Yellowjackets Volleyball Looks to Continue Success on the Road

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BRIEFLY
The 2009 Montana State Billings volleyball regular season rolls on this weekend with a trip to the Expressway Inn Invitational, hosted by University of Mary, in Bismarck, N.D. This weekend’s opponents feature Montana State Northern, Minot State and tournament host, University of Mary. First serves are scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday.

RETURN FROM PARADISE
The Montana State Billings volleyball squad just completed their first roadtrip of the year in Hawaii. Competing at the AQUA Hotels Invitational, MSUB went 2-2 to open its season and the new era of head coach Steve Smith.

The season got off to a successful start and in dramatic fashion. A 3-2 win over Hawaii Pacific, a team MSUB had not beaten in 15 previous attempts, set the tone for the tournament. Down 2-1, the Yellowjackets took the fourth game 25-21 and forced the fifth game finale, winning it 15-11.

Day two saw MSUB take on PacWest power BYU-Hawaii. A slow start hampered the Yellowjackets and they dropped the match, 3-1. Looking to rebound on the final day, MSUB ran into the PacWest Conference favorites, Hawaii Hilo. The Vulcans proved to be as tough as the experts said, handing MSUB its second consecutive loss, 3-0.

Needing a win to split the weekend, the Yellowjackets wanted to start strong against Chaminade, but a poor offensive showing in the first two games put MSUB in a 2-0 hole. Facing its third straight defeat, the MSUB backline dug in its heals and fought back, taking games three and four in dominating fashion. Carrying all of the momentum, MSUB locked down their second victory of the year with a fifth game victory, 15-10.

Devon Crotteau finished the tournament with 67 kills for a .259 hitting percentage. She was followed by Jen Boe, 36 kills and 36 digs, Hannah Johnson, 21 kills and 16 blocks, and Hillary Morrison, who finished with 119 assists during the tournament.

ABOUT MONTANA STATE NORTHERN
Montana State Northern enters the weekend after a trip to Twin Falls, Idaho for a tournament at the College of Southern Idaho. In the previous week, the Skylights had an impressive showing at the University of Great Falls Tournament. Northern went 2-1 during the weekend, capturing wins over Minot State (3-1) and Hope International College (3-0) after dropping its first match to NAIA power California Baptist (3-0). Northern is led by juniors Kaylee Bossert and Brittany Baker. Setter Jordan Merrill has been giving the Skylights plenty of assist as well. The Skylights came into the season picked seventh in the Frontier Conference of the NAIA. Northern’s volleyball program enters its first season under head coach Bill Huebsch.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
Montana State Billings holds an 11-5 record all-time versus Montana State Northern. The Yellowjackets have won the last six matches against the Skylights. MSUB is 9-2 at home, 0-3 away and 2-0 at neutral site games. The last meeting took place on Sept. 4, 2004 with the Yellowackets winning 3-0 at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

ABOUT MINOT STATE
The Beavers enter this weekend’s contests seeking their first victory of the season. After opening the season at the University of Great Falls/Carroll College Tournament, Minot traveled to Billings, Mont. for the Rocky Mountain College Tour, dropping all four matches to Montana Tech (3-1), Carroll College (3-0), Rocky Mountain College (3-0) and University of Montana-Western (3-1). The Beavers’ Johnna Lewis is in her third year as the head coach at Minot State University.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
The Yellowjackets are 2-0 all-time versus Minot State University. Both matches were played at home for MSUB, back on Sept. 10-11, 2004. MSUB swept both games (3-0, 3-0) during that weekend, en-route to a 14-11 record for the season.
ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF MARY
In the final match of the weekend, MSUB will square off with fellow Division II opponent, University of Mary. The Marauders, like the Yellowjackets, are off to a 2-2 start this season. This past weekend Mary traveled to Anchorage, Alaska to participate in the University of Alaska Anchorage Tournament. The Marauders fell to the Academy of Art in its first match, 3-1, but bounced back to knock off Kentucky Wesleyan, 3-0 on day one. On the second day, the Marauders fell to Alaska Anchorage, 3-1, but again bounced back and knocked off Kentucky Wesleyan, this time sweeping their opponents, 3-0. Mary returns three seniors, eight juniors, three sophomores and welcome a quartet of freshmen to the team.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
This will be the fourth meeting all-time between the Marauders and Yellowjackets. MSUB narrowly holds the edge in the series, leading 2-1. The Yellowjackets are 0-1 at home but are 2-0 on neutral site courts. The last meeting between the two schools was Sept. 12, 2008 in Billings, a 3-2 loss for the Yellowjackets.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following this weekend’s tournament, the Yellowjackets will head back home for their home season opener, the Montana State University Billings Tournament, being held Sept. 11-12.

This year’s tournament will include: GNAC foe, Northwest Nazarene, Northern State, University of Mary and Dickinson State. The two day event will feature matches all day long, starting at 11 a.m. on Friday afternoon and 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

MSUB will start the tournament on Friday against Northwest Nazarene at 1 p.m. and finish the night against Northern State at 7 p.m. Day two will see the Yellowjackets take on University of Mary in the second match of the day at 11 a.m. and then finish the tournament against Dickinson State at 5 p.m.  

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2009
Former Fort Hays State coach Steve Smith (44-82, 4 years) takes over at Montana State Billings and has six letter winners available off last year’s team, which looks to improve on last season and build a new winning tradition.

Among the six is outside hitter Devon Crotteau (6-0, Sr., Casper, WY – Northern Colorado), who was one of the top kill producers in the GNAC, averaging 3.89 to rank second in the conference.

Crotteau also ranked 10th in kill percentage (.246), netted 3.19 digs per contest and contributed 29 aces and 36 blocks.

Also back are outside hitter Jennifer Boe (5-8, Jr., Casper, WY – Kelly Walsh), setter Hillary Morrison (5-10, Sr., Casper, WY – Chadron State) and libero Jill Trabing (5-8, Sr., Buffalo, WY).

Boe averaged 2.51 kills and 2.75 digs. Morrison was credited with 7.36 assists and Trabing had 3.52 digs.

Smith’s first MSUB team will include only two other letter winners – middle blocker Melissa Porter (6-3, So., Redmond, UT – North Sevier) and defensive specialist Whitney Mickelsen (5-4, So., Aurora, UT – North Sevier) – along with five freshmen.

YELLOWJACKETS TABBED EIGHTH
The Montana State Billings volleyball team was selected eighth in the annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll. The Yellowjackets received 15 points behind conference favorite Western Washington with 60 points.
Returning for MSUB is one of the league’s top kill producers in Devon Crotteau. Last season she ranked second in kills per game, averaging 3.89. Joining Crotteau as returning letter winners will be Jennifer Boe, Hillary Morrison, Jill Trabing, Melissa Porter, and Whitney Mickelson.

Yellowjackets Ink Two-Sport Product
Kayla Neumiller signed with the Yellowjackets for the 2009-2010 season.  Neumiller plans on competing in both volleyball and track & field. Neumiller lettered all four years in high school in volleyball and was an all-state selection as a junior and senior.  She was a first team all-conference selection for three years and earned state all-tournament honors as a senior. Neumiller recorded 330 kills, 48 blocks, 83 aces and 406 digs during her senior year and amassed over 1,000 kills (1,026), 211 aces and 161 blocks in her high school career.