Bobcat Spikers Conclude Season in Shroyer

Click here for this week's complete release (pdf)

HOME SWEET HOME:
The Montana State volleyball team will conclude its 2011 season this weekend in Shroyer Gym. The Bobcats will open play on Friday, Nov. 18 when it hosts Big Sky Conference foe Weber State at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Montana State volleyball team will celebrate 'Senior Night' against Idaho State at 7 p.m., as it says goodbye to Alex Penewell, Lauren Curtis, Chelsea Oemcke and Rachelle Allen.

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Montana State jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over Sacramento State, but the Hornets rallied in the next three sets to post a 23-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-21 win, last Thursday. MSU opened the match hitting .231 from the field, but only attacked at a .050 clip the rest of the contest. Sac State hit .267 for the match. The Bobcats were paced by Alex Penewell with 12 kills, while Sarah Horton added 11. Horton also recorded 19 digs. Bobcat libero Nicole Baker notched 27 digs and added three aces. The Bobcats played two non-conference matches against Cal State Bakersfield. MSU dropped the first match 3-1, but rebounded for a 3-0 win over the Roadrunners on Saturday. Leading MSU on Saturday was Rachelle Allen with 10 kills and six digs, while Jennifer Lundquist dished out 30 assists.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
* Rachelle Allen, 6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter, Alamosa, Colorado

Allen played a major role in Montana State's 3-0 sweep of Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday with a team-high 10 kills...also hit .304 from the field and added six digs and two blocks in victory over the Roadrunners...for the three-match weekend, Allen averaged 1.46 kills and 2.73 digs, while hitting .186 from the field.

* Alex Penewell, 6-0, Sr., Middle Blocker, Newport Beach, California

Despite playing in just two of MSU's three matches last weekend due to sickness, Penewell posted a career-high 15 kills in the first match against Cal State Bakersfield...she posted one of her best collegiate matches in MSU's 3-1 loss at Sacramento State with 12 kills, a .458 attack mark and three blocks.

THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Weber State (3-24, 3-11) sits one game ahead of the Bobcats in the Big Sky standings. The Wildcats are under the direction of first year head coach tom Peterson. Last weekend, Weber State defeated Northern Arizona (3-2) and dropped a match to Northern Colorado (3-0). WSU has been led this fall by Bethany Wray, a 6-foot-outside hitter, who averaged 3.06 kills and 2.47 digs per match. Idaho State (14-12, 7-7) sits in fifth place in Big Sky play after splitting matches with Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona last week. Breanne Van Every holds the third best kill average in the conference at 3.42, and is third in points with 387.5 Setter Lori Mendenhall averages 9.15 assists per set- third most in the Big Sky. Vanessa Muir leads ISU with 1.01 blocks per set.

QUICK SETS:
Montana State libero Nicole Baker is currently ranked fourth overall in the Big Sky averaging 4.96 digs per set...Baker's 23 saves against Sacramento State is the highest total in the Big Sky for a three-set match and her 30 saves vs. Northern Arizona are the highest for a four-set match...in addition, Baker is the top sophomore in the Big Sky in digs...the Bobcats snapped its 24-match losing streak and a 13-match Big Sky Conference slide with a 3-2 win at Idaho State on Oct. 7...Montana State's last Big Sky home victory came on Oct. 15, 2010 with a 3-0 sweep of Sacramento St...Chelsea Oemcke is currently ranked 10th in the league with a .260 attack mark...setter Jennifer Lundquist is currently listed fourth in the Big Sky averaging 9.10 assists per set...Sarah Horton has notched three straight double-doubles with 11 kills and 19 digs at Sacramento State...as a team, the Bobcats highest rank in Big Sky play is 7th in blocking at 2.02 bps.

HITHER AND YON:
With stops in Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and California in non-conference action, the Bobcats will add over 11,000 miles to its Frequent Flyer card.

WE LIKE IT HERE:
Shroyer Gym, Home of the Bobcats, is one of the toughest venues west of the Mississippi. Over the past few decades, Shroyer Gym and the Bobcat faithful has made Montana State one of the top 30 venues in the nation in term of attendance. The annual 'Shake Shroyer' match has consistently drawn one of the top crowds in the Pacific Northwest and Big Sky Conference. Over 1,500 fans attended MSU's match vs. intra-state rival Montana on Sept. 30. MSU's largest attendance in Shroyer Gym occurred as 2,371 spectators witnessed the Bobcats defeat Northern Arizona on Nov. 1, 2003, 3-0. The largest crowd in the State of Montana and Big Sky Conference history also belongs to the Bobcats as 6,378 fans jammed Worthington Arena on Nov. 15, 2002.

ALL-TIME SERIES:
Weber State owns a 32-29 advantage in its all-time series with Montana State dating back to the 1979 season. MSU defeated WSU (3-2) earlier this season in Ogden. The last time the Bobcats defeated the Wildcats in Shroyer Gym was Sept. 21, 2006. Idaho State also holds a slim 33-29 lead in its all-time series with MSU going back to 1978. The Bobcats defeated the Bengals (3-2) in Pocatello, last month. MSU's last win over ISU in Shroyer Gym was Nov. 11, 2005.

GOLD DIGGER:
Montana State sophomore libero Nicole Baker has been in double-digit digs in 24 of MSU's 27 matches this season. Baker had posted 19 straight matches with at least 10 digs, before being held to just nine saves at Cal State Bakersfield on Friday. She is averaging 4.59 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the Big Sky. Her 23 digs in MSU's loss to Sacramento State on Oct. 15 is the highest recorded this season by any league player in a three-set match and her 30 digs against Northern Arizona are the highest for a four-set contest. Baker is currently second on MSU's all-time single-season list with 477 saves. The all-time single-season digs mark at MSU is 495 set by Kandice Kelly in 2005.

DIGGING MACHINES:
The one statistical area that has seen improvement this season for the Bobcats is on defense. As a team, Montana State is averaging 14.90 digs per set. In all, five Bobcats have posted 160 or more digs so far this fall. Libero Nicole Baker has notched 477 saves and is followed by Rachelle Allen (252), Sarah Horton (240), Kasey Schlatter (207), and Jennifer Lundquist (161).

CO-CAPTAINS:
Seniors Rachelle Allen and Alex Penewell are co-captains for the 2011 season. Allen, who was an All Big Sky Conference Honorable Mention pick last fall, is averaging 2.27 kills and 2.60 digs per set, while Penewell, who was the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year last season, is chipping in 1.61 kills and has posted 51 total blocks.

SPREADING THE LOVE:
Eight Bobcats are currently averaging anywhere from 1.13 - 2.49 kills per set. The balanced attack is led by Sarah Horton, who is averaging a team-best 2.49 kps. Rachelle Allen is also over the 2.00 kill plateau at 2.27 per stanza.

Schedule

Next Event

Footer

Montana State University

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at Oregon State on Sep. 11, 2025 at 7:30 pm MT

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus UNLV on Sep. 12, 2025 at 4:00 pm MT

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus UC Irvine on Sep. 13, 2025 at 12 noon MT

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Nevada on Sep. 18, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Nevada vs. Santa Clara on Sep. 19, 2025 at 1 p.m.