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OGDEN, Utah (October 20, 2016) – With another North vs. South division evening set to add some drama to the Big Sky volleyball tournament picture, it was the south that gained a big edge with an unblemished Thursday night.
Division leader Northern Arizona moved to 8-1 in league play while second-place Sacramento State moved to 6-3, both with sweeps of Montana State and Idaho. Portland State picked up a key five-set win over Eastern Washington, while Southern Utah knocked off Montana in four sets.
PSU’s win coupled with other results Thursday gave the Vikings some cushion in the playoff picture, as five south division teams currently sit in tournament position.
Two more volleyball matches are scheduled for Friday in the Big Sky, with north division leader North Dakota taking on Idaho State and Weber State hosting Northern Colorado.
Southern Utah 3, Montana 1: MaCail Evans had seven kills and seven blocks, Chennin Benson added seven kills with nine digs and five blocks to contribute to a balanced effort from Southern Utah in a 3-1 victory over Montana.
The Thunderbirds (4-17, 2-7 Big Sky) out-blocked Montana 13-6 and had a .156 hitting percentage. Alexis Averett recorded a double-double with 36 assists, 10 digs and three service aces, Sarah Vang and Sarah Morley combined for 17 kills and Ann Clappier chipped in six with six blocks.
Montana (4-15, 1-8) used a 6-2 run to gain a 24-20 advantage in the opening set, and held on after three straight points from SUU, with Ashley Watkins’ kill sealing the 25-23 win. SUU bounced back hitting .300 in the second frame, putting together an 11-1 run and winning 25-15.
The Thunderbirds clawed back from 12-18, 14-21 and 21-24 deficits in the third, scoring nine of the last 10 points in the set to rally for a 26-24 win. SUU moved to a 13-6 lead in the fourth, and didn’t look back on the way to a 25-19 win for the T-Birds’ second win in the past three matches.
Alexis Urbach paced the Grizzlies with 17 kills and nine digs while Ashley Watkins was three digs from a triple-double with 10 kills and 21 assists. UM was limited to .110 hitting with 38 attack errors.
Sacramento State 3, Idaho 0: Madeline Cannon finished with 11 kills on a .381 hitting clip, Mikaela Nocetti added 10 kills with 15 digs and Sacramento State was welcomed home with a 3-0 sweep over visiting Idaho.
The Hornets (12-11, 6-3) totaled a .278 hitting percentage with 41 kills, bouncing back from an 0-2 week and the backend of a schedule that had seven of eight Big Sky matches on the road. Kennedy Kurtz set the offense up with 32 assists, eight digs and five kills on seven attempts.
Sac State broke away from a tight opening set, ending it on an 8-2 run with pair of kills from both Shannon Boyle and Courtney Dietrich to win 25-21. The Hornets hit .357 in the second set and used an 8-0 run to pull away towards a 25-15 decision. A 7-0 surge gave Sac State the lead in the third that they wouldn’t relinquish, winning 25-18.
Idaho (7-14, 2-7) was limited to .092 hitting with just 27 kills and 17 attack errors. Kaela Straw led the Vandals with eight kills on .389 hitting and Terra Varney had a match-high 16 digs.
Northern Arizona 3, Montana State 0: Lauren Jacobsen (13 kills, 10 digs) and Jensen Barton (29 assists, 10 digs, seven kills, three service aces) each recorded double-doubles to push Northern Arizona past Montana State for its fourth straight win and 24
th at home.
The Lumberjacks (18-4, 8-1) battled with a stingy MSU defense to hit .172 for the match with eight blocks. Kaylie Jorgenson put together eight kills, Brittni Dorsey had five blocks and Jordan Anderson dug 15 balls.
NAU had six set points fended off by MSU, but ultimately prevailed in an elongated opening set 29-27 after a kill from Jorgenson and a block by Dorsey and Barton. Two kills from Jacobsen and an ace from Dorsey sparked a 5-0 spurt that gave NAU the lead in the second, and Barton ended the set with two straight kills after MSU had pulled within two, 25-21. The Lumberjacks hit .314 in the final frame and scored six of the final eight points to pull off the narrow sweep 25-20.
The Bobcats (4-14, 2-7) were held to .055 hitting with 28 attack errors, and have dropped nine straight matches in Flagstaff. Caitlin Lonergan led MSU with nine kills and Allyssa Rizzo had a match-high 24 digs.
Portland State 3, Eastern Washington 2: Caitlin Bettenay (16 kills, 11 digs), Pati Anae (13 kills, 16 digs) and Erin Clark (49 assists, 12 digs, five kills) each notched double-doubles as Portland State rallied to top Eastern Washington for a key five-set victory.
The Vikings (12-9, 4-5) rallied from a 2-1 set deficit and hit .172 for the match. Kylie Copple chipped in 12 kills, Mikaelyn Sych added 10 and Tasha Bojanic grabbed a match-high 26 digs for PSU.
Trailing 16-19 in the first set, PSU closed on a 9-2 run including the final five points with two kills from Copple and an ace from Bojanic clinching the early lead, 25-21. EWU responded hitting .394 in the second set including a 9-0 run that set up set point before winning 25-15. PSU led 10-3 early in the third set, but the Eagles surged back closing the set on a 12-4 run to go up 2-1 with the 25-22 decision.
PSU looked to extend the match with three straight points setting up set point, but EWU tied it back up at 24. Two straight kills from Sych, the latter coming at the end of a long rally forced a fifth set, 26-24. The Vikings built an early four-point lead in the fifth set, but had to sweat out a late rally from EWU. With PSU up 14-9, EWU fought off five straight match points before an EWU service error and a block from Katy Wilson and Anae clinched the five-set win for PSU.
The Eagles (10-8, 5-4) had a strong advantage in most statistical categories, including a .262 hitting percentage and 18-7 block advantage. EWU had four players with double-doubles, and were paced by Ka’iulani Ahuna and Ashley Seiler with a combined 31 kills and 32 digs.