Montana State University
Arkansas Little Rock
Bobcats Open Season At Arkansas Tournament
8/27/2019 2:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball team will open its 2019 season at the University of Arkansas Tournament, Aug. 30-31 in Fayetteville.
SEASON OPENER:
The Montana State volleyball team will open its 2019 season at the University of Arkansas Tournament, Aug. 30-31 in Fayetteville. The Bobcats will open its third season under head coach Daniel Jones against UA Little Rock on Friday at 9 a.m. (MST) in historic Barnhill Arena. MSU will face Northwestern State later Friday at 4 p.m., before closing out the tournament against the Razorbacks on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Bobcats are 22-17 all-time in season-openers dating back to the 1980 season. Third-year head coach Daniel Jones is 1-1 in season-openers, including a 3-2 victory over Canisius last season.
Live Video Stream:
There will be no live streaming for the Arkansas Tournament this weekend.
Live Stats:
Links are available for the Arkansas Tournament at msubobcats.com
SIDE OUTS:
* The Bobcats return four starters and eleven letterwinners from last season
* MSU had consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time since 2004-05 last fall
* Montana State and UA Little Rock will be meeting for the first time in series history
* MSU and Northwestern State will be meeting for the first time in series history
* The Bobcats hold a 1-0 series lead against Arkansas, winning 3-2 on Aug. 30, 2003
* Arkansas Head Coach Jason Watson started as an assistant at MSU in 1996 & 1997
* Northwestern Head Coach Sean Kiracofe was an assistant at Montana State in 2007
* Montana State averaged 1,055 fans per match last fall, which ranked 47th in the nation
THE 2019 BOBCAT OUTLOOK:
Third-year Montana State head volleyball coach Daniel Jones said he's cautiously optimistic about his program just three weeks into the season. For the first time in his five years with the Bobcats, Jones can rely on a squad laced with veteran talent.
The team features three seniors and six juniors returning from a squad that went 11-19 overall and 6-12 in Big Sky Conference play last fall; making the program's first league tournament since the 2012 campaign.
"We're right about where I thought we would be at this point of the preseason," Jones said. "Finally, in my career at MSU, we're an older team. We have experience that we can lean on. And, add to that some dynamic underclassmen and finally we're at a point where we have the experience to know how we want to play and we have the experience to know what it takes to be good to advance to the conference tournament and beyond."
Headlining the Bobcat roster are seniors Allyssa Rizzo, Evi Wilson and Sydney Mathison. Rizzo, a libero from Crestwood, Ill., is on pace to rewrite the Bobcats' record book. Last year, she set the single-season mark with 624 digs. Rizzo is just 253 saves away from becoming MSU's all-time leader in digs.
Wilson, an outside hitter from Vancouver, Wash., posted 274 kills last season averaging 2.58 per set, which is the second highest production of any returning player. Mathison was sidelined most of last fall, returns as one of two setters looking for a starting spot.
Four freshmen and three sophomores round out the MSU roster, and according to Jones, after watching film on his squad, he has seen big improvements in the areas where the players have been challenged.
"The first few weeks have been very productive," Jones commented. "We have a lot of high-level competition in the gym. I said to the group already that the foundation that we're building at this time of the year has exceeded the level we've been at in previous years.
"The work they've done this summer is evident," Jones continued. "There is a basic understanding of the systems and that's without our involvement. It's quite nice because we're going in refining and giving them some advanced concepts with the systems, rather than having to start from scratch."
