Next Match:
at Idaho State
11/9/2023 | TBA
Nov. 09 (Thu) / TBA
at Idaho State
History
Five Montana State players reached double-digit digs as MSU used a strong defensive performance en route to a 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21 victory over Northern Arizona on Saturday night in Shroyer Gym.
Montana State (15-7, 8-4) held an 80-78 advantage in digs as Jourdain Kamps paced MSU with a career-high 21 digs, while Shayla Webber, Kira Thomsen, and Nellie Stevenson each tallied 15, and Lauren Lindseth 10.
“I thought our defense was quite good,” said MSU head coach Matt Houk. “Eighty digs in four sets is a nice night. And it came from everyone, the whole group. That’s what we need if we hope to have a chance to achieve what we would like to achieve- you’ve got to keep the ball off the court, and you’ve got to fight.”
The Bobcats opened play holding a three-point lead for most of the first set before Northern Arizona 5-18, 2-10) evened the score at 22-all. MSU closed out the frame on a 3-1 run as a block by Kamps and Camryn Greenwald gave the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.
The second set featured 14 ties and nine lead changes. MSU held a 24-23 advantage following a four-hit call, but the Lumberjacks responded with a 3-0 run to win the set.
MSU jumped out to an early 7-1 cushion in the third set and never relinquished the lead as a NAU ball-handling error gave the Bobcats a 2-1 edge heading into set four.
The final set was tightly contested with 18 ties and nine lead changes. Tied at 21-all, MSU closed out the match with four consecutive points highlighted by Stevenson’s match-winning kill.
“One of the things that has consistently impressed me about this group is their ability to move on to the next day,” Houk said, referring to MSU’s lackluster effort on Thursday night. “We did not perform well against Northern Colorado, and it’s tempting to let that define you, but they came back and had a good practice on Friday, and we had a good walk through this morning, and they can back with some resolve.”
Thomsen led MSU with 22 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Madilyn Siebler added a career-high 16 kills. Kamps finished with eight kills, while Jordan Radick posted six kills with a .500 attack mark. For the match, MSU out-hit the Lumberjacks .213 to .147 and held advantages in kills (59-55) and blocks (10-6).
At the net, Radick and Kamps led all players with six blocks apiece.
With the win, Montana State remains in a third-place tie with Northern Colorado, ½ game behind Weber State and 3.5 games behind league-leading Sacramento State.
MSU plays at Idaho State on Thursday night.
2023-11-05 04:30:14
#Bobcats #Reach #DoubleDigit #Digs #Win #Northern #Arizona #Montana #State #University #Athletics
