Friday, October 27
BOZEMAN
7 p.m.
Montana State University
14-6,7-3Big Sky
3
vs
1
Montana
8-14,4-6Big Sky
1
2
3
4
F
Montana
19
26
21
13
1
Montana St.
25
24
25
25
3
The Bobcats celebrate the Main Line Trophy's return to Bozeman.
Photo by: Montana State University
Main Line Trophy Returns to Bozeman, Cats Down Griz in Four
10/28/2023 12:11:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Thomsen, a senior outside hitter from Parker, Colo., tied the all-time Montana State (14-6, 7-3) kills record at 1,451 with six put-aways in the fourth set.
After spending the last two years in Missoula the Main Line Trophy now resides in Bozeman after Kira Thomsen's match-high 20 kills lifted Montana State past Montana 25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 25-13 on Friday night in front of 4,187 fans in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
Thomsen, a senior outside hitter from Parker, Colo., tied the all-time Montana State (14-6, 7-3) kills record at 1,451 with six put-aways in the fourth set. Also in double-digit kills for the Bobcats was Jourdain Kamps with 18.
"Kira took some big hacks," said MSU head coach Matt Houk. "She stood tall."
Montana (8-14, 4-6) jumped out to an early 12-8 lead in the first set before the Bobcats responded with a 7-2 run. The two squads traded points at the midway mark before the Bobcats made another surge pulling away from 17-all with a 5-1 stretch capped by an Emma Pence kill. MSU closed out the frame on a block via Avery Turnage.
The Griz opened the second stanza owning a 24-18 advantage in the late going before the Bobcats fought off six set points sparked by three kills from Pence. Tied at 24-all, UM took the game on a kill by Ellie Scherffius followed a Bobcat hitting error.
"It was really big how we played at the end of set two," Houk said. "It's a different conversation in the huddle if you end up losing that by 25-20 or 25-19. The fact that we made that run and held them, and had chances at it with some good plays, momentum was on our side. It didn't matter that we lost that set because we had the match pointed in the right direction."
Leading by one in the third set, MSU rattled off a 4-1 run to stake a 20-16 advantage. UM would get no close than two points down the stretch as Turnage's kill gave the Bobcats a 2-1 lead.
The final set belonged to the Bobcats as MSU outhit UM .444 to .000, putting an end to the Grizzlies' four-match win streak over its rival. The win also moved Montana State back into a second-place tie with Weber State in the Big Sky Conference standings.
"The weight of this rivalry is really cool," Houk said. "I don't think there are a lot of places in the country that get to feel the depth of a rivalry like the one Cat-Griz brings. This state really leans into this thing. I feel really lucky to get to experience this."
Defensively, Lauren Lindseth paced MSU with 18 digs, while Thomsen and Neilie Stevenson added 11 and 10, respectively. Pence finished with eight kills and a team-high five blocks, while Coutrney Weatherby came off the bench to record eight kills and a .333 attack mark. Stevenson dished out 34 assists in the win.
Montana State hosts Northern Colorado next Thursday night in Shroyer Gym.
Thomsen, a senior outside hitter from Parker, Colo., tied the all-time Montana State (14-6, 7-3) kills record at 1,451 with six put-aways in the fourth set. Also in double-digit kills for the Bobcats was Jourdain Kamps with 18.
"Kira took some big hacks," said MSU head coach Matt Houk. "She stood tall."
Montana (8-14, 4-6) jumped out to an early 12-8 lead in the first set before the Bobcats responded with a 7-2 run. The two squads traded points at the midway mark before the Bobcats made another surge pulling away from 17-all with a 5-1 stretch capped by an Emma Pence kill. MSU closed out the frame on a block via Avery Turnage.
The Griz opened the second stanza owning a 24-18 advantage in the late going before the Bobcats fought off six set points sparked by three kills from Pence. Tied at 24-all, UM took the game on a kill by Ellie Scherffius followed a Bobcat hitting error.
"It was really big how we played at the end of set two," Houk said. "It's a different conversation in the huddle if you end up losing that by 25-20 or 25-19. The fact that we made that run and held them, and had chances at it with some good plays, momentum was on our side. It didn't matter that we lost that set because we had the match pointed in the right direction."
Leading by one in the third set, MSU rattled off a 4-1 run to stake a 20-16 advantage. UM would get no close than two points down the stretch as Turnage's kill gave the Bobcats a 2-1 lead.
The final set belonged to the Bobcats as MSU outhit UM .444 to .000, putting an end to the Grizzlies' four-match win streak over its rival. The win also moved Montana State back into a second-place tie with Weber State in the Big Sky Conference standings.
"The weight of this rivalry is really cool," Houk said. "I don't think there are a lot of places in the country that get to feel the depth of a rivalry like the one Cat-Griz brings. This state really leans into this thing. I feel really lucky to get to experience this."
Defensively, Lauren Lindseth paced MSU with 18 digs, while Thomsen and Neilie Stevenson added 11 and 10, respectively. Pence finished with eight kills and a team-high five blocks, while Coutrney Weatherby came off the bench to record eight kills and a .333 attack mark. Stevenson dished out 34 assists in the win.
Montana State hosts Northern Colorado next Thursday night in Shroyer Gym.
Team Stats
Mont
MSU
Kills
41
60
Errors
20
20
Attempts
133
147
Hitting %
.158
.272
Points
58.0
81.0
Assists
37
50
Aces
8
11
Blocks
9
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
20
Aces
4
Blocks
0
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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