Thursday, September 29
Portland, OR
8 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Portland State
Senior Eli Svisco (16) and the Bobcats celebrate a point against Idaho.
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Cats Travel to Portland State on Thursday; Cat-Griz at Home Saturday Night
9/28/2016 10:17:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball squad opens its 2016 Big Sky road season traveling to Portland State on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. (MT). The Bobcats will return to Bozeman late Friday night, before hosting Montana in the Brawl of the Wild on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Shroyer Gym.
AWAY FOR ONE, HOME FOR ANOTHER:
The Montana State volleyball squad opens its 2016 Big Sky road season traveling to Portland State on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. (MT). The Bobcats will return to Bozeman late Friday night, before hosting Montana in the Brawl of the Wild on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Shroyer Gym. The Shake Shroyer event will feature free rally towels for the first 500 through the door and t-shirt tosses.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS:
Here is a closer look at this week's opponents.
Opponent: Portland State University
Nickname: Vikings
Record: 9-5, 1-1 Big Sky
Head Coach: Michael Seemann (170-113, 111-43)
Notable Win: 3-2 win over #20 Colorado, Aug. 27
The Skinny: The Vikings posted one of the biggest upsets for a Big Sky school in the preseason knocking off Colorado 3-2. Since then CU has moved-up to No. 20 in the nation. PSU has been led by Pati Anae, who is averaging 4.57 kills and 2.55 digs per set. Anae, a 6-0 senior outside hitter, notched a season-high 28 kills in its match with the Buffaloes. The Viks split on the road last weekend defeating Idaho State (3-1) and losing at Weber State (3-1).
Opponent: University of Montana
Nickname: Grizzlies
Record: 4-8, 1-1 Big Sky Conference
Head Coach: Brian Doyon (12-28, 5-13)
Notable Win: 3-2 win over Idaho, Sept. 24
The Skinny: The Grizzlies have won three of its last four matches heading into its tilt at Sacramento State on Thursday night. Last weekend, Montana suffered a 3-1 setback to Eastern Washington, before getting its first league win against Idaho (3-2) on Saturday night. UM has been paced this season by Missy Huddleston and Alexis Urbach, who averaged 2.05 and 2.02 kills per set, respectively. Defensively, Sadie Ahearn leads the Griz averaging 3.23 dps.
THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Eastern Washington hit .427 in the first two sets, and despite a valiant third set effort by Montana State, the Eagles cruised to a 25-17, 25-17, 11-25, 25-18 victory, Saturday night. MSU came out of intermission taking a 10-3 advantage sparked by Caitlin Lonergan. The Bozeman product posted three kills and two aces during the run as MSU out-hit EWU .348 to -.080 to win the set. In the final stanza, MSU jumped out to a 5-3 lead on an Eli Svisco kill, but the Eagles responded with a 7-1 run and never looked back. Svisco paced the Bobcats with 10 kills and a .476 attack mark, while Natalie Passeck posted nine kills, a .360 hitting percentage and six digs. The silver-lining for MSU was upfront as it out-blocked the Eagles 10-2. Kiana Black collected a career-high seven blocks, while Lonergan added four. Idaho used a .252 team attack mark and eight blocks, en route to a 25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19 win over Montana State, Thursday night in the Big Sky opener for both teams. Montana State was led by Chase Doughty with 13 kills and Kiana Black with ten. MSU's middles – Black and Audra Dugan – combined for 19 kills and an impressive .436 attack mark, while adding seven blocks. Defensively, Allyssa Rizzo tallied a team-best 13 digs, while Passeck added 12. Dugan recorded a match-high six blocks.
RUNNING THE GAUNLET:
This season's edition of Bobcat volleyball has faced a hellacious schedule. And, in particular, a span of four matches from Sept. 3-17 that featured No. 1 Nebraska, No. 20 Loyola Marymount, Creighton, who has received votes in the top 25 poll and Gonzaga, who is currently 7-3 overall. In fact, MSU's schedule is ranked the toughest in the Big Sky Conference (.600) followed by Portland State (.567), Idaho (.556), North Dakota (.535) and Northern Colorado (.529). The three weakest schedules in the Big Sky belong to Northern Arizona (.366), Weber State (.442) and Montana (.442)
700/500 CLUB:
Senior Eli Svisco is a member of Montana State's 700 kills - 500 digs club. The fifth-year player has recorded 754 career kills and 552 career digs. The product of Castle Rock had her best season in the kill category during her freshman campaign when she racked-up 265 kills. Her freshman season also saw her post a career best 312 saves on the year.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ____________:
Second-year head coach JJ Riley has had a total of 13 new players dot the Bobcat roster in his tenure in the Blue and Gold. This season, Riley welcomed eight newcomers to Shroyer Gym, including six freshmen and two junior college transfers.
SKY HIGH - BIG SKY CONFERENCE NOTES:
Big Sky volleyball conference play is underway, and in a weekend that saw teams continue to beat up on each other, three walked away with 2-0 records on the road while multiple teams earned wins with some historical significance. Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State each opened league play with a pair of road wins. Sac State handed Weber State its first loss of the season, then outlasted Idaho State in five sets. The Lumberjacks fought past Northern Colorado in a matchup between the top two teams in the preseason poll, then swept Southern Utah in Cedar City. The Eagles picked up their first win in Missoula since 2011, then completed the trip with a 3-1 victory at Montana State. Many teams ended skids against teams over the weekend, as Montana shook off a loss to Eastern, holding off Idaho in five sets for its first win over the Vandals since 1999. Portland State beat Idaho State for the first time in six tries, and Weber State defeated the Vikings to end a 13-match losing streak to them. North Dakota kicked off Big Sky play rolling by Southern Utah, and UNC shook of its close loss to NAU sweeping the Fighting Hawks in Greeley. Idaho went 1-1 after opening with a win at Montana State. Conference play resumes Thursday with six games, followed by one on Friday and five more on Saturday. Highlighting this week's action is the lone team to not play at home yet this season, Eastern Washington, returning to Reese Court. The Eagles host UNC on Thursday and UND on Friday. The Fighting Hawks and Bears also visit Idaho, with those three teams looking to gain ground in the north division all at 1-1. Northern Arizona and Portland State both return home after long road trips. NAU returns to Flagstaff for the first time since a pair of sweeps over Bethune-Cookman back in early September, taking on Idaho State in a 2015 championship rematch and Weber State. The Vikings are back at home for the first time since a season-opening tourney, hosting Montana State and travel partner Sacramento State. Montana hits the road for matches with Sacramento State Thursday, then returns to the treasure state for a Brawl of the Wild matchup with the Bobcats. ISU and WSU also take on SUU in Cedar City.
DIGGING IT:
Freshman libero Allyssa Rizzo has recorded 161 digs on the season, averaging 4.03 digs per set. The mark ranks her ninth in the Big Sky Conference.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
Montana State has two individuals ranked in this week's Big Sky stats - both are freshman. Bozeman product Caitlin Lonergan is third in aces (.38), while Allyssa Rizzo is ninth in digs (4.03 dps).
PACKING THEM IN:
The Bobcats averaged 1,150 fans during its opening weekend in Shroyer Gym, including 1,214 in the opener against Idaho. MSU is currently second to North Dakota in average home attendance and is ranked 40th in the nation, just ahead of Tennessee, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida State.
STAT OF THE WEEK:
Natalie Passeck and Eli Svisco combined for 19 kills, no errors in 46 attempts for a .413 attack mark against Eastern Washington on Saturday night.
The Montana State volleyball squad opens its 2016 Big Sky road season traveling to Portland State on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. (MT). The Bobcats will return to Bozeman late Friday night, before hosting Montana in the Brawl of the Wild on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Shroyer Gym. The Shake Shroyer event will feature free rally towels for the first 500 through the door and t-shirt tosses.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS:
Here is a closer look at this week's opponents.
Opponent: Portland State University
Nickname: Vikings
Record: 9-5, 1-1 Big Sky
Head Coach: Michael Seemann (170-113, 111-43)
Notable Win: 3-2 win over #20 Colorado, Aug. 27
The Skinny: The Vikings posted one of the biggest upsets for a Big Sky school in the preseason knocking off Colorado 3-2. Since then CU has moved-up to No. 20 in the nation. PSU has been led by Pati Anae, who is averaging 4.57 kills and 2.55 digs per set. Anae, a 6-0 senior outside hitter, notched a season-high 28 kills in its match with the Buffaloes. The Viks split on the road last weekend defeating Idaho State (3-1) and losing at Weber State (3-1).
Opponent: University of Montana
Nickname: Grizzlies
Record: 4-8, 1-1 Big Sky Conference
Head Coach: Brian Doyon (12-28, 5-13)
Notable Win: 3-2 win over Idaho, Sept. 24
The Skinny: The Grizzlies have won three of its last four matches heading into its tilt at Sacramento State on Thursday night. Last weekend, Montana suffered a 3-1 setback to Eastern Washington, before getting its first league win against Idaho (3-2) on Saturday night. UM has been paced this season by Missy Huddleston and Alexis Urbach, who averaged 2.05 and 2.02 kills per set, respectively. Defensively, Sadie Ahearn leads the Griz averaging 3.23 dps.
THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Eastern Washington hit .427 in the first two sets, and despite a valiant third set effort by Montana State, the Eagles cruised to a 25-17, 25-17, 11-25, 25-18 victory, Saturday night. MSU came out of intermission taking a 10-3 advantage sparked by Caitlin Lonergan. The Bozeman product posted three kills and two aces during the run as MSU out-hit EWU .348 to -.080 to win the set. In the final stanza, MSU jumped out to a 5-3 lead on an Eli Svisco kill, but the Eagles responded with a 7-1 run and never looked back. Svisco paced the Bobcats with 10 kills and a .476 attack mark, while Natalie Passeck posted nine kills, a .360 hitting percentage and six digs. The silver-lining for MSU was upfront as it out-blocked the Eagles 10-2. Kiana Black collected a career-high seven blocks, while Lonergan added four. Idaho used a .252 team attack mark and eight blocks, en route to a 25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19 win over Montana State, Thursday night in the Big Sky opener for both teams. Montana State was led by Chase Doughty with 13 kills and Kiana Black with ten. MSU's middles – Black and Audra Dugan – combined for 19 kills and an impressive .436 attack mark, while adding seven blocks. Defensively, Allyssa Rizzo tallied a team-best 13 digs, while Passeck added 12. Dugan recorded a match-high six blocks.
RUNNING THE GAUNLET:
This season's edition of Bobcat volleyball has faced a hellacious schedule. And, in particular, a span of four matches from Sept. 3-17 that featured No. 1 Nebraska, No. 20 Loyola Marymount, Creighton, who has received votes in the top 25 poll and Gonzaga, who is currently 7-3 overall. In fact, MSU's schedule is ranked the toughest in the Big Sky Conference (.600) followed by Portland State (.567), Idaho (.556), North Dakota (.535) and Northern Colorado (.529). The three weakest schedules in the Big Sky belong to Northern Arizona (.366), Weber State (.442) and Montana (.442)
700/500 CLUB:
Senior Eli Svisco is a member of Montana State's 700 kills - 500 digs club. The fifth-year player has recorded 754 career kills and 552 career digs. The product of Castle Rock had her best season in the kill category during her freshman campaign when she racked-up 265 kills. Her freshman season also saw her post a career best 312 saves on the year.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ____________:
Second-year head coach JJ Riley has had a total of 13 new players dot the Bobcat roster in his tenure in the Blue and Gold. This season, Riley welcomed eight newcomers to Shroyer Gym, including six freshmen and two junior college transfers.
SKY HIGH - BIG SKY CONFERENCE NOTES:
Big Sky volleyball conference play is underway, and in a weekend that saw teams continue to beat up on each other, three walked away with 2-0 records on the road while multiple teams earned wins with some historical significance. Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State each opened league play with a pair of road wins. Sac State handed Weber State its first loss of the season, then outlasted Idaho State in five sets. The Lumberjacks fought past Northern Colorado in a matchup between the top two teams in the preseason poll, then swept Southern Utah in Cedar City. The Eagles picked up their first win in Missoula since 2011, then completed the trip with a 3-1 victory at Montana State. Many teams ended skids against teams over the weekend, as Montana shook off a loss to Eastern, holding off Idaho in five sets for its first win over the Vandals since 1999. Portland State beat Idaho State for the first time in six tries, and Weber State defeated the Vikings to end a 13-match losing streak to them. North Dakota kicked off Big Sky play rolling by Southern Utah, and UNC shook of its close loss to NAU sweeping the Fighting Hawks in Greeley. Idaho went 1-1 after opening with a win at Montana State. Conference play resumes Thursday with six games, followed by one on Friday and five more on Saturday. Highlighting this week's action is the lone team to not play at home yet this season, Eastern Washington, returning to Reese Court. The Eagles host UNC on Thursday and UND on Friday. The Fighting Hawks and Bears also visit Idaho, with those three teams looking to gain ground in the north division all at 1-1. Northern Arizona and Portland State both return home after long road trips. NAU returns to Flagstaff for the first time since a pair of sweeps over Bethune-Cookman back in early September, taking on Idaho State in a 2015 championship rematch and Weber State. The Vikings are back at home for the first time since a season-opening tourney, hosting Montana State and travel partner Sacramento State. Montana hits the road for matches with Sacramento State Thursday, then returns to the treasure state for a Brawl of the Wild matchup with the Bobcats. ISU and WSU also take on SUU in Cedar City.
DIGGING IT:
Freshman libero Allyssa Rizzo has recorded 161 digs on the season, averaging 4.03 digs per set. The mark ranks her ninth in the Big Sky Conference.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
Montana State has two individuals ranked in this week's Big Sky stats - both are freshman. Bozeman product Caitlin Lonergan is third in aces (.38), while Allyssa Rizzo is ninth in digs (4.03 dps).
PACKING THEM IN:
The Bobcats averaged 1,150 fans during its opening weekend in Shroyer Gym, including 1,214 in the opener against Idaho. MSU is currently second to North Dakota in average home attendance and is ranked 40th in the nation, just ahead of Tennessee, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida State.
STAT OF THE WEEK:
Natalie Passeck and Eli Svisco combined for 19 kills, no errors in 46 attempts for a .413 attack mark against Eastern Washington on Saturday night.
Players Mentioned
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