Sunday, February 14
Missoula, Mont.
4 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Montana
Cat-Griz Showdown Awaits MSU Volleyball Contingent
2/12/2021 5:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball team will travel to Missoula later this weekend for a Sunday/Monday series against the Grizzlies in Dahlberg Arena.
WHO: Montana State at Montana
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021 @ 4 p.m. (MST)
Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 @ 7 p.m. (MST)
WHERE: Missoula, Mont. - Dahlberg Arena
RECORDS: Montana State 2-2, 2-2; Montana 1-5, 1-5
SERIES: Montana State leads 58-57; Streak: UM W1
LAST MTG: Oct. 29, 2019 - Montana 3, @ Montana State 1
VIDEO: Montana State's match at Montana on Sunday/Monday can be seen on Pluto TV - Ch. 1056.
CAT-GRIZ: The Montana State volleyball team will travel to Missoula later this weekend for a Sunday/Monday series against the Grizzlies in Dahlberg Arena. The two intra-state rivals will square off on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m., and Monday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. Both matches will be played in Dahlberg Arena. Much like the Big Sky basketball schedule, volleyball will also play the same opponent in a weekend, however it will be just a 16-match season. Montana State will not face Sacramento State or Eastern Washington in the regular-season action. Montana will not face the Bobcats in Bozeman this season, as well.
BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Emma Pence was named the #BigSkyVB Offensive Player of the Week. Pence, a product of Carson City, Nevada, had an outstanding weekend for the Bobcats as MSU defeated Northern Arizona 3-0, and dropped a 3-2 decision on Saturday night. In eight sets, Pence averaged 2.50 kills per set, wand hit an impressive .514 from the field. In Sunday's win, she notched nine kills and a .500 attack mark. Saturday, Pence had 11 kills and a .529 attack mark. Pence leads the Big Sky Conference in hitting with a .463 attack mark.
BOBCAT BLURBS: The Bobcats split its first two weekends of the early Big Sky season, both against teams- Northern Colorado/Northern Arizona- picked to finish first in the preseason poll as voted by the league coaches...in its 3-0 win over Northern Arizona the Bobcats hit a season-high .254 from the field going 44-14-118...Kira Thomsen notched her first double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs against NAU on Sunday night...Susanna Sovde saw her first action on the year on Saturday and posted 11 kills and a .625 attack mark.
SIDE OUTS:
* Montana State snapped a 29-match losing streak to Northern Colorado on Jan. 24.
* MSU's 3-0 win over UNC marked the first time since 2018 they'd been swept at home.
* Until Sunday's sweep of NAU, the Cats and 'Jacks had played three straight five-set matches.
* Montana State is ranked 20th in the nation in blocking, averaging 2.75 per set.
* Emma Pence is ranked 16th in the nation in hitting percentage with a .463 attack mark.
* Emma Pence leads the Big Sky in blocking and is 42nd in the country averaging 1.36 bps.
* Freshman Jourdain Klein ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation at 1.29 bps.
* The Bobcats collected a season-best 21 block assists in its five-set loss to Northern Arizona.
* MSU gave up 13 aces to NAU on Saturday, but just one to the 'Jacks on Sunday.
* Emma Pence was MSU's Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 1.13 blocks per set.
HARD BLOCK CAFE: The Bobcats had a strong opening weekend at the net in its split with Northern Colorado on Jan. 24-25. The Bobcats held a 12-4 edge in blocking as they upset the defending Big Sky champion in three straight sets. MSU continued its stellar net play averaging 2.19 blocks per set in its split with Northern Arizona, last week. As a team, MSU is averaging 2.75 blocks per set, which ranks second in the Big Sky Conference and 20th in the nation. Individually, Emma Pence ranks first in the league averaging 1.36 bps, while Jourdain Klein is four in the conference averaging 1.29 blocks.
BEAM ME UP SCOTTY: Senior Hannah Scott opened her fourth season in the Blue and Gold leading the Bobcats with a team-high nine kills as MSU upset of Northern Colorado, the defending Big Sky champion on Jan. 24. Last weekend against Norther Arizona, Scott averaged 1.63 kills and 3.00 digs per set. She notched back-to-back dig matches last weekend, recording 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Last season, Scott had a breakout year which culminated in being named to the all-Big Sky Conference First-Team as she averaged 2.66 kills per set, while hitting .230 from the floor. She recorded 17 double-figure kill matches, including a season-best 20 kills in MSU's victory over Sacramento State. Scott also averaged 1.71 digs per set. In addition, she logged six double-digit digs matches, including a season-high 11 saves on three occasions, the last coming against Sacramento State. On the season, Scott posted three double-doubles. She registered five matches hitting an impressive .400 or better from the field with a season-high .478 attack percentage against Southern Utah. Scott also averaged .84 blocks per set and notched five matches with five or more blocks. She recorded a career-high 10 blocks against Northern Colorado at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in 2019. She is currently 217 kills shy of becoming the 16th member of MSU's 1000-kill club.
A LENDING HAND: Former Bozeman High product and Montana Class AA state champion setter Allie Lynch settled into her junior season at Montana State. Lynch is averaging 3.75 assists per set in Montana State's 6-2 offense. Against Northern Arizona, Lynch averaged 3.75 assists and 1.13 digs per set. Last fall, she registered ten matches with 45 assists or more, including a season-high 51 assists in MSU's win over Loyola Maryland. On Oct. 19, 2019 she notched a career-high seven kills leading the Bobcats to a 3-1 win over Idaho State. Lynch also helped the Bobcats from the service line with 22 aces. Defensively, her 2.14 digs per set was third best on the squad, while her .57 blocks per set average ranked fourth.
MAY I ASSIST YOU?: Junior 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 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. Kira Laden, 1995-96 1,893
6. Marsha Dirks, 1985-87 1,785
7. Katie Harrington, 2014-15 1,779
8. Stacey Nielsen, 1987-89 1,735
9. Allie Lynch, 2017--- 1,533
10. Christi Ryan, 1984-85 1,497
CLIMBING THE LADDER: As the MSU program continues to improve, its numbers within the league's statistical categories have shown remarkable improvement, as well. In the 12 team categories, the Cats are ranked in the top five in six listings. MSU is ranked second in blocking (2.75 bps), third in hitting percentage (.221), kills (12.43), opponent blocks (1.86) and opponent digs (13.07), and fifth in assists (11.00 aps)
THOMSEN TIME: Sophomore Kira Thomsen averaged 2.75 kills per set in MSU's home opening weekend split with Northern Arizona. The Parker, Colo. product recorded 22 total kills, including 13 in the second match as MSU swept NAU 3-0. Thomsen notched her first double-double of the season adding 10 digs on Sunday. She has been in double-digit digs in all four matches to date. Thomsen is also getting the job done from the service line. She has seven aces on the season and her .50 aces per set is fourth best in the Big Sky and is 77th in the nation. Defensively, she is averaging 3.07 per set.
PENCE POWER: Sophomore middle blocker Emma Pence was named the #BigSkyVB Offensive Player of the Week. It marked the first time a Bobcat has been honored this season. In eight sets, Pence averaged 2.50 kills per set, while hitting an impressive .514 from the field. In Sunday's win, Pence notched nine kills and a .500 attack mark. On Saturday, she posted 11 kills and a .529 attack mark. Pence leads the Big Sky Conference in hitting with a .463 attack mark. On the weekend, she also totaled nine block assists, averaging 1.13 per set. In Saturday's 3-2 loss to NAU, Pence had a team-high 5 blocks.
THE MENACE FROM ENNIS: Redshirt-freshman Jourdain Klein (Ennis, Mont.) has been solid in the early going for the Bobcats. The true-freshman is averaging 1.50 kills and 1.29 blocks per set, while hitting at a .180 clip. Klein notched eight kills in MSU's 3-2 loss to NAU, last Saturday. Her 1.29 blocks per set ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference and 50th in the nation.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021 @ 4 p.m. (MST)
Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 @ 7 p.m. (MST)
WHERE: Missoula, Mont. - Dahlberg Arena
RECORDS: Montana State 2-2, 2-2; Montana 1-5, 1-5
SERIES: Montana State leads 58-57; Streak: UM W1
LAST MTG: Oct. 29, 2019 - Montana 3, @ Montana State 1
VIDEO: Montana State's match at Montana on Sunday/Monday can be seen on Pluto TV - Ch. 1056.
CAT-GRIZ: The Montana State volleyball team will travel to Missoula later this weekend for a Sunday/Monday series against the Grizzlies in Dahlberg Arena. The two intra-state rivals will square off on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m., and Monday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. Both matches will be played in Dahlberg Arena. Much like the Big Sky basketball schedule, volleyball will also play the same opponent in a weekend, however it will be just a 16-match season. Montana State will not face Sacramento State or Eastern Washington in the regular-season action. Montana will not face the Bobcats in Bozeman this season, as well.
BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Emma Pence was named the #BigSkyVB Offensive Player of the Week. Pence, a product of Carson City, Nevada, had an outstanding weekend for the Bobcats as MSU defeated Northern Arizona 3-0, and dropped a 3-2 decision on Saturday night. In eight sets, Pence averaged 2.50 kills per set, wand hit an impressive .514 from the field. In Sunday's win, she notched nine kills and a .500 attack mark. Saturday, Pence had 11 kills and a .529 attack mark. Pence leads the Big Sky Conference in hitting with a .463 attack mark.
BOBCAT BLURBS: The Bobcats split its first two weekends of the early Big Sky season, both against teams- Northern Colorado/Northern Arizona- picked to finish first in the preseason poll as voted by the league coaches...in its 3-0 win over Northern Arizona the Bobcats hit a season-high .254 from the field going 44-14-118...Kira Thomsen notched her first double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs against NAU on Sunday night...Susanna Sovde saw her first action on the year on Saturday and posted 11 kills and a .625 attack mark.
SIDE OUTS:
* Montana State snapped a 29-match losing streak to Northern Colorado on Jan. 24.
* MSU's 3-0 win over UNC marked the first time since 2018 they'd been swept at home.
* Until Sunday's sweep of NAU, the Cats and 'Jacks had played three straight five-set matches.
* Montana State is ranked 20th in the nation in blocking, averaging 2.75 per set.
* Emma Pence is ranked 16th in the nation in hitting percentage with a .463 attack mark.
* Emma Pence leads the Big Sky in blocking and is 42nd in the country averaging 1.36 bps.
* Freshman Jourdain Klein ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation at 1.29 bps.
* The Bobcats collected a season-best 21 block assists in its five-set loss to Northern Arizona.
* MSU gave up 13 aces to NAU on Saturday, but just one to the 'Jacks on Sunday.
* Emma Pence was MSU's Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 1.13 blocks per set.
HARD BLOCK CAFE: The Bobcats had a strong opening weekend at the net in its split with Northern Colorado on Jan. 24-25. The Bobcats held a 12-4 edge in blocking as they upset the defending Big Sky champion in three straight sets. MSU continued its stellar net play averaging 2.19 blocks per set in its split with Northern Arizona, last week. As a team, MSU is averaging 2.75 blocks per set, which ranks second in the Big Sky Conference and 20th in the nation. Individually, Emma Pence ranks first in the league averaging 1.36 bps, while Jourdain Klein is four in the conference averaging 1.29 blocks.
BEAM ME UP SCOTTY: Senior Hannah Scott opened her fourth season in the Blue and Gold leading the Bobcats with a team-high nine kills as MSU upset of Northern Colorado, the defending Big Sky champion on Jan. 24. Last weekend against Norther Arizona, Scott averaged 1.63 kills and 3.00 digs per set. She notched back-to-back dig matches last weekend, recording 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Last season, Scott had a breakout year which culminated in being named to the all-Big Sky Conference First-Team as she averaged 2.66 kills per set, while hitting .230 from the floor. She recorded 17 double-figure kill matches, including a season-best 20 kills in MSU's victory over Sacramento State. Scott also averaged 1.71 digs per set. In addition, she logged six double-digit digs matches, including a season-high 11 saves on three occasions, the last coming against Sacramento State. On the season, Scott posted three double-doubles. She registered five matches hitting an impressive .400 or better from the field with a season-high .478 attack percentage against Southern Utah. Scott also averaged .84 blocks per set and notched five matches with five or more blocks. She recorded a career-high 10 blocks against Northern Colorado at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in 2019. She is currently 217 kills shy of becoming the 16th member of MSU's 1000-kill club.
A LENDING HAND: Former Bozeman High product and Montana Class AA state champion setter Allie Lynch settled into her junior season at Montana State. Lynch is averaging 3.75 assists per set in Montana State's 6-2 offense. Against Northern Arizona, Lynch averaged 3.75 assists and 1.13 digs per set. Last fall, she registered ten matches with 45 assists or more, including a season-high 51 assists in MSU's win over Loyola Maryland. On Oct. 19, 2019 she notched a career-high seven kills leading the Bobcats to a 3-1 win over Idaho State. Lynch also helped the Bobcats from the service line with 22 aces. Defensively, her 2.14 digs per set was third best on the squad, while her .57 blocks per set average ranked fourth.
MAY I ASSIST YOU?: Junior 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 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. Kira Laden, 1995-96 1,893
6. Marsha Dirks, 1985-87 1,785
7. Katie Harrington, 2014-15 1,779
8. Stacey Nielsen, 1987-89 1,735
9. Allie Lynch, 2017--- 1,533
10. Christi Ryan, 1984-85 1,497
CLIMBING THE LADDER: As the MSU program continues to improve, its numbers within the league's statistical categories have shown remarkable improvement, as well. In the 12 team categories, the Cats are ranked in the top five in six listings. MSU is ranked second in blocking (2.75 bps), third in hitting percentage (.221), kills (12.43), opponent blocks (1.86) and opponent digs (13.07), and fifth in assists (11.00 aps)
THOMSEN TIME: Sophomore Kira Thomsen averaged 2.75 kills per set in MSU's home opening weekend split with Northern Arizona. The Parker, Colo. product recorded 22 total kills, including 13 in the second match as MSU swept NAU 3-0. Thomsen notched her first double-double of the season adding 10 digs on Sunday. She has been in double-digit digs in all four matches to date. Thomsen is also getting the job done from the service line. She has seven aces on the season and her .50 aces per set is fourth best in the Big Sky and is 77th in the nation. Defensively, she is averaging 3.07 per set.
PENCE POWER: Sophomore middle blocker Emma Pence was named the #BigSkyVB Offensive Player of the Week. It marked the first time a Bobcat has been honored this season. In eight sets, Pence averaged 2.50 kills per set, while hitting an impressive .514 from the field. In Sunday's win, Pence notched nine kills and a .500 attack mark. On Saturday, she posted 11 kills and a .529 attack mark. Pence leads the Big Sky Conference in hitting with a .463 attack mark. On the weekend, she also totaled nine block assists, averaging 1.13 per set. In Saturday's 3-2 loss to NAU, Pence had a team-high 5 blocks.
THE MENACE FROM ENNIS: Redshirt-freshman Jourdain Klein (Ennis, Mont.) has been solid in the early going for the Bobcats. The true-freshman is averaging 1.50 kills and 1.29 blocks per set, while hitting at a .180 clip. Klein notched eight kills in MSU's 3-2 loss to NAU, last Saturday. Her 1.29 blocks per set ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference and 50th in the nation.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ 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
