Friday, November 2
Ogden, UT
4 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Weber State
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcat Spikers Travel to Weber State, Idaho State
10/31/2012 4:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball team is in the middle of a four-match road swing. The Bobcats will face Weber State in Ogden, Utah, Friday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m., in Swenson Gym. MSU will then travel north to Pocatello on I-15 to face Idaho State, Saturday, Nov. 3, in Reed Gym at 8 p.m.
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S VOLLEYBALL NOTES (pdf)
HAPPY TRAILS:
The Montana State volleyball team is in the middle of a four-match road swing. The Bobcats will face Weber State in Ogden, Utah, Friday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m., in Swenson Gym. MSU will then travel north to Pocatello on I-15 to face Idaho State, Saturday, Nov. 3, in Reed Gym at 8 p.m. Please note match times as they differ from the traditional 7 p.m., Big Sky Conference starts.
CATCH THE 'CATS:
Weber State:
www.weberstatesports.com - (live stats)
www.americaonesports.com/bigsky.asp - (live web-streaming video)
Idaho State:
www.isubengals.com - (live stats)
www.americaonesports.com/bigsky.asp - (live web-streaming video)
QUICK RECAP:
The Montana State volleyball team played two matches on the Big Sky road last weekend, dropping a 3-1 decision to league-leading Portland State, before rebounding with a straight set 25-22, 29-27, 25-21 win over Eastern Washington in Cheney on Saturday. In MSU's match at Portland State, senior Macy Page led the Bocbats with a team-high 15 kills, while adding four blocks. In MSU's win over EWU, junior Sarah Horton knocked down 19 kills.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
* Sarah Horton, 6-0, Junior, Outside Hitter, Fresno, California
Horton totaled 30 kills, averaging 4.29 kps, and 26 digs, 3.71 dps, as the Bobcats continue to hold steady in 5th place in the Big Sky standings. Against Portland State, Horton notched her 11th double-double of the season with 11 kills and a career-matching 19 digs. In MSU's 3-0 sweep over Eastern Washington, Horton posted a match-high 19 kills, averaging 6.33 per set, while hitting .375 from the field.
* Macy Page, 6-0, Senior, Outside Hitter, Orem, Utah
Senior Macy Page had an outstanding weekend for the Bocbats, hitting a team-best .265 from the floor, while averaging 3.43 kills and .71 blocks per set. In Montana State's loss to Portland State, the Orem, Utah native notched a team-high 15 kills, a .262 attack mark and four blocks. Two night later, Page posted nine kills, a .269 hitting percentage and one block. On the season, she is averaging 3.16 kills, while hitting .233.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES:
No other team at the NCAA Division I level has moved up the NCAA RPI rankings like Montana State. From the final 2011 RPI ranking to this week's ranking, the Bobcats have moved up a whopping 153 spots. MSU finished last season ranked 304th in the RPI. In this week's listing, Montana State is ranked 151. The next biggest jump is 150 spots by Southern Illinois-Carbondale.
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Weber State (9-17, 2-12) snapped a five match losing streak with a 3-1 non-conference win over Texas-Pan American on Monday night in Ogden. The Wildcats are 2-12 in Big Sky Conference action, which includes a 25-23, 25-11, 25-19 loss to Montana State on Sept. 29 in Shroyer Gym. Senior Macy Page paced the Bobcats in the victory with 12 kills, while senior middle blocker Taylar Barney added six kills and nine blocks. MSU leads the all-time series 33-32. The Bobcats have also won three straight matches against the Wildcats. On the year, WSU has been led by Rebecca Fuchs, who is averaging 2.94 kills and 1.67 digs per set. Idaho State (18-5, 12-2) will play Montana on Friday night, before facing the Bobcats on Saturday evening. ISU is currently second in Big Sky action and have secured a spot in the league's postseason tournament. One of Idaho State's two losses came at the hands of the Bobcats. MSU defeated the Bengals 25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 15-12 on Sept. 28 in Shroyer Gym. Montana State was led in the victory by Sarah Horton and Macy Page, who knocked down 22 and 19 kills, respectively. Last week, Idaho State went 2-0 on the road, defeating North Dakota (3-0) and completing a sweep of defending Big Sky champion Northern Colorado (3-0). Middle blocker Jaclyn Hone-Hawkins was named Big Sky Player of the Week, after averaging 3.50 kills, 3.83 digs and 1.83 blocks per set in the two matches. The series between the two programs is tied 33-33. The Bengals have lost three straight to the Bobcats.
HIGH IN THE SKY:
Looking at Big Sky Conference only stats, the Bocbats rank fourth in assists (12.54), fifth in hitting percentage (.192), fifth in kills (13.30), seventh in digs (15.19), eighth in service aces (1.05) and eleventh in blocking (2.14).
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 have made Montana State one of the top 50 venues in the nation in terms of attendance. The annual 'Shake Shroyer' match has consistently drawn one of the top crowds in the Pacific Northwest and Big Sky Conference. On Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, over 1,500 fans filed into Shroyer for the annual Cat-Griz clash. MSU's largest attendance in Shroyer occurred as 2,371 spectators witnessed the Bobcats defeat Northern Arizona on Nov. 1, 2003. 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.
ISN'T SHE GRAND?:
Montana State starting libero Nicole Baker went over the 1,000 dig plateau last weekend, becoming just the seventh player in Bobcat history to accomplish the milestone. In all, she posted 37 digs (5.29 dps) on MSU's two-match tour of the Pacific Northwest. Baker established herself as one of the top defensive players in the Big Sky Conference last season, after averaging a whopping 5.0 digs per set in league play. In addition, the Pleasanton, Calif., native recorded 514 digs to set a new Montana State mark for digs in a single-season. The old record of 495 digs had been held by Kandice Kelly since the 2005 campaign. Baker notched a career-best 30 digs against Northern Arizona, last year. Currently, she is averaging a team-best 4.09 digs per set, which ranks fourth among the Big Sky leaders. She has registered 19 matches in double-digits saves, including a season-best 27 digs in MSU's win over Niagara in early September.
A LENDING HAND:
Senior Jennifer Lundquist has seen her assists per set average rise along with MSU's early season success. Last fall, the Surrey, British Columbia native averaged 9.11 assists per game. This season, Lundquist is currently fifth in the Big Sky Conference averaging 10.67 assists per contest. In MSU's 3-2 loss to Montana, she dished out a career-high 64 assists. In addition, Lundquist is a triple threat on the court as well. She has posted seven double-doubles this fall and is averaging 2.44 digs and .63 kills per game. Her current .308 attack mark leads the team and she has committed just 15 hitting errors on 133 attempts.
HORTON HEARS A ...WHOOT:
Montana State volleyball standout Sarah Horton's 38-kill output against Montana two weeks ago is the highest single-match total at the NCAA Division I level and across 32 conferences this season. She currently leads the Big Sky in kills and points in both overall and league matches. Horton is currently averaging 4.33 kills and 4.89 points in Big Sky contests. Those numbers also rank 35th and 39th in the nation, respectively. In addition, she ranks fifth in the league in aces at .35 per outing. Horton's current season total of 376 kills is the highest offensive production at MSU since Anne Watts recorded 459 kills in 2000. Horton, who still has at minimum six matches remaining, could also reach the school-record of 547 kills in a season set by Diane Terrall in 1980.
TURNING THE PAGE:
Prior to this season, senior Macy Page had totaled 113 career kills, including a career-best 17 kills against Loyola. She had also played in 170 sets and averaged .66 kills per outing. Now, in just her senior season alone, the Orem, Utah, native has recorded 281 kills and is averaging 3.16 kills per set. Page set a new career-high of 27 kills in MSU's win over Eastern Washington.
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