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OGDEN, Utah (October 28, 2016) – In a tight race for the Big Sky volleyball tournament, teams continue to show that it’s never too late to reach for higher spots.
North Dakota became the second team to clinch a spot in the league tournament, and additionally moved into a tie for first place overall with Northern Arizona.
Idaho put together a 2-0 week to make a violent push back into the league race, with a streak-ending win over Idaho State Thursday and a 3-1 road win at Eastern Washington tonight.
Northern Colorado defeated Montana State in four sets to put itself on the brink of clinching a tourney bid. UNC can earn a spot with a win over Montana or with a Weber State loss.
Five more games are slated for Saturday that’s sure to add some drama to the postseason race.
North Dakota 3, Montana 1: Tamara Merseli finished with 13 kills on a .343 hitting clip and grabbed 12 digs as North Dakota clinched a Big Sky tournament bid with its 13
th straight victory over Montana.
The Fighting Hawks (18-9, 9-2 Big Sky) moved into a tie for first place in the overall standings after toting a 16-6 blocking advantage along with .225 hitting. Sydney Griffin dished 40 assists with 13 digs, Julia Kaczorowska had 11 kills and Faith Dooley (nine blocks) and Alivia Fraase (21 digs) helped turn up the defense.
UND got eight kills from Kaczorowka in the opening set and closed it on an 11-2 run including the final five points to win 25-18. Montana (4-17, 1-10) responded shutting down UND to a negative hitting percentage and storming out to a 14-1 lead on the way to evening the match with a 25-13 victory.
A .429 hitting effort helped UND bounce back in the third set, using a 6-0 run to go up 16-9 and closing the frame on an 8-2 surge to win 25-14. UND erased an 11-15 deficit with a 5-0 run, then later got a kill from Merseli and a block from Kaczorowska and Chelsea Moser to score the final four points, 25-20.
The Grizzlies were held to .112 hitting with 37 attack errors. Missy Huddleston (15 kills, 18 digs), Alexis Urbach (13 kills) and Cassie Laramee (12 kills, 11 digs) each reached double-digit kills for Montana.
Northern Colorado 3, Montana State 1: Timarie Nymeyer and Kortney Lockey totaled 15 kills apiece as Northern Colorado moved past Montana State for a 3-1 victory.
The Bears (14-9, 8-3) held a .290 hitting percentage and inched closer to a tournament bid, needing just a win over Montana Saturday or a loss by Weber State to clinch. Ashley Guthrie distributed 46 assists with eight kills, Kim Weissmann added 11 kills and Lockey also chipped in three service aces.
Lockey had two of her aces and Emily O’Neil had a hand in three different blocks as UNC used an 8-0 run to assume a 20-15 lead and ultimately win 25-21. The Bears hit .333 in the second and worked to a five-point cushion before fending off MSU late and winning 25-22 after a dump kill from Guthrie.
The Bobcats (5-15, 3-8) jumped out to a 15-6 and kept the match going with a 25-17 victory in the third. UNC hammered down from there hitting .478 with 14 kills on just 23 swings on the way to a dominant 25-12 decision.
MSU hit .205 for the match and was out-blocked 6-8. Natalie Passeck led the Bobcats with 12 kills and Caitlin Lonergan contributed 11.
Idaho 3, Eastern Washington 1: Haylee Mathis turned in a triple-double with 10 kills, 15 assists and 19 digs while Becca Mau chipped in 17 kills to give Idaho a 3-1 win at Eastern Washington.
The Vandals (9-15, 4-8) capped a 2-0 week hitting .211 and nudging itself back into the tournament hunt just a half game behind Weber State. Mathis became the third Big Sky player to record a triple-double this season while splitting setting duties with Megan Ramseyer, Kaela Straw tallied 10 kills and Terra Varney had a match-high 23 digs.
In the opening set, Idaho used a 13-4 stretch to assume a five-point lead, and went on to win 25-21. A .282 hitting effort coupled with a 12-3 closing run with three kills from both Mau and Torrin Crawford put Idaho up 2-0 in the match with a 25-16 decision.
EWU (11-10, 6-6) looked to keep the match alive pushing to a 24-21 lead, but had to fight off Idaho after it fended off three straight set points before a kill from Ashley Seiler and a UI attack error gave the Eagles a 26-24 victory. Idaho moved out to 9-2 and 15-6 leads in the fourth set and scored six of the final nine points after EWU had pulled back within three, 25-19.
The Eagles had a slight blocking advantage, but was held to .140 hitting along with 13 service errors on the night. Jessica Gilbert paced EWU with 14 kills, while Sophie Miller and Regan Harr combined for 46 assists and 27 digs.