BILLINGS, Mont. — The Montana State University Billings volleyball team battled against one of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's top teams Thursday night, but Alaska Anchorage proved too much to overcome, sweeping the Yellowjackets 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-23) at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The Yellowjackets (5-22, 1-16 GNAC) finished the match with 29 kills on 123 attacks, hitting .122 as a team. MSUB also recorded 24 assists, four service aces and 16 block assists while collecting 43 digs defensively. The Yellowjackets showed improvement as the match progressed, putting together their most competitive performance in the third set.
The girls played hard through a tough match tonight," said coach
Dawn Hedstrom. "It's just great to see how much they've improved this year. In game 27 of the season, players tend to get banged up and tired, but they kept going each and every play tonight. They had some adversity but did a phenomenal job of pushing through."
Allie Dorman led the MSUB offense with seven kills on 21 attacks, adding five digs and a block assist.
Emma Fairbairn and
Laina Whitney each contributed five kills, while Whitney added four block assists.
Izzy Ping finished with four kills and three block assists, while
Addyson Quandt chipped in three kills and four block assists. Defensively,
Avarey Stuff paced the Yellowjackets with 13 digs and two service aces.
Aaliyah Gaylord distributed eight assists and added nine digs, while
Avery Starr contributed nine assists and five digs.
Adrienne Magdaleno also recorded two service aces.
Alaska Anchorage established control early in the opening set, taking the frame 25-17. MSUB finished with 10 kills in the set but struggled to find consistency offensively, committing five attack errors while hitting .100. The Seawolves capitalized on their opportunities to take an early 1-0 advantage.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Anchorage maintaining its momentum to earn a 25-15 victory. The Yellowjackets recorded nine kills but were limited to a .094 hitting percentage as the Seawolves extended their advantage to 2-0. MSUB continued working to generate offensive opportunities but was unable to slow Anchorage's attack.
Facing a potential sweep, the Yellowjackets delivered their strongest offensive showing in the third set. MSUB recorded 10 kills while limiting itself to just three attack errors, improving its hitting percentage to .171. The two teams remained competitive throughout the frame, with the Yellowjackets pushing Anchorage to the final points before the Seawolves ultimately secured the 25-23 victory to complete the sweep.
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets will return to Alterowitz Gymnasium on Saturday, Nov. 14, for their final match of the regular season, hosting Alaska Fairbanks at 1 p.m. MSUB will recognize its seniors during Senior Day festivities as it closes out the 2026 campaign.
