BILLINGS, Mont.- The Montana State University Billings volleyball team (1-14, 0-10 GNAC) fell in straight sets to eighth-ranked Simon Fraser (14-2, 8-2 GNAC) on Thursday evening inside Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The nationally ranked Red Leaf's showed why they sit among the country's best, hitting over .375 as a team — including an impressive .600 mark in the third set — while dominating at both the service line and the net. Simon Fraser finished with a 12-2 advantage in service aces and a 7-1 edge in total blocks.
HEAR FROM COACH KEISTER: "Really proud of the start to finish effort from the team tonight. We had a week of practice where we picked some very specific things to work on, and they bought in and executed them in the game. I'm impressed by this teams strength and fight one point at a time and their ability to adapt to changing circumstances throughout the match."
Simon Fraser University came out strong in the opening set, jumping to an early 8-4 lead and forcing a quick Montana State Billings timeout. Out of the break,
Jordin Taulua put down the Yellowjackets' first kill of the night, followed by an SFU attacking error that closed the gap to two points. However, the Red Leaf's regained momentum, gradually stretching their lead to six. MSUB struggled to find consistency on offense, managing early kills from Taulua and
Kenzie Allen. Holcomb and
Allie Dorman each added a pair of kills, and
Stella Scott contributed an ace, but SFU maintained control and closed out the first set with a convincing 25-14 win.
The second set began as a tight battle, with MSUB keeping it close thanks to early kills from Dorman, Scott, and
Tehani Moniz. Simon Fraser then found its rhythm, going on a 7-2 run to take a 12-6 lead and forcing a timeout from head coach
Scott Keister. A trio of kills from Allen helped the Yellowjackets stay within reach, but the Red Leaf's continued to pull away, extending their lead to 17-9. SFU finished strong, using an 8-3 run to secure the set 25-12.
The third and final set mirrored the start of the second, remaining competitive early on. After two quick points from SFU, MSUB tied the score 2-2 with a service ace from Holcomb. Dorman added back-to-back kills to keep the Yellowjackets close, but another SFU scoring burst made it 10-4. Dominating at the net, the Red Leafs held a 7-0 advantage in total blocks by this point in the set. Despite a late push from MSUB — highlighted by back-to-back points from
Marissa Allen and additional kills from
Izzy Ping and
Kenzie Allen — Simon Fraser's steady attack proved too much. The Red Leaf's closed out the match with a 25-15 victory.
STATISTIC LEADERS
Kills: Kenzie Allen (7)
Hitting Percentage: Kenzie Allen (.200)
Assists: Reese Sherwood (10)
Blocks: Marissa Allen (1);
Kenzie Allen (1)
Aces: Stella Scott (1);
Addison Holcomb (1)
Digs: Addison Holcomb (9)
THE BUZZ: Kenzie Allen was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings Yellowjacket volleyball team stays home for another ranked matchup against #19 Western Washington this Saturday at 3:00 PM in Alterowitz Gym.
