and-forth battle as the teams went point-for-point on the way to a 10-10 tie. The 'Jackets would continue their strong defense to go ahead 15-12 on an ace by
Kennedy Juranek. At this point in the match, junior libero
Christine Funk has been phenomenal yet again. She has already passed her career-high of 33 digs as she is picking up every ball the Wolves hit over. Funk went into this weekend leading NCAA DII in digs, so although this stat is impressive, Funk has been playing like this all season, so it is something that Yellowjacket fans are used to. After leading 21-17, the 'Jackets finished the set on a 4-0 run finished off by a kill from Nichols. The Jackets, looking the best they have all season, will gear up for yet another 5
th and final set to decide the outcome. The 'Jackets will now play in their 5
th five-set match this year – looking for their second victory in the 5 setter.
In the fifth set, a race to 15 points, the Wolves started out with a 3-1 lead, but quickly tied it up 3-3 by an impressive setter dump by freshman
Emma Fa'alogo. The Wolves would go on a 3-0 run and jump out to a 6-3 lead, forcing head coach Casey Bonner to call a timeout.
Paiten Langston stopped a 5-0 run by the Wolves, getting a kill from Fa'alogo to pull within 8-4. Unfortunately, the Wolves would finish strong, eventually getting the final point on some long rallies, to take the fifth set 15-6.
The 'Jackets are a team that battles, but unluckily lost their fourth five-set match of the year. The 'Jackets were led by freshman Nichols with 10 kills, followed by Langston with 8 kills and fellow freshman
Aubrey Allison with 7 kills. Funk led the defense again with a career-high 39 digs and Fa'alogo led the offense with 25 kills and an impressive 5 kills.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
THE BUZZ: Christine Funk is the Intermountain Health Player of the Game. Funk registered another career high with 39 digs as she had another historic performance.
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets will return home for a three game home stand starting with Rocky Mountain College on Tuesday, Sept. 19
th at 6 PM.
