Friday, October 21
Bozeman
7:00 PM
Montana State University
vs
NORTHERN COLORADO
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcat Volleyball Hosts Two in Shroyer Gym
10/19/2011 4:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball team will host Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona this weekend.
Click here for this week's complete volleyball release (pdf)
TWO AT HOME:
Montana State will conclude its four-match homestand this weekend when it plays a pair of Big Sky Conference matches in Shroyer Gym. The Bobcats will open the weekend when it hosts league-leading Northern Colorado on Friday, Oct. 21. MSU will conclude play with Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 22. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. Live match stats are available at www.msubobcats.com and live video streaming at www.b2tv.com.
THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Montana State senior Alex Penewell posted a season-high nine kills and the Bobcats outhit Seattle .225 to .176 to cruise to a 25-23, 25-22, 25-17 win over the Redhawks, Sunday afternoon in non-conference action. Also contributing for the Bobcats were Rachelle Allen with seven kills, while Chelsea Oemcke chipped in seven kills and three blocks. Jennifer Lundquist finished with 26 assists, five kills and five digs. MSU was paced defensively by Nicole Baker, who recorded a match-high 16 digs. Sarah Horton was also in double-digit digs with ten saves. Eryn Kirby recorded 17 kills and hit .319 to pace Sacramento State to a 25-18, 25-20, 26-24 victory over Montana State on Saturday. Oemcke led the Bobcats with 13 kills.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
* Chelsea Oemcke, 6-0, Sr., Middle Blocker, San Diego, California
Oemcke averaged 3.33 kills and 1.67 blocks as the Bobcats split a pair of home matches last weekend in Shroyer Gym...knocked down 13 kills, while hitting .440 and adding seven blocks against Sacramento State...finished the weekend hitting .357 from the field...also added four aces and five digs on the weekend.
* Jennifer Lundquist, 5-10, Jr., Setter, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Lundquist averaged 8.83 assists, 3.83 digs and 1.50 kills per set, while registering a .389 attack mark last weekend...had five kills and hit .714 in MSU's non-conference win over Seattle...posted weekend high 27 assists against Sacramento State...recorded fourth double-double of the season adding 18 digs vs. Sac St.
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Northern Colorado (12-7, 6-2) enters Friday night's match atop the Big Sky Conference standings. Last weekend, the Bears split a pair of Big Sky matches, sweeping Weber State 3-0, before falling to Idaho State 3-2 in Butler-Hancock. UNC is paced this season by Kelley Arnold, who averages 3.82 kills and 2.35 digs, while hitting .305 from the field. After a school record 12-0 start to the season, Northern Arizona (13-4, 4-4) has hit a downward spiral in losing four of their last five matches (they play at Montana on Friday), with their only win coming from down 2-0 at Eastern Washington. NAU has not won a first or second set in each of the last five matches, and the Lumberjacks have seen their conference-best opponent hitting percentage jump from .125 prior to the five match stretch to .199 currently, with the opposition hitting .221 during the streak.
QUICK SETS:
Montana State libero Nicole Baker is currently ranked fourth overall in the Big Sky averaging 4.53 digs per set...Baker's 23 saves against Sacramento State is the highest total in the Big Sky for a three-set match...in addition, Baker is the top sophomore in the Big Sky in digs...the Bobcats snapped its 24-match losing streak and a 13-match Big Sky Conference slide with a 3-2 win at Idaho State on Oct. 7...Montana State's last Big Sky home victory came on Oct. 15, 2010 with a 3-0 sweep of Sacramento St...Senior Chelsea Oemcke is currently ranked 6th in Big Sky action with a .297 attack mark...junior setter Jennifer Lundquist is currently listed fifth in the Big Sky averaging 8.65 assists per set...as a team, the Bobcats highest ranking in the stat column is sixth in blocking at 2.11 bps.
ALL-TIME SERIES:
Northern Colorado holds an 11-2 advantage in its all-time series with Montana State dating back to the 1981 season. Since UNC joined the Big Sky in 2006, MSU has never defeated the Bears. Northern Colorado has won ten straight matches against Montana State. MSU's last win over UNC came on Sept. 10, 2005 (3-1). Northern Arizona has won eight straight in its series with the Bobcats and hold a 29-20 lead in the all-time series going back to the 1987 campaign. MSU's last win over the Lumberjacks came on Oct. 26, 2006 (3-1).
GOLD DIGGER:
Montana State sophomore libero Nicole Baker has been in double-digit digs in 18 of MSU's 19 matches this season. She is averaging 4.53 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the Big Sky. Her 23 digs in MSU's loss to Sacramento State on Oct. 15 is the highest recorded this season by any league player in a three-set match. Baker needs just 26 more digs to break into Montana State's all-time top 10 for a single-season. The all-time single-season digs mark at Montana State is 495 set by Kandice Kelly in 2005. Baker currently has registered 331 digs on the season.
DIGGING MACHINES:
The one statistical area that has seen improvement this season for the Bobcats is on defense. As a team, Montana State is averaging 14.40 digs per set. In all, four Bobcats have posted 125 or more digs so far this fall. Libero Nicole Baker has notched 331 saves and is followed by Rachelle Allen (172), Kasey Schlatter (148) and Sarah Horton (147).
CO-CAPTAINS:
Seniors Rachelle Allen and Alex Penewell are co-captains for the 2011 season. Allen, who was an All Big Sky Conference Honorable Mention pick last fall, is averaging 2.47 kills and 2.61 digs per set, while Penewell, who was the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year last season, is chipping in 1.28 kills and has posted 32 total blocks.
SPREADING THE LOVE:
Eight Bobcats are currently averaging anywhere from 1.26 - 2.56 kills per set. The balanced attack is led by Sarah Horton, who is averaging a team-best 2.56 kps. Rachelle Allen is also over the 2.00 kill plateau at 2.47 per stanza.
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