MSU Captures Bobcat/Blackridge Invite

Saturday, August 26

BOZEMAN

7 p.m.

Montana State University

3-0,0-0Big Sky

Kennesaw State

2-1,0-0ASUN

Kennesaw St.

Montana St.

Audrey Hofer (5) dished out one of her 35 assists against Kennesaw State on Saturday night.

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

8/26/2023 11:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

“Getting off to a quick start is something we addressed,” Houk said. “Who do we want to be out of the gate? It’s like the old adage of let’s not get punched in the mouth before we decide to come out swinging.”

By: Tom Schulz

Montana State played steady, consistent ball over the course of four sets enroute to a 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23 win over Kennesaw State, winning the Bobcat/Blackridge Invite on Saturday night in Shroyer Gym and giving MSU head coach Matt Houk his 100^th career victory.

"Overall, tonight we were pretty steady," Houk said. "Our lows were not as low as they were on Friday, and that's a nice piece. We talked about shrinking the bandwidth of the highs and lows and I think we did that. Our lows didn't last for long. We were down a couple of points here and there, but we would settle-in and recover."

The two-hour plus match featured 30 ties and 11 lead changes with neither team getting a substantial advantage. "I think Kennesaw State is a really good team with some really nice volleyball players," Houk stated. "I'd make an educated guess that they will do quite well in their league this year. They'll win a lot of matches. They're well coached and made some nice in-game adjustments. It's a nice win for us."

Montana State (3-0) pulled away midway through the opening set taking a 16-11 lead following a Kennesaw State (2-1) hitting miscue. The Cats kept their advantage down the stretch, winning on another Owl hitting error.

"Getting off to a quick start is something we addressed," Houk said. "Who do we want to be out of the gate? It's like the old adage of let's not get punched in the mouth before we decide to come out swinging."

The second set was like the first as the Bobcats pulled away at the midway mark sparked by a couple of Madilyn Siebler kills. Kennesaw State pulled to within one-point in the late going but the Bobcats closed out the set on Siebler's fourth kill of the stanza.

Kennesaw State jumped out early in the third frame taking a 12-8 lead before the Bobcats responded with a 6-0 run behind the serve of Jourdain Kamps. The set was then tied three times before the Owls used a 5-2 run in the waning moments to push the contest to a fourth game.

The final frame featured 11 ties as neither team could gain more than a three-point advantage. Tied at 19-all, Kira Thomsen recorded a kill followed by an ace to give MSU a two-point cushion. With the Bobcats leading 24-23, Thomsen's fifth kill of the set gave the Bobcats the match.

Thomsen recorded a team-best 17 kills, while Kamps and Siebler added 14 kills apiece. Defensively, MSU was led by Lauren Lindseth with 12 digs, while Kamps added ten. Kamps and Avery Turnage each registered two blocks, while Audrey Hofer dished out 35 assists and Nellie Stevenson nine.

Houk went 11 players deep in the victory and credited everyone on his squad for its 3-0 start to the season. "What's unique about this team is that we've got some really good depth," he said. "We have a lot of people that can contribute. I feel quite confident in sending someone in when we're not getting it done in a certain spot. We saw that all weekend, and I'm loving how people are responding once they're taken out, as well."

MSU plays at the St. Thomas Invitational on Thursday in St. Paul, Minn. The Bobcats will face the Tommies on Thursday, before meeting Milwaukee and Cal Baptist on Friday and Saturday, respectively.