Lady Jackets Run Table at Arkansas Tourney (8/27/05)
Ali Watson Named Tournament MVP
Match 1 Box Score
Match 2 Box Score

RUSSELLVILLE, AR – The Montana State-Billings volleyball team ran off a pair of wins on Saturday to win the Arkansas Tech Invitational.  The Yellowjackets’ Ali Watson averaged over four kills and four digs per game to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors.

"It was a good weekend for kids," said Yellowjacket head coach Pa'ulasi Matavao.  "We played in two tough matches and found out what kind of character we have.  When we got to the fifth games, the kids were bouncing around all over the court and they were ready to play."

MSU Billings improved to 4-0, defeating Missouri Western, 3-2, and Texas A&M Kingsville, 3-0.  The Yellowjackets downed Fort Valley State and host Arkansas Tech on Friday, finishing the round robin tournament as the only unbeaten team.  MSU Billings returns to the road next weekend when the Jackets play at the Colorado School of Mines Invitational on September 2 and 3 in Denver.

Watson, a junior from Calgary, Alberta, averaged 4.12 kills and 4.06 digs per game to lead three Yellowjackets named to the all-tournament team.  Along with MVP Watson, Natalie Bills (Jr., Provo, UT) and Jessica Bratton (Jr., Casper, WY) earned all-tourney recognition.  Bills guided the Yellowjacket offense with 10.31 assists per game while Bratton knocked down 2.12 kills per game.

In the Yellowjackets’ early game Saturday, MSU Billings rallied from a 2-1 deficit to down Western Missouri in five games, 30-26, 27-30, 31-33, 30-28, 15-7.  Watson pounded out a match-high 21 kills and added 13 digs.  Alicia Cazemier (So., Vauxhall, Alberta) added 19 kills on a .444 hitting percentage.  Alexis Sandru (Jr., Twin Bridges, MT) finished with a dozen kills and Bratton added 11.

In the tournament-clinching late match, the Yellowjackets cruised by Texas A&M Kingsville in three games, 30-28, 30-25, 30-18.  Cazemier led all players with 15 kills on a .565 hitting percentage.  She also added two blocks.  For the tournament Cazemier averaged 3.50 kills per game and posted an impressive .413 attack percentage.  Sandru had 12 kills and 13 digs in the win.  Watson finished with 10 kills and a match-high 19 digs.

The season-opening tournament win is the second in as many years for the Yellowjackets.  MSU Billings won the Alaska-Anchorage Invitational to open the 2004 season, and Bratton was the MVP of that tournament.  The Jackets went on to a school record 14-11 overall record.