Lady Jackets Sweep DBU Again (10/1/05)
Box Score

DALLAS, TX – For the second straight day the Montana State-Billings volleyball team swept Dallas Baptist, 3-0, in a Heartland Conference match.  The Yellowjackets won 30-15, 31-29, 30-20 to improve to 15-4 overall and 4-2 in the Heartland Conference.  The Patriots fell to 5-17, 0-4.  The 15 victories equal the second-most in school history.  The school record for victories in a season came in 1987 when the Yellowjackets were 21-25.

The Yellowjackets never trailed in the first and third games, hitting over .300 as a team in both.  The second game was a see-saw battle with the Jackets trailing as late as 22-21.  Three Jessica Bratton (Jr., Casper, WY) kills down the stretch of game two completed the comeback.

Bratton had a dozen kills in the match on a .345 attack percentage.  In the weekend’s two sweeps she had 19 kills with just two errors.  Bratton's 19 kills giver her 205 for the season and move her to No. 5 on the Yellowjacket career kills list with 862.

Ali Watson (Jr., Calgary, Alberta) knocked down 15 kills and posted her fifteenth double-double of the season with 11 digs.  Alicia Cazemier (So., Vauxhall, Alberta) added 11 kills and two blocks.  Nicole Kruse (So., Huntley, MT) and Alexis Sandru (Jr., Twin Bridges, MT) each picked up 13 digs.  Sandru also had eight kills.  Jessica Lechner (Fr., Huntley, MT) finished with five kills without an error.

The Yellowjackets had twelve service aces in the match.  Natalie Bills (Jr., Provo, UT) led all players with four.  She also handed out a match-high 39 assists.  Kruse and Taylor Faught (Fr., Billings, MT) each had three aces.

“Our two freshman kids played really well this weekend,” said Yellowjacket coach Pa’ulasi Matavao.  “Jessica Lechner is starting to assert herself more.  Taylor’s stats aren’t going to show it, but she’s playing really well.  She’s serving the ball great.  We had a great serving weekend—probably the best in of the year.”

The Patriots had a .132 team hitting percentage in the match.  Brandi Moss had 10 kills.  Jenna Pry added seven, and Colby Fields and Lauren Ashlock each had six kills.  Ashlee Hawlins led all players with 14 digs.

The Yellowjackets travel from Dallas to Goodwell, OK, on Sunday.  They will face Oklahoma Panhandle State in conference matches on Monday and Tuesday.