Thursday, October 7
Cheney, WA
7 p.m. (MT)
Montana State University
at
Eastern Washington
Cats Travel to Inland Northwest
10/6/2021 3:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Bobcat volleyball team will travel to the inland Northwest this week for a pair of Big Sky Conference road matches, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 7 against Eastern Washington in Cheney. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. (MT) at Reese Court.
WHO: Montana State at Eastern Washington
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Cheney, Washington - Reese Court
RECORDS: Montana St. 6-9, 2-2; E. Washington 5-7, 1-3
SERIES: E. Washington leads the series 55-28 (1980)
LAST MTG: Nov. 7, 2019 - Montana St. 3, @ E. Washington 1
WHO: Montana State at Idaho
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 at 8 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Moscow, Idaho - Memorial Gym
RECORDS: Montana State 6-9, 2-2; Idaho 3-10, 0-4
SERIES: Idaho leads series 38-13 (1976)
LAST MTG: March 8, 2021 - Montana State 3, @ Idaho 2
LIVE STATS: Live statistics of MSU's matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho can be accessed at msubobcats.com
LIVE VIDEO: MSU's matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription necessary).
NEXT UP: The Bobcat volleyball team will travel to the inland Northwest this week for a pair of Big Sky Conference road matches, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 7 against Eastern Washington in Cheney. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. (MT) at Reese Court. MSU will finish the weekend at Idaho, Saturday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. (MT) at Memorial Gym in Moscow.
BOBCAT BITES: Montana State is ranked #194 in the first RPI of the season...the highest ranked team that the Bobcats have defeated this fall is #110 Boise State...MSU is 1-5 in five-set matches, losing to #36 Washington, #44 Arkansas, #95 Weber State, #147 Utah State and #149 Long Beach State...other Big Sky rankings in the RPI include #48 Northern Colorado, #103 Portland State, #182 Northern Arizona, #240 Montana, #243 Idaho State, #247 Sacramento State, #258 Southern Utah, #286 Eastern Washington and #302 Idaho.
#BIGSKYVB DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Emma Pence was named #BigSkyVB Defensive Player of the Week. Last week, Pence led the Bobcats to a 1-1 mark, which included a win over Idaho State and a five-set loss to Weber State. In two matches, she averaged 2.13 blocks per set. Against the WSU, Pence notched a match-high eight blocks and followed that with a nine-block match in a three-set contest with ISU. Pence is the Big Sky's top blocker and one of the best in the nation, averaging 1.93 blocks per set in Big Sky play. She is currently ranked 10th in the nation in total blocks with 79 and her 1.39 bps in all matches is tops in the league and 18th in the country.
SIDE OUTS:
* MSU is 1-5 in five setters with two losses to Power 5 schools - Arkansas & #11 Washington
* Hannah Scott now has 1,125 career kills, which ranks ninth all-time at Montana State
* Hannah Scott averaged 4.13 kills and 2.75 digs per set, while hitting .214 last week
* The Cats rank #2 in the Big Sky & #64 in the nation averaging 2.38 blocks per set
* MSU ranks #1 in the Big Sky and #35 in the country in total team blocks (143)
* Montana State ranks #2 in the Big Sky and #141 in the country in hitting percentage (.212)
* The Bobcats rank #3 in the Big Sky and #97 in the nation with 666 team assists
* Freshman Jordan Radick is #6 in the Big Sky and #206 in the nation, averaging 1.00 bps
* Sophomore Emma Pence is #1 in the Big Sky and #18 in the nation, averaging 1.39 bps
* Pence's 79 total blocks rank #1 in the Big Sky and #10 in the country this week
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Eastern Washington is 5-7 overall and 1-3 in Big Sky play after dropping a pair of home matches last week to Sacramento State (3-0) and Portland State (3-0) at Reese Court. EWU's lone league win was a 3-2 decision over Southern Utah in Cedar City. In its match with the Hornets last week, the Eagles were led by Ashlyn Blotzer, 6-foot junior middle blocker from Corona, Calif., and Ehu Keala, a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker from Honolulu, Hawai'i, with eight kills, apiece. Defensively, Makenna Collins, 5-3 freshman libero from Irrigon, Ore., paced EWU with a team-high 11 digs. In its match with the Vikings, Eastern Washington was guided by Blotzer with nine kills, a .421 attack mark and one block. On the weekend, the Eagles were outhit .261 to .112 with its opponents holding a 79-63 edge in total kills. On the season, Blotzer is second in the conference and first on the EWU squad with a .342 attack mark. She also averages 2.05 kills and .61 blocks per set. Maya McClellan, a 5-10 sophomore outside hitter from San Carlos, Calif., leads the Eagles at 2.45 kills per set, while hitting .224 from the floor. Sadie Bacon, a 6-2 freshman middle blocker from Snoqualmie, Wash., also averages over 2.00 kps with 2.03 per outing. Bacon is also hitting .268 and is first on the team averaging .63 blocks per set. Collins paces EWU in the backrow averaging a team-best 2.97 saves per set. Idaho is 3-10 overall and 0-4 in league play after dropping two matches last week to Portland State (3-0) and Sacramento State (3-2) in Memorial Gym. Against PSU, the Vandals were led by Delaney Nicoll, a 6-1 sophomore outside hitter from Ridgefield, Wash., with 12 kills, while Allison Munday, 6-0 senior outside hitter from Post Falls, Idaho added nine kills, a .304 attack mark and seven digs. Against the Hornets, UI was up 2-0 before dropping the last three sets, including a 17-15 decision in the fifth frame. Nicoll notched a team-high 15 kills and 16 digs, while Travel Morris, a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker from Spring, Texas, and Rachel Davis, a 5-10 freshman outside hitter from Maple Valley, Wash., added 11 kills, apiece. Nicole ball led Idaho with five blocks. On the season, Munday, paces UI averaging 3.15 kps and .75 bps.
HARD BLOCK CAFE: Montana State is ranked second in the Big Sky Conference averaging 2.38 blocks per set. MSU's 2.38 bps also ranks #64 in the nation. The Bobcats' 143 total blocks is first in the conference and #35 in the nation this week. Individually, sophomore Emma Pence leads the Big Sky averaging 1.39 blocks per contest. That number ranks #18 in the country. Freshman Jordan Radick is sixth the league averaging 1.00 blocks per set, which ranks #206 in the country. Montana State had a season-best 18 team blocks in its match with Arkansas on Sept. 2 at the Bobcat Classic.
GREAT SCOTT: Senior Hannah Scott went over the 1,000-kill mark with her fourth block against Portland on Sept. 3. The Hawthorne, Calif, product is now the 16th member of MSU's prestigious 1000-kill club. Her 1,125 career kills rank ninth on Montana State's all-time kills' chart. On the season, she is averaging 3.07 kills per set. Last weekend, Scott averaged 4.13 kills and 2.75 digs per set, while hitting .214 from the field. Against Weber State on Thursday night, Scott had a season-best 22 kills to go along with a season-high 14 digs. She followed that performance with 11 kills, a .333 attack mark and eight saves against Idaho State. Scott's best performance came against #7 Washington on Sept. 16 with 17 kills, while hitting .400 (17-3-35) from the floor. In addition, Scott added nine digs, five blocks and an ace as the Bobcats almost pulled the upset over the Huskies. Scott was named to the Boise State All-Tournament team to open this season. She has been in double-figure kills in 10-of-15 matches. Scott is currently first on the squad with 203 points on the season. During the spring season, Scott had a breakout campaign which culminated in being named to the all-Big Sky Conference First-Team as she averaged 2.89 kills per set, while hitting .232 from the floor. Scott posted a career-high 25 kills against Idaho State on Feb. 20. In addition, she recorded 18 double-figure kill matches. Scott also averaged 2.18 digs per set and logged seven double-digit dig matches, including a season-high 15 against Portland State on Feb. 28. Scott recorded a career-high 10 blocks against Northern Colorado at the league tournament in 2019.
CLIMBING THE LADDER: As the MSU program continues to improve, its numbers within the Big Sky Conference's statistical categories have shown remarkable improvement, as well. In the 15 team statistical categories, the Cats rank in the top three in five categories, including #1 total team blocks (143), #2 blocks per set (2.38) and hitting percentage (.212), and #3 in team assists (666), and team kills (709).
A LENDING HAND: Former Bozeman High product Allie Lynch is averaging 4.58 assists per game running MSU's 6-2 offense. At the Bobcat Classic in early September, she played in eight sets and averaged 4.29 assists and .63 digs per set. Lynch dished out a season-high 32 assists against Weber State on Thursday night. Last week, Lynch averaged 5.88 aps. On the season, she is also averaging 1.79 digs per set, including a season-best 13 saves against Weber State. True-freshman Audrey Hofer has started eight times and has played in 14 of MSU's 15 matches. Over the course of two matches last week, she averaged 4.63 assists and .88 digs per set. In MSU's 3-2 loss to Weber State last Thursday, she notched a weekend high 22 assists. The Helena Capital grad dished out a season-high 28 assists at North Texas and registered a career-high 11 digs against the Mean Green. On the season, Hofer is averaging 5.17 assists per set, which ranks tenth in the Big Sky Conference. Hofer also chips in 1.40 digs per set. In addition, she's registered one double-double and is second on the team with 10 aces. Sophomore Delaney Shearan is averaging 4.56 assists and 1.60 digs per set on the season. Shearan dished out a season-high 26 against Long Beach State in the first match of the season. Last spring, Shearan dished out a season and career-high 33 assists in MSU 3-2 win over Idaho State on Feb. 20.
MAY I ASSIST YOU?: Senior setter Allie Lynch is slowly creeping up the all-time Montana State assists chart. The Bozeman native went over the 1,000-assist plateau against Portland State on Oct. 24, 2019. Former Bobcat standout Brooke Olsen-Roush (1996-99) holds the all-time Bobcats record set back in the old 15-point sideout scoring era. Here's a look at MSU's all-time Top 10, and where Lynch stands:
1. Brooke Olsen, 1996-99 4,712
2. Kamber Kelly, 2001-04 3,751
3. Jennifer Lundquist, 2009-12 2,500
4. Lorraine Morrison, 1999-01 2,293
5. Allie Lynch, 2017--- 1,944
THOMSEN TIME: Sophomore Kira Thomsen earned tournament MVP honors at the Boise State Invitational to open the season after posting a .337 attack mark and averaging 3.42 kills, 2.83 digs and .58 aces per set. At the Bobcat Classic, the Parker, Colo., product averaged 3.00 kills and 1.64 digs per set with a .260 attack mark. And, at the North Texas Challenge, she averaged 2.55 kills and 1.18 digs per game. In two matches last week, Thomsen totaled 22 kills and 33 digs. On the season, she has been in double-figure kills on nine occasions and has produced three double-doubles. She tallied a season-best 18 kills in MSU's 3-1 loss to Portland. Thomsen currently ranks second on the team with 163 kills (2.72 kps) and is third in digs with 126 (2.10 dps). On Thursday night against Weber State, Thomsen notched a season-high 24 digs. Her 187 points is second to Hannah Scott (203). Last spring, Thomsen earned First-Team All-Big Sky Conference honors after averaging 3.52 kills and 4.02 points per set during MSU's spring season. She registered a season-best 22 kills at Weber State on March 20, and a career-high 26 digs against Portland State on Feb.27.
PENCE POWER: Sophomore Emma Pence, who was one of two players in the league that garnered #BigSkyVB Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week accolades during the spring and is the current #BigSkyVB Defensive Player of the Week, is averaging 1.35 kills and 1.39 blocks per set, while hitting .171 from the field this fall. Pence currently ranks first in the Big Sky in blocks per set, which ranks 18th in the nation. Pence's 79 total blocks ranks 10th in the country. She has been in double-figure kills three times, matching a season-best 11 kills against Weber State on Thursday night. Pence matched a season-high nine blocks in three sets against Idaho State on Saturday night, after posting eight against the Wildcats. Last week, the Carson City, Nevada product averaged 1.50 kills and a whopping 2.13 blocks per set.
THE MENACE FROM ENNIS: Jourdain Klein, a 6-1 outside hitter from Ennis, Mont., combined for 12 kills, nine blocks and six digs, while hitting .171 (12-6-35) from the field last week in matches against Weber State and Idaho State. At the North Texas Challenge in mid-September, Klein had a very efficient tournament hitting, recording a .444 (17-1-36) attack for the three matches. She tallied a season-high eight blocks against Arkansas. Last Saturday, Klein registered a season-high eight kills, while hitting .412 against the Bengals. Last spring, as a redshirt-freshman, she was named to the All-Big Sky Second-Team team after averaging 1.49 kills and .97 blocks per set. During spring ball, she recorded a season and career-high 14 kills as the Bobcats beat Portland State on Feb. 28.
TURN UP THE VOLUME: Sophomore Avery Turnage played in eight sets last week against Weber State and Idaho State. She totaled seven kills and three blocks. Turnage had her best match of the week at Weber State posting six kills and a block. The product of Idaho Falls, Idaho registered a career-high leading MSU with 11 kills against Fresno State. On the season, she is averaging 1.51 kills and .76 blocks per set, while hitting .178 from the floor. Turnage notched a career-high seven blocks as Montana State upset Boise State on Aug. 28 in Bronco Gym.
MORE FROM THE MIDDLE: Freshman Jordan Radick posted 17 kills (2.13) and five blocks (.63 bps), while hitting a team-high .314 (17-6-35) against Weber State and Idaho State. Radick, a graduate of Bozeman High, had nine kills, four blocks and hit .300 against Weber State, and followed that effort with eight kills and a .333 attack mark against the Bengals. Radick has posted a season-best 10 kills, twice, and had 12 blocks vs. Arkansas.
YES, WE'RE SURE: True-freshman Maci Abshier (Ab-sure) has started the last seven matches as MSU's libero and is averaging 3.18 digs per set, which ranks ninth in the Big Sky. Against Weber State, she recorded a season and career-best 25 digs.
WHEN IT SAYS LIBBY, LIBBY, LIBBY: Libby Christensen is averaging 2.78 digs per set. She has been in double-digit digs on five occasions, including 19 digs at Boise State. Christensen tallied a career-high 27 saves against Southern Utah at last year's Big Sky tournament.
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Cheney, Washington - Reese Court
RECORDS: Montana St. 6-9, 2-2; E. Washington 5-7, 1-3
SERIES: E. Washington leads the series 55-28 (1980)
LAST MTG: Nov. 7, 2019 - Montana St. 3, @ E. Washington 1
WHO: Montana State at Idaho
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 at 8 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Moscow, Idaho - Memorial Gym
RECORDS: Montana State 6-9, 2-2; Idaho 3-10, 0-4
SERIES: Idaho leads series 38-13 (1976)
LAST MTG: March 8, 2021 - Montana State 3, @ Idaho 2
LIVE STATS: Live statistics of MSU's matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho can be accessed at msubobcats.com
LIVE VIDEO: MSU's matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription necessary).
NEXT UP: The Bobcat volleyball team will travel to the inland Northwest this week for a pair of Big Sky Conference road matches, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 7 against Eastern Washington in Cheney. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. (MT) at Reese Court. MSU will finish the weekend at Idaho, Saturday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. (MT) at Memorial Gym in Moscow.
BOBCAT BITES: Montana State is ranked #194 in the first RPI of the season...the highest ranked team that the Bobcats have defeated this fall is #110 Boise State...MSU is 1-5 in five-set matches, losing to #36 Washington, #44 Arkansas, #95 Weber State, #147 Utah State and #149 Long Beach State...other Big Sky rankings in the RPI include #48 Northern Colorado, #103 Portland State, #182 Northern Arizona, #240 Montana, #243 Idaho State, #247 Sacramento State, #258 Southern Utah, #286 Eastern Washington and #302 Idaho.
#BIGSKYVB DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Emma Pence was named #BigSkyVB Defensive Player of the Week. Last week, Pence led the Bobcats to a 1-1 mark, which included a win over Idaho State and a five-set loss to Weber State. In two matches, she averaged 2.13 blocks per set. Against the WSU, Pence notched a match-high eight blocks and followed that with a nine-block match in a three-set contest with ISU. Pence is the Big Sky's top blocker and one of the best in the nation, averaging 1.93 blocks per set in Big Sky play. She is currently ranked 10th in the nation in total blocks with 79 and her 1.39 bps in all matches is tops in the league and 18th in the country.
SIDE OUTS:
* MSU is 1-5 in five setters with two losses to Power 5 schools - Arkansas & #11 Washington
* Hannah Scott now has 1,125 career kills, which ranks ninth all-time at Montana State
* Hannah Scott averaged 4.13 kills and 2.75 digs per set, while hitting .214 last week
* The Cats rank #2 in the Big Sky & #64 in the nation averaging 2.38 blocks per set
* MSU ranks #1 in the Big Sky and #35 in the country in total team blocks (143)
* Montana State ranks #2 in the Big Sky and #141 in the country in hitting percentage (.212)
* The Bobcats rank #3 in the Big Sky and #97 in the nation with 666 team assists
* Freshman Jordan Radick is #6 in the Big Sky and #206 in the nation, averaging 1.00 bps
* Sophomore Emma Pence is #1 in the Big Sky and #18 in the nation, averaging 1.39 bps
* Pence's 79 total blocks rank #1 in the Big Sky and #10 in the country this week
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Eastern Washington is 5-7 overall and 1-3 in Big Sky play after dropping a pair of home matches last week to Sacramento State (3-0) and Portland State (3-0) at Reese Court. EWU's lone league win was a 3-2 decision over Southern Utah in Cedar City. In its match with the Hornets last week, the Eagles were led by Ashlyn Blotzer, 6-foot junior middle blocker from Corona, Calif., and Ehu Keala, a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker from Honolulu, Hawai'i, with eight kills, apiece. Defensively, Makenna Collins, 5-3 freshman libero from Irrigon, Ore., paced EWU with a team-high 11 digs. In its match with the Vikings, Eastern Washington was guided by Blotzer with nine kills, a .421 attack mark and one block. On the weekend, the Eagles were outhit .261 to .112 with its opponents holding a 79-63 edge in total kills. On the season, Blotzer is second in the conference and first on the EWU squad with a .342 attack mark. She also averages 2.05 kills and .61 blocks per set. Maya McClellan, a 5-10 sophomore outside hitter from San Carlos, Calif., leads the Eagles at 2.45 kills per set, while hitting .224 from the floor. Sadie Bacon, a 6-2 freshman middle blocker from Snoqualmie, Wash., also averages over 2.00 kps with 2.03 per outing. Bacon is also hitting .268 and is first on the team averaging .63 blocks per set. Collins paces EWU in the backrow averaging a team-best 2.97 saves per set. Idaho is 3-10 overall and 0-4 in league play after dropping two matches last week to Portland State (3-0) and Sacramento State (3-2) in Memorial Gym. Against PSU, the Vandals were led by Delaney Nicoll, a 6-1 sophomore outside hitter from Ridgefield, Wash., with 12 kills, while Allison Munday, 6-0 senior outside hitter from Post Falls, Idaho added nine kills, a .304 attack mark and seven digs. Against the Hornets, UI was up 2-0 before dropping the last three sets, including a 17-15 decision in the fifth frame. Nicoll notched a team-high 15 kills and 16 digs, while Travel Morris, a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker from Spring, Texas, and Rachel Davis, a 5-10 freshman outside hitter from Maple Valley, Wash., added 11 kills, apiece. Nicole ball led Idaho with five blocks. On the season, Munday, paces UI averaging 3.15 kps and .75 bps.
HARD BLOCK CAFE: Montana State is ranked second in the Big Sky Conference averaging 2.38 blocks per set. MSU's 2.38 bps also ranks #64 in the nation. The Bobcats' 143 total blocks is first in the conference and #35 in the nation this week. Individually, sophomore Emma Pence leads the Big Sky averaging 1.39 blocks per contest. That number ranks #18 in the country. Freshman Jordan Radick is sixth the league averaging 1.00 blocks per set, which ranks #206 in the country. Montana State had a season-best 18 team blocks in its match with Arkansas on Sept. 2 at the Bobcat Classic.
GREAT SCOTT: Senior Hannah Scott went over the 1,000-kill mark with her fourth block against Portland on Sept. 3. The Hawthorne, Calif, product is now the 16th member of MSU's prestigious 1000-kill club. Her 1,125 career kills rank ninth on Montana State's all-time kills' chart. On the season, she is averaging 3.07 kills per set. Last weekend, Scott averaged 4.13 kills and 2.75 digs per set, while hitting .214 from the field. Against Weber State on Thursday night, Scott had a season-best 22 kills to go along with a season-high 14 digs. She followed that performance with 11 kills, a .333 attack mark and eight saves against Idaho State. Scott's best performance came against #7 Washington on Sept. 16 with 17 kills, while hitting .400 (17-3-35) from the floor. In addition, Scott added nine digs, five blocks and an ace as the Bobcats almost pulled the upset over the Huskies. Scott was named to the Boise State All-Tournament team to open this season. She has been in double-figure kills in 10-of-15 matches. Scott is currently first on the squad with 203 points on the season. During the spring season, Scott had a breakout campaign which culminated in being named to the all-Big Sky Conference First-Team as she averaged 2.89 kills per set, while hitting .232 from the floor. Scott posted a career-high 25 kills against Idaho State on Feb. 20. In addition, she recorded 18 double-figure kill matches. Scott also averaged 2.18 digs per set and logged seven double-digit dig matches, including a season-high 15 against Portland State on Feb. 28. Scott recorded a career-high 10 blocks against Northern Colorado at the league tournament in 2019.
CLIMBING THE LADDER: As the MSU program continues to improve, its numbers within the Big Sky Conference's statistical categories have shown remarkable improvement, as well. In the 15 team statistical categories, the Cats rank in the top three in five categories, including #1 total team blocks (143), #2 blocks per set (2.38) and hitting percentage (.212), and #3 in team assists (666), and team kills (709).
A LENDING HAND: Former Bozeman High product Allie Lynch is averaging 4.58 assists per game running MSU's 6-2 offense. At the Bobcat Classic in early September, she played in eight sets and averaged 4.29 assists and .63 digs per set. Lynch dished out a season-high 32 assists against Weber State on Thursday night. Last week, Lynch averaged 5.88 aps. On the season, she is also averaging 1.79 digs per set, including a season-best 13 saves against Weber State. True-freshman Audrey Hofer has started eight times and has played in 14 of MSU's 15 matches. Over the course of two matches last week, she averaged 4.63 assists and .88 digs per set. In MSU's 3-2 loss to Weber State last Thursday, she notched a weekend high 22 assists. The Helena Capital grad dished out a season-high 28 assists at North Texas and registered a career-high 11 digs against the Mean Green. On the season, Hofer is averaging 5.17 assists per set, which ranks tenth in the Big Sky Conference. Hofer also chips in 1.40 digs per set. In addition, she's registered one double-double and is second on the team with 10 aces. Sophomore Delaney Shearan is averaging 4.56 assists and 1.60 digs per set on the season. Shearan dished out a season-high 26 against Long Beach State in the first match of the season. Last spring, Shearan dished out a season and career-high 33 assists in MSU 3-2 win over Idaho State on Feb. 20.
MAY I ASSIST YOU?: Senior setter Allie Lynch is slowly creeping up the all-time Montana State assists chart. The Bozeman native went over the 1,000-assist plateau against Portland State on Oct. 24, 2019. Former Bobcat standout Brooke Olsen-Roush (1996-99) holds the all-time Bobcats record set back in the old 15-point sideout scoring era. Here's a look at MSU's all-time Top 10, and where Lynch stands:
1. Brooke Olsen, 1996-99 4,712
2. Kamber Kelly, 2001-04 3,751
3. Jennifer Lundquist, 2009-12 2,500
4. Lorraine Morrison, 1999-01 2,293
5. Allie Lynch, 2017--- 1,944
THOMSEN TIME: Sophomore Kira Thomsen earned tournament MVP honors at the Boise State Invitational to open the season after posting a .337 attack mark and averaging 3.42 kills, 2.83 digs and .58 aces per set. At the Bobcat Classic, the Parker, Colo., product averaged 3.00 kills and 1.64 digs per set with a .260 attack mark. And, at the North Texas Challenge, she averaged 2.55 kills and 1.18 digs per game. In two matches last week, Thomsen totaled 22 kills and 33 digs. On the season, she has been in double-figure kills on nine occasions and has produced three double-doubles. She tallied a season-best 18 kills in MSU's 3-1 loss to Portland. Thomsen currently ranks second on the team with 163 kills (2.72 kps) and is third in digs with 126 (2.10 dps). On Thursday night against Weber State, Thomsen notched a season-high 24 digs. Her 187 points is second to Hannah Scott (203). Last spring, Thomsen earned First-Team All-Big Sky Conference honors after averaging 3.52 kills and 4.02 points per set during MSU's spring season. She registered a season-best 22 kills at Weber State on March 20, and a career-high 26 digs against Portland State on Feb.27.
PENCE POWER: Sophomore Emma Pence, who was one of two players in the league that garnered #BigSkyVB Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week accolades during the spring and is the current #BigSkyVB Defensive Player of the Week, is averaging 1.35 kills and 1.39 blocks per set, while hitting .171 from the field this fall. Pence currently ranks first in the Big Sky in blocks per set, which ranks 18th in the nation. Pence's 79 total blocks ranks 10th in the country. She has been in double-figure kills three times, matching a season-best 11 kills against Weber State on Thursday night. Pence matched a season-high nine blocks in three sets against Idaho State on Saturday night, after posting eight against the Wildcats. Last week, the Carson City, Nevada product averaged 1.50 kills and a whopping 2.13 blocks per set.
THE MENACE FROM ENNIS: Jourdain Klein, a 6-1 outside hitter from Ennis, Mont., combined for 12 kills, nine blocks and six digs, while hitting .171 (12-6-35) from the field last week in matches against Weber State and Idaho State. At the North Texas Challenge in mid-September, Klein had a very efficient tournament hitting, recording a .444 (17-1-36) attack for the three matches. She tallied a season-high eight blocks against Arkansas. Last Saturday, Klein registered a season-high eight kills, while hitting .412 against the Bengals. Last spring, as a redshirt-freshman, she was named to the All-Big Sky Second-Team team after averaging 1.49 kills and .97 blocks per set. During spring ball, she recorded a season and career-high 14 kills as the Bobcats beat Portland State on Feb. 28.
TURN UP THE VOLUME: Sophomore Avery Turnage played in eight sets last week against Weber State and Idaho State. She totaled seven kills and three blocks. Turnage had her best match of the week at Weber State posting six kills and a block. The product of Idaho Falls, Idaho registered a career-high leading MSU with 11 kills against Fresno State. On the season, she is averaging 1.51 kills and .76 blocks per set, while hitting .178 from the floor. Turnage notched a career-high seven blocks as Montana State upset Boise State on Aug. 28 in Bronco Gym.
MORE FROM THE MIDDLE: Freshman Jordan Radick posted 17 kills (2.13) and five blocks (.63 bps), while hitting a team-high .314 (17-6-35) against Weber State and Idaho State. Radick, a graduate of Bozeman High, had nine kills, four blocks and hit .300 against Weber State, and followed that effort with eight kills and a .333 attack mark against the Bengals. Radick has posted a season-best 10 kills, twice, and had 12 blocks vs. Arkansas.
YES, WE'RE SURE: True-freshman Maci Abshier (Ab-sure) has started the last seven matches as MSU's libero and is averaging 3.18 digs per set, which ranks ninth in the Big Sky. Against Weber State, she recorded a season and career-best 25 digs.
WHEN IT SAYS LIBBY, LIBBY, LIBBY: Libby Christensen is averaging 2.78 digs per set. She has been in double-digit digs on five occasions, including 19 digs at Boise State. Christensen tallied a career-high 27 saves against Southern Utah at last year's Big Sky tournament.
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