Lady Jackets Split Matches in Colorado (9/2/05)
Match 1 Box Score
Match 2 Box Score

GOLDEN, CO – The Montana State-Billings volleyball team split its pair of matches Friday at the Days Inn Denver West/Oredigger Classic.  The Yellowjackets defeated Colorado State-Pueblo, 3-1, in their afternoon match before falling to host Colorado School of Mines, 3-1, in the nightcap.  The Jackets are now 5-1 to start the season.

MSU Billings wraps up the tournament with two more matches on Saturday.  They will face an unbeaten Mesa State team at 11:00 a.m. and conclude the tournament against Western State at 4:00 p.m.  Mesa State defeated Heartland Conference teams Oklahoma Panhandle and St. Edward’s on Friday in 3-0 sweeps.  Western State downed Oklahoma Panhandle, 3-0, before losing to St. Edward’s, 3-0.

In the opening match of the day, the Yellowjackets rebounded from a 1-0 deficit to down Colorado State-Pueblo 27-30, 32-30, 30-28, 30-27.  It was an evenly played match from start to finish with neither team building a lead larger than five points in any of the four games.  The Yellowjackets actually trailed late in the second and fourth games before rallying for victories.  In the deciding fourth game, CSU-Pueblo led 27-25 before MSU Billings came back to close the match with five straight points.

Ali Watson (Jr., Calgary, Alberta) had a huge match with 21 kills and 26 digs.  Watson earned tournament MVP honors at the Arkansas Tech Invitational last weekend and was named Heartland Conference hitter of the week.  In Friday’s win over the Thunderwolves, she posted a .304 attack percentage on 46 attempts.

Middle blocker Alicia Cazemier (So., Vauxhall, Alberta) dominated at the net, knocking down 15 kills on a .414 attack percentage.  She also recorded a career-high 11 blocks.  Alexis Sandru (Jr., Twin Bridges, MT) added 11 kills and 15 digs.

Setter Natalie Bills (Jr., Provo, UT) matched her season high with 56 assists in the match.  Freshman Jessica Lechner (Huntley, MT) had her best match of the early season with seven kills on a .462 attack percentage.  Jessica Bratton (Jr., Casper, WY) added nine kills and seven digs.  The Yellowjackets out hit the Wolves, .198 to .185.

CSU-Pueblo was ld by 24 kills and 16 digs from Samantha Connelly.  Meagan Sater finished with 18 kills.  Holly Swanson and Amy Lacey combined for 20 kills and 13 blocks.

In the evening match up with the host team, the Jackets fell 31-29, 30-25, 24-30, 30-26.  The first game was tied at 28 apiece before an Oredigger kill and service ace closed the match.  The Yellowjackets were out-blocked by the Diggers 16-5 in the match.  That helped hold the Jackets’ team hitting percentage to just .117.

Watson had another big match with 23 kills and 21 digs.  For the season she is averaging a team-best 4.58 kills and 4.67 digs per game.  Sandru also posted a double-double with 15 kills and 21 digs.  Cazemier added 11 kills and four blocks, and Bratton chipped in eight kills.  Bills handed out 45 assists to go with 14 digs.  Libero Nicole Kruse (So., Huntley, MT) added 14 digs.

The Orediggers were paced by 15 kills from Samantha Bauer.  Kelly Desens added 11, and Nicole Leeper had 10.  Amanda Rebol was in on nine blocks.