BILLINGS, Mont.- The Montana State University Billings volleyball team (1-9, 0-5 GNAC) suffered a straight-set loss to Central Washington University (7-4, 3-1 GNAC) on Thursday evening at Alterowitz Gymnasium. The match was part of the team's annual Pink Night, with fans, players, and staff wearing pink to support breast cancer awareness.
Central Washington, led by veteran head coach Mario Andaya in his 30th season, came into the match receiving votes in the latest NCAA Division II Coaches Poll and validated that recognition with a dominant performance. The Wildcats hit an impressive .538 as a team, racking up 48 kills with just five errors in route to the sweep.
HEAR FROM COACH KEISTER: "Minus the start of the first set I was really proud of their effort and grit, just grinding through the match. Central Washington is a very fundamentally sound and impressive team that is well coached. They were obviously the better team, but we love the opportunity to grow and get better."
In the opening set, Central Washington came out strong, stringing together nine consecutive points before MSUB finally got on the board with a Wildcat service error. The Yellowjackets found a spark behind the serve of
Jordin Taulua, going on a 4-0 run and cutting the deficit with an ace from
Addison Holcomb. However, a late 5-0 push from CWU sealed the first set, 25-12.
The second set started in similar fashion with the Wildcats jumping out early, but MSUB showed resilience. Taulua and
Marissa Allen each notched kills, and a 5-0 Yellowjacket run—highlighted by a service ace from
Allie Dorman—trimmed the lead to 12-8. Despite solid contributions from
Stella Scott and others, Central Washington continued to control the tempo and closed the set 25-14.
In the third and final set, CWU maintained its rhythm, capitalizing on multiple scoring runs. MSUB got offensive contributions from Taulua, Holcomb, Allen, Scott, and Dorman, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Wildcats, who wrapped up the match with a 25-11 win to complete the sweep.
STATISTIC LEADERS
Kills: Marissa Allen (4);
Jordin Taulua (4);
Allie Dorman (4)
Hitting Percentage: Marissa Allen (.429);
Addison Holcomb (.214)
Assists: Kenzie Allen (16);
Avarey Stuff (2)
Aces: Jordin Taulua (2);
Allie Dorman (1);
Addison Holcomb (1)
Digs: Avarey Stuff (7);
Kenzie Allen (6);
Adrienne Magdaleno (5)
THE BUZZ: Marissa Allen was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings Yellowjacket volleyball team is back in action this Saturday, facing off against Northwest Nazarene at 1 PM.
