Yellowjackets Face Western N.M. in PacWest Home Opener (October 2, 2002)

BILLINGS, MT – The MSU Billings Yellowjackets will host Western New Mexico for a pair of volleyball matches this weekend.  The Jackets and Mustangs will square off on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. in MSUB’s PacWest Conference home opener at Alterowitz Gymnasium.  The two teams will play again on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. in a match that is not counted toward PacWest standings.

The matches will be important for both squads as they look to get back into the PacWest race.  MSU Billings enters the weekend at 5-9 overall and 1-3 in PacWest play while Western New Mexico is 10-7, 0-4.  The last PacWest match for the Yellowjackets was a 3-2 comeback victory at Hawaii-Hilo.  Western New Mexico was swept in all four of the Mustangs’ matches in Hawaii.

MSU Billings is led by sophomore outside hitter Olivia Munro, who has posted 3.74 kills and 2.94 digs per game.  Munro is currently No. 6 in the PacWest for kills and No. 7 for digs.  Senior setter Krissy Janney is averaging 9.57 assists per game and has also recorded 125 digs.  Janney’s .327 hitting percentage is fourth-best in the conference.  Junior middle blocker Katrina Dahlgren is No. 2 in the PacWest for blocks (1.05 per game) and No. 5 for hitting percentage (.321).

Western New Mexico is led by Kimberly Tano who is ranked in the top 10 in the conference for both hitting percentage and kills.  The Mustangs started the season 8-1, but have lost six of their last eight matches.  They split four games this past weekend at a tournament in Texas.

Note: Saturday’s match counts as a Pacific Region match, but not as a conference match because only two matches against a conference opponent are counted toward the conference standings each year.  MSU Billings will travel to Western New Mexico later in the season for two matches, with only the first match during that weekend counting toward the PacWest standings.