Volleyball Sweeps Second Day of Tournament

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Photo Gallery Mary
Photo Gallery Dickinson State

BILLINGS, Mont. – After a first day of unfortunate events, Montana State Billings rebounded on the second day of the MSUB Invitational, sweeping University of Mary (25-21, 25-23, 25-14) and Dickinson State (25-15, 25-14, 26-24) to finish 2-2 in the tournament and move to 6-5 on the season.

The Yellowjackets were able to avenge a loss to Mary last weekend in Bismarck, when MSUB had jumped out to a two game lead before dropping the final three. Jen Boe led the team with 15 kills on 40 attempts with just three errors for a .300 hitting percentage. Devon Crotteau led the team in hitting percentage with a .429 average (11-2-21), while Hillary Morrison had another exceptional match at setter, 34 assists.

The first two games stayed competitive as neither team was able to gain full control of the match. Despite being outhit .265 to .258, MSUB was able to gain the advantage early with a first set win, 25-21. The Yellowjackets took control of the match with a second set victory, 25-23.

Determined to not let the same scenario play out as last weekend, MSUB jumped on the Marauders in the third set, using a 5-0 run midway through to score the easy 25-14 victory. The Yellowjackets outhit Mary .333 (14-2-36) to .077 (10-7-39) in the final set to sweep the Marauders 3-0.

In the last match of the evening, MSUB picked up with Dickinson State where it had left off in the afternoon, dominating fashion. The Yellowjackets dominated the Blue Hawks in the first two games, winning by a combined 21 points. MSUB racked up an impressive .571 (14-2-21) hitting percentage in the first set compared to the .120 (9-6-25) by Dickinson. In the second set, MSUB out hit Dickinson .435 (14-2-21) to .000 (8-8-31) to take a 2-0 lead into the third where they finished the Blue Hawks 26-24.

As a team, MSUB hit .446 (43-10-74) with 32 digs and six aces. The Yellowjackets were led by Devon Crotteau, who had 18 kills to move into fourth on the all-time kills list at MSUB, passing Brandee Sayles (1994-97). Crotteau now has 1,051 kills for her career at MSUB. Jen Boe contribute 13 kills and a .550 hitting percentage, while Jody Lutz added 5 kills.

This weekend’s tournament concludes out of conference games, excluding the matchup with cross-town rival, Rocky Mountain College, Sept. 22. MSUB will return to action next week as they hit the road to Alaska for conference matches. Games are scheduled at Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.

As the tournament ended, the coaches submitted ballots for an all-tournament team. That list included: Lindsay Grant and Alaina Barber of Northwest Nazarene, Devon Crotteau of MSUB, Kelsey Aden of Northern State, Laci Murtha of University of Mary, and Micaela Parker of Dickinson State.