Montana State University
Portland State
Cats Ready to Shake Shroyer
9/26/2017 5:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball team will open its Big Sky Conference home schedule this weekend, beginning with Portland State, Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. within the friendly confines of Shroyer Gym.
SHAKE SHROYER:
The Montana State volleyball team will open its Big Sky Conference home schedule this weekend, beginning with Portland State, Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. within the friendly confines of Shroyer Gym. MSU will conclude weekend play when it hosts the annual Shake Shroyer match and the first head-to-head meeting of the season between the Cats and Griz for the Brawl of the Wild trophy as Montana faces Montana State, Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS:
Here is a closer look at this week's opponents.
Opponent: Portland State
Nickname: Vikings
Head Coach: Michael Seemann (121-49 / 10th Year)
2017 Record: 11-3 overall; 2-0 Big Sky
Opponent: Montana
Nickname: Grizzlies
Head Coach: Allison Lawrence (5-10 / 1st Year)
2017 Record: 5-10 overall; 0-2 Big Sky
CATCH THE CATS:
Pluto TV – Pluto TV is the leading free Internet-based TV service that is available on almost any device such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and smart TVs like Sony, Samsung, Vizio and more. Pluto TV is also available through a free app on mobile and table devices (i.e. iOS and Android), as well as traditional PCs. All content on Pluto TV is free, including its Video on Demand.
To watch Montana State matches this weekend go to Pluto TV - Channel 238
Live Video Stream: Also available at WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: For Montana State matches this weekend: Bobcatstats.com
ON POINT WITH THE CATS:
* Montana State hosts Portland State for the 59th meeting between the schools
* The Vikings own the series record 39-19 dating back to the 1979 season
* Portland State has won 21 straight matches against the Bobcats
* MSU's last win (3-0) over the Vikings came on Nov. 12, 2004
* The Cats will look to snap a five-match losing streak on Thursday night
* Montana State hosts Montana for the 110th meeting between the two schools
* MSU trails slightly in the all-time series 55-54 going back to 1975
* MSU is 3-2 against Montana in the last five Brawl of the Wild contests
* MSU defeated UM (3-1) in Bozeman and lost in Missoula (3-0) last fall
* The attendance for last season's Shake Shroyer (UM) match was 1,409 fans
* Montana State is 10-20 all-time in Big Sky Conference openers
* The Bobcats dropped its league opener at Idaho (3-0) last Thursday night
* Montana State is celebrating its 125th birthday during the 2017-18 season
SERVING NOTICE:
The Bobcats have done an outstanding job serving the ball in the early season. MSU has served-up 67 aces in 11 matches, averaging 1.49 per set. The mark is the third best in the Big Sky Conference and ranks 73rd in the nation. Individually, senior middle blocker Kiana Black's .49 aces per game is tops in the Big Sky and 31st in the nation. In all, Black's 22 service aces are second highest in the conference and ranks 49th in the nation at the NCAA Division I level. Freshman Lexie Goroski also ranks among the Big Sky top 10 at No. 8, averaging .36 aces per set.
BLOCK PARTY:
Montana State averaged a whopping 3.31 blocks per game en route to winning the Utah State Tournament three weeks ago, but posted just 1.00 blocks per set last weekend in Big Sky action. The Bobcats current average of 2.09 bps is seventh in the Big Sky and ranks 135th in the nation. MSU's best block party of the season came in its win over Pacific as the Cats out-blocked the Tigers 20-6. Freshman Kelsie White posted a school-record and career-best 14 block assists, and finished the match with 15 total blocks. Sophomore Evi Wilson also enjoyed a career performance with seven blocks, while Kiana Black chipped in five block assists against the Tigers. White's 1.22 blocks per set ranks sixth in the Big Sky and is 71st in the nation. The Layton, Utah product has notched the sixth highest blocks per set average in the nation for freshmen. In addition, White's 15 total blocks against Pacific are the highest total in the nation for a five-set match this season. Illinois, who left the Bobcat Classic with a perfect 3-0 record, is one of the nation's top blocking teams, paced by the nation's best blocker Ali Bastianelli at 1.90 bps.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ____________:
Thirteen of MSU's 16 players on its roster have been in the program for two years or less. This season, the Bobcats welcomed six freshmen. Only three players (Kiana Black, Natalie Passeck and Chase Doughty) remain on the roster from the 2015 campaign, which was the first under then head coach JJ Riley and top assistant (now head) coach Daniel Jones.
DIGGING IT:
Sophomore libero Allyssa Rizzo, along with defensive specialists and freshmen Alexis Goroski, Libby Christensen and Allie Lynch have accounted for over half of MSU's digs this season. The foursome has averaged an impressive 6.8 saves per game over the last eleven matches. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed as both Rizzo and Goroski were named to the Utah State All-Tournament team. Rizzo paces MSU in the back row averaging 3.84 digs, while Goroski chips in 1.67, Christensen 1.30 saves and Lynch 1.38 dps. Rizzo's 3.81 digs per set is ninth best in the Big Sky Conference.
BLACK AND WHITE:
Montana State middle blockers senior Kiana Black and freshman Kelsie White have been outstanding in the early season for the Bobcats. The duo has combined for 130 kills (2.89 kps) and 87 blocks (.193), while hitting .184 from the field. Black, a native of Wenatchee, Wash., also added 22 service aces, including a career-high five aces against Air Force. She had her best hitting outing of the season with 13 kills in MSU's five-set loss to Long Beach State. White, a product of Layton, Utah, has guided MSU defensively, averaging 1.22 blocks per set. Against Pacific, she registered 14 blocks assists, establishing a new MSU school-record. White broke the mark of 13 block assists previously held by Karen Weyler ('94) and Mindy Nowak ('98). Offensively, White is averaging 1.40 kills per set, while hitting .182. The 6-4 true-freshman posted a season-best nine kills in Montana State's win over Utah State on Sept. 2.
SETTING STANDARDS:
Sophomore Sydney Mathison and senior Katie Rutecki have shared the setting position this season. Mathison, a product of Phoenix, Arizona as played in 39 sets and is averaging 7.95 assists per set, which is the eighth highest total in the Big Sky Conference. Mathison registered a career-high 50 assists in MSU's 3-2 win over Gonzaga on Aug. 26. Rutecki, a native of Burbank, Calif., received her first start of the year against Eastern Washington on Saturday and promptly dished out 46 assists. She is averaging 3.90 apg in 20 sets played.
PINTEREST:
For most of the early season, juniors Natalie Passeck and Chase Doughty, along with sophomores Evi Wilson and Savannah Laws, and freshman Hannah Scott, have manned the pins for the Bobcats. Passeck has led all MSU outside hitters averaging 2.73 kills per set, while Doughty has chipped in 2.34, Scott 2.13 and Wilson 1.72 per contest. In Montana State's win over Gonzaga on Aug. 26, Passeck paced the Cats with 17 kills, and followed that effort with 17 in MSU's victory over UC Santa Barbara. Doughty and Wilson each notched a career-high 14 kills against the Zags. Doughty matched her career-high with 14 kills in MSU's win over UCSB, as well. Wilson, a native of Vancouver, Wash., tallied her first career double-double against Gonzaga posting 14 kills and 11 digs. Against Pacific, Wilson recorded a career-high seven block assists. Doughty, a product of Pleasant View, Utah, has also found success at the net for MSU, logging a career-best seven block assists versus Gonzaga. Laws is averaging 1.28 kills and .59 blocks per set. Scott, a product of Hawthorne, Calif., posted a season-best 16 kills against Eastern Washington last Saturday in Cheney.
