Friday, September 1
Logan, UT
4 p.m.
Montana State University
2-2
3
vs
1
UC Santa Barbara
0-4
1
2
3
4
F
Montana State
25
23
25
25
3
UC Santa Barbara
22
25
23
20
1
Freshman Alexis Goroski had 11 digs in MSU's win over UCSB.
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Lasso Gauchos
9/1/2017 7:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Montana State first-year head volleyball coach Daniel Jones picked up his first road victory as the Bobcats knocked off perennial Big West power UC Santa Barbara 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, Friday afternoon in the opening-round of the Utah State Tournament.
Montana State first-year head volleyball coach Daniel Jones picked up his first road victory as the Bobcats knocked off perennial Big West power UC Santa Barbara 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, Friday afternoon in the opening-round of the Utah State Tournament.
Defense sparked MSU's second straight victory of the early season as five Bobcats reached double-digit digs, paced by libero Allyssa Rizzo with 19 saves. She was followed by Natalie Passeck 16, Sydney Mathison 12, Alexis Goroski 11 and Allie Lynch 10.
"I'm really happy with our performance," Jones said. "We fought through a tough second set and gained some momentum which carried us in the final two games. Defensively, I thought our effort was phenomenal and it was nice to see Allie come in and fill a role for us very nicely. We did a good job blocking and touching a lot of balls at the net."
Passeck, a junior from Parker, Colo., got Montana State (2-2) off to a quick 1-0 lead knocking down five kills in the opening frame.
UCSB (0-4) took a commanding 24-20 advantage in the second set, before MSU battled back to close to within 24-23. However, the Gauchos closed out the set on a kill by Chloe Allen.
In the third set, the Cats used its energy from the late going in the previous frame to take a 20-14 cushion following a Savannah Laws kill. MSU held off a late UCSB charge and took a 2-1 match lead following a Laws block.
The final set was a mirror of the third as the Cats stormed out to a 17-10 advantage and never looked back. MSU won the match on a Passeck kill.
"I'm pleased for both Natalie and Chase (Doughty)," Jones said. "Natalie is just a rock for our team. We ask her to handle a huge workload and she's stepped up to the challenge. Chase struggled in the early going, but she fought through that and really gained some confidence. She is really evolving in our system."
Passeck guided MSU with a team-high 17 kills, while Doughty added 14. As a team, the Bobcats didn't win the statistical battle as UCSB held narrow advantages in kills, assists, aces and digs.
"There are no easy matches," Jones said. "The match wasn't a thing of beauty, but our kids battled and found a way to win on the road. They are buying into what we're doing and competing. And, they're having fun doing it."
Montana State will face Utah State and Pacific on Saturday.
Defense sparked MSU's second straight victory of the early season as five Bobcats reached double-digit digs, paced by libero Allyssa Rizzo with 19 saves. She was followed by Natalie Passeck 16, Sydney Mathison 12, Alexis Goroski 11 and Allie Lynch 10.
"I'm really happy with our performance," Jones said. "We fought through a tough second set and gained some momentum which carried us in the final two games. Defensively, I thought our effort was phenomenal and it was nice to see Allie come in and fill a role for us very nicely. We did a good job blocking and touching a lot of balls at the net."
Passeck, a junior from Parker, Colo., got Montana State (2-2) off to a quick 1-0 lead knocking down five kills in the opening frame.
UCSB (0-4) took a commanding 24-20 advantage in the second set, before MSU battled back to close to within 24-23. However, the Gauchos closed out the set on a kill by Chloe Allen.
In the third set, the Cats used its energy from the late going in the previous frame to take a 20-14 cushion following a Savannah Laws kill. MSU held off a late UCSB charge and took a 2-1 match lead following a Laws block.
The final set was a mirror of the third as the Cats stormed out to a 17-10 advantage and never looked back. MSU won the match on a Passeck kill.
"I'm pleased for both Natalie and Chase (Doughty)," Jones said. "Natalie is just a rock for our team. We ask her to handle a huge workload and she's stepped up to the challenge. Chase struggled in the early going, but she fought through that and really gained some confidence. She is really evolving in our system."
Passeck guided MSU with a team-high 17 kills, while Doughty added 14. As a team, the Bobcats didn't win the statistical battle as UCSB held narrow advantages in kills, assists, aces and digs.
"There are no easy matches," Jones said. "The match wasn't a thing of beauty, but our kids battled and found a way to win on the road. They are buying into what we're doing and competing. And, they're having fun doing it."
Montana State will face Utah State and Pacific on Saturday.
Team Stats
MSU
UCSB
Kills
49
50
Errors
20
31
Attempts
160
164
Hitting %
.181
.116
Points
63.0
65.0
Assists
47
48
Aces
5
6
Blocks
9.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMatt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, January 18
Daniel Jones Weekly Press Conference
Monday, November 15
Bobcat Classic: Arkansas vs. Portland
Saturday, September 04
Bobcat Classic: Arkansas vs. Utah State
Friday, September 03
