Lady
Jacket VB Starts Stretch Run (10/19/05)
BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings
volleyball team begins the stretch run of the Heartland Conference
schedule this weekend in Austin, TX, with two matches at defending
league champion St. Edward’s University. The Yellowjackets will
face the Hilltoppers Friday night at 7:00 CDT and Saturday
afternoon at 2:00.
Ranked fifth in the most recent NCAA
Southwest Region poll, the Yellowjackets can clinch a spot in the
Heartland Conference tournament with at least a split at St.
Edward’s this weekend. MSU Billings is 17-4 overall and 6-2 in
conference play with four conference matches remaining. St.
Edward’s, which earned the right to host the conference tournament
by winning last year’s tourney, are just 2-5 in the conference.
One Yellowjackets win this weekend will likely eliminate the
Hilltoppers from the conference tournament, which they will host
November 11 and 12.
MSU Billings was idle last week and hasn’t
played a match since October 4. The Yellowjackets have won
five-straight dating back to September 27, including their last
four Heartland Conference matches. Following the trip to Austin,
MSU Billings will finish the regular season with three home
matches beginning October 26 against Rocky Mountain College.
Heartland frontrunner Incarnate Word will visit Billings November
3 and 4.
For the first time in the program’s history,
MSU Billings is in contention for a league championship and an
NCAA Tournament berth. The Heartland Conference Tournament
champion will receive an automatic entry to the NCAA Tournament.
The Yellowjackets could also receive an at large bid if they
remain ranked in the top eight in the region.
The Yellowjackets have used a balanced lineup
this year to post the program’s best-ever record. Three different
players are ranked in the top 10 of the conference for kills per
game. Junior Ali Watson (Calgary, Alberta) is second in the league at 4.17 kpg; sophomore Alicia
Cazemier (Vauxhall, Alberta) is third at 3.75 kpg; and junior Jessica
Bratton (Casper, WY) is ninth at 2.93 kpg.
Cazemier is having a standout season
offensively and defensively. Along with being one of the
conference’s kills leaders, she is second in the Heartland and
fourteenth in the nation for attack percentage at .398. Cazemier
also leads the Heartland in blocks at 1.22 per game.
Running the Yellowjacket offense—which leads
the league in kills and assists—is junior setter Natalie
Bills (Provo, UT). The three-time Heartland setter of the
week leads the conference in assists per game at 11.96. Bills
also has Yellowjacket hitters attacking at an impressive .226
clip.
St. Edward’s won the conference tournament
last year and was the overwhelming choice to repeat in the
preseason coaches poll. However, the Hilltoppers are just 6-18
overall and have won back-to-back matches just once all season.
They are near the bottom of the league in most statistical
categories and are allowing a league-high 14.40 kills per game.
Kristen Lozano and Lindsey Douglas lead the team at just over two
kills per game each. |
