Thursday, November 2
Sacramento, CA
8 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Sacramento State
Senior setter Kaite Rutecki
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Cats Head West for Final Road Trip
11/1/2017 3:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball team will make its final regular-season road trip this weekend beginning in California on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. (MT) at Sacramento State on Colberg Court.
MSU VB NOTES l SAC VB NOTES l UM VB NOTES l WATCH LIVE l LIVE STATS AT SAC l LIVE STATS AT UM
CATS TAKE FINAL REGULAR-SEASON ROAD TRIP
The Montana State volleyball team will make its final regular-season road trip this weekend beginning in California on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. (MT) at Sacramento State on Colberg Court. The Bobcats will fly straight to Missoula from the Capital City for the second installment of the Brawl of the Wild series between the two storied rivals. The match against the Grizzlies is slated for Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the West Auxiliary Gym.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS:
Here is a closer look at this week's opponents.
Opponent: Sacramento State
Nickname: Hornets
Head Coach: Ruben Volta (159-155 // 9 Years)
2017 Record: 20-8 overall; 11-1 Big Sky
Opponent: Montana
Nickname: Grizzlies
Head Coach: Allison Lawrence (7-18 // 1st Year)
2017 Record: 7-18 overall; 2-10 Big Sky
CATCH THE CATS:
Pluto TV – Pluto TV is the leading free Internet-based TV service that is available on almost any device such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and smart TVs like Sony, Samsung, Vizio and more. Pluto TV is also available through a free app on mobile and table devices (i.e. iOS and Android), as well as traditional PCs. All content on Pluto TV is free, including its Video on Demand.
For Montana State match at Sacramento State - Pluto TV Channel 233
For Montana State match at Montana - Pluto TV Channel 237
Live Video Stream:
Also available at WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats:
For Montana State match at SAC - hornetsports.com
For Montana State match at UM - gogriz.com
ON POINT WITH THE CATS:
*Sacramento St. leads the all-time series with MSU 43-6 dating back to 1978
*The Hornets have won ten straight matches over the Bobcats
*MSU's last win over Sac State (3-0) came on Oct. 15, 2010 in Bozeman
*SAC split road matches last week losing to NAU (3-2) and def. SUU (3-1).
*The all-time series between the Cats & Griz is tied at 55-55 back to 1975
*Montana State has four of the last six meetings from the Grizzlies
*MSU's last win over Montana was on Sept. 30 in front of 1,500 spectators
*Montana dropped a pair of road matches to UND (3-1) and UNC (3-0)
*MSU snapped North Dakota's 20-match home court win streak on Saturday
*Kiana Black matched a career-high 20 kills in MSU's win at Grand Forks
*Montana State is celebrating its 125th birthday during the 2017-18 season
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Sacramento State (20-8, 11-1): Needs just two wins to clinch the Big Sky Conference's regular season championship. The Hornets had their 10-game winning streak snapped last Thursday with a 3-2 road loss to Northern Arizona. That also snapped an 18-game winning streak over Big Sky schools during the regular season. Still, the team's 11-1 Big Sky record is tied for the program's best mark since joining the conference in 1996. A win on Thursday would allow the Hornets to improve to 12-1, something only the 1998, 2005 and 2006 Hornet squads were able to accomplish. Montana (7-18, 2-10): The Grizzlies lost a pair of matches to North Dakota and Northern Colorado last week. Setter Ashley Watkins leads all Big Sky sophomores with a 9.53 assist per set average. Montana will play at Portland State on Thursday night, before hosting Montana State at 7:30 p.m., in the WAG.
THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Montana State Head Coach Daniel Jones has talked all season about MSU playing its best in October and November. He got exactly what he was looking last Saturday night as the Bobcats upset defending Big Sky Conference champions North Dakota in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center snapping the Fighting Hawks' 20-match home court win streak. Montana State defeated UND 14-25, 25-23, 25-27, 28-26, 15-11. Kiana Black guided MSU with a career-matching 20 kills, while hitting .447 from the floor. Also in double-figure kills were Natalie Passeck (18) and freshman Hannah Scott (12). Defensively, four Bobcats reach double-digit digs lead by Allyssa Rizzo 27, Goroski 17, Rutecki 12, and Scott 10. Katie Rutecki finished with a career-high 60 assists, as well. Montana State got the start it wanted and took Northern Colorado to overtime in the opening set, but wasn't able to close-out the frame and the Bears seized the momentum to sweep the Bobcats 28-26, 25-19, 25-14, Thursday night in Butler-Hancock Pavilion. The Bobcats were paced by Scott with 14 kills and a .353 attack mark. She also added seven digs and four blocks. Passeck also chipped in from the outside with eight kills and a .269 attack mark. Defensively, the Bobcats were paced by Rizzo with 20 digs.
THE NITTY GRITTY:
The NCAA has put out its Nitty Gritty RPI for the week and the Bobcats are listed at No. 215. That's 44 spots up from last year's finish of 259. This season, MSU has defeated five teams ranked ahead of them, including North Dakota (93), Pacific (117), Gonzaga (128), Utah State (195) and UC Santa Barbara (201). This weekend, MSU will face Sacramento State (103) and Montana (246). North Dakota and Portland State (96) are the only Big Sky schools listed in the top 100.
BLOCK PARTY:
Montana State averaged a whopping 3.31 blocks per game en route to winning the Utah State Tournament in early September and have continued its impressive effort averaging 2.06 bps, which is eighth in the Big Sky and ranks 157th in the nation. MSU's best block party of the season came in its win over Pacific on Sept. 2 as the Cats out-blocked the Tigers 20-6. Freshman Kelsie White posted a school-record and career-best 14 block assists, and finished the match with 15 total blocks. Sophomore Evi Wilson also enjoyed a career performance with seven blocks, while Kiana Black chipped in five block assists against the Tigers. White's 1.12 blocks per set ranks sixth in the Big Sky and is 108th in the nation. The Layton, Utah product has notched the tenth highest blocks per set average in the nation for freshmen. In addition, White's 15 total blocks against Pacific are the highest total in the nation for a five-set match this season.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ____________:
Thirteen of MSU's 16 players on its roster have been in the program for two years or less. This season, the Bobcats welcomed six freshmen. Only three players (Kiana Black, Natalie Passeck and Chase Doughty) remain on the roster from the 2015 campaign, which was the first under then head coach JJ Riley and top assistant (now head) coach Daniel Jones.
DIGGING IT:
Sophomore libero Allyssa Rizzo, along with defensive specialists and freshmen Lexie Goroski, Libby Christensen and Allie Lynch have accounted for over half of MSU's digs this season. The foursome has averaged an impressive 7.36 saves per game over the last 21 matches. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed as both Rizzo and Goroski were named to the Utah State All-Tournament team. Rizzo paces MSU in the back row averaging 4.60 digs, while Goroski chips in 1.81, Lynch 1.38 dps and Christensen 1.21. Rizzo's 4.60 digs per set is the third best mark in the Big Sky Conference this fall and ranks 70th in the nation.
BLACK AND WHITE:
Montana State middle blockers senior Kiana Black and freshman Kelsie White have been outstanding for the Bobcats this season. The duo has combined for 294 kills (3.54 kps) and 154 blocks (1.86 bps), while hitting .219 from the field. Black, a native of Wenatchee, Wash., has also added 26 service aces on the season, including a career-high five aces against Air Force. She had her best hitting outing of the season with 20 kills and a .447 attack mark in MSU's upset victory over North Dakota on Saturday night. White, a product of Layton, Utah, has guided MSU defensively, averaging 1.12 blocks per set. Against Pacific, she registered 14 blocks assists, establishing a new MSU school-record. White broke the mark of 13 block assists previously held by Karen Weyler ('94) and Mindy Nowak ('98). Offensively, White is averaging 1.59 kills per set, while hitting .218. The 6-4 true-freshman posted a season-best 13 kills in Montana State's win over Weber State on Oct. 5 in Ogden, Utah.
SETTING STANDARDS:
Senior Katie Rutecki and sophomore Sydney Mathison have shared the setting position this season. Rutecki, a native of Burbank, Calif., received her first start of the year against Eastern Washington on Sept. 23. She has started the last six matches for the Bocbats and has averaged 10.5 assists per set over that span. Rutecki dished out a career-high 60 assists in MSU upset win at North Dakota on Saturday. She is averaging 9.92 aps in Big Sky play, which is the eighth best total in the league. Mathison, a product of Phoenix, Arizona has played in 63 sets and is averaging 6.94 assists per set. Mathison registered a career-high 55 assists in MSU's 3-2 win over Weber State and averaged 10.0 assists per set on Oct. 5.
PINTEREST:
For most of the season to date, juniors Natalie Passeck and Chase Doughty, along with sophomores Evi Wilson, Savannah Laws and freshman Hannah Scott have manned the pins for the Bobcats. Passeck has led all MSU outside hitters averaging 3.14 kills per set, while Scott has chipped in 2.33, Doughty 2.22, Wilson 1.53 and Laws 1.42 kills per contest. In Montana State's win over Southern Utah on Oct. 21, Passeck paced the Cats with a career-high 22 kills. The Parker, Colorado product has been in double-digit kills on 12 occasions this fall. Doughty and Wilson each notched a career-high 14 kills against Gonzaga on Aug. 26. Doughty matched her career-high with 14 kills in MSU's win over UCSB, as well. Wilson, a native of Vancouver, Wash., tallied her first career double-double against Gonzaga posting 14 kills and 11 digs. Doughty, a product of Pleasant View, Utah, has also found success at the net for MSU, logging a career-best seven block assists versus Gonzaga. Laws recorded a season-best ten kills at Eastern Washington, while Scott's best offensive performance came in MSU's win over Weber State on Oct. 5 with a team-high 18 kills. For the match, she hit .357 (18-3-42) from the floor.
CATS TAKE FINAL REGULAR-SEASON ROAD TRIP
The Montana State volleyball team will make its final regular-season road trip this weekend beginning in California on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. (MT) at Sacramento State on Colberg Court. The Bobcats will fly straight to Missoula from the Capital City for the second installment of the Brawl of the Wild series between the two storied rivals. The match against the Grizzlies is slated for Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the West Auxiliary Gym.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS:
Here is a closer look at this week's opponents.
Opponent: Sacramento State
Nickname: Hornets
Head Coach: Ruben Volta (159-155 // 9 Years)
2017 Record: 20-8 overall; 11-1 Big Sky
Opponent: Montana
Nickname: Grizzlies
Head Coach: Allison Lawrence (7-18 // 1st Year)
2017 Record: 7-18 overall; 2-10 Big Sky
CATCH THE CATS:
Pluto TV – Pluto TV is the leading free Internet-based TV service that is available on almost any device such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and smart TVs like Sony, Samsung, Vizio and more. Pluto TV is also available through a free app on mobile and table devices (i.e. iOS and Android), as well as traditional PCs. All content on Pluto TV is free, including its Video on Demand.
For Montana State match at Sacramento State - Pluto TV Channel 233
For Montana State match at Montana - Pluto TV Channel 237
Live Video Stream:
Also available at WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats:
For Montana State match at SAC - hornetsports.com
For Montana State match at UM - gogriz.com
ON POINT WITH THE CATS:
*Sacramento St. leads the all-time series with MSU 43-6 dating back to 1978
*The Hornets have won ten straight matches over the Bobcats
*MSU's last win over Sac State (3-0) came on Oct. 15, 2010 in Bozeman
*SAC split road matches last week losing to NAU (3-2) and def. SUU (3-1).
*The all-time series between the Cats & Griz is tied at 55-55 back to 1975
*Montana State has four of the last six meetings from the Grizzlies
*MSU's last win over Montana was on Sept. 30 in front of 1,500 spectators
*Montana dropped a pair of road matches to UND (3-1) and UNC (3-0)
*MSU snapped North Dakota's 20-match home court win streak on Saturday
*Kiana Black matched a career-high 20 kills in MSU's win at Grand Forks
*Montana State is celebrating its 125th birthday during the 2017-18 season
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Sacramento State (20-8, 11-1): Needs just two wins to clinch the Big Sky Conference's regular season championship. The Hornets had their 10-game winning streak snapped last Thursday with a 3-2 road loss to Northern Arizona. That also snapped an 18-game winning streak over Big Sky schools during the regular season. Still, the team's 11-1 Big Sky record is tied for the program's best mark since joining the conference in 1996. A win on Thursday would allow the Hornets to improve to 12-1, something only the 1998, 2005 and 2006 Hornet squads were able to accomplish. Montana (7-18, 2-10): The Grizzlies lost a pair of matches to North Dakota and Northern Colorado last week. Setter Ashley Watkins leads all Big Sky sophomores with a 9.53 assist per set average. Montana will play at Portland State on Thursday night, before hosting Montana State at 7:30 p.m., in the WAG.
THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Montana State Head Coach Daniel Jones has talked all season about MSU playing its best in October and November. He got exactly what he was looking last Saturday night as the Bobcats upset defending Big Sky Conference champions North Dakota in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center snapping the Fighting Hawks' 20-match home court win streak. Montana State defeated UND 14-25, 25-23, 25-27, 28-26, 15-11. Kiana Black guided MSU with a career-matching 20 kills, while hitting .447 from the floor. Also in double-figure kills were Natalie Passeck (18) and freshman Hannah Scott (12). Defensively, four Bobcats reach double-digit digs lead by Allyssa Rizzo 27, Goroski 17, Rutecki 12, and Scott 10. Katie Rutecki finished with a career-high 60 assists, as well. Montana State got the start it wanted and took Northern Colorado to overtime in the opening set, but wasn't able to close-out the frame and the Bears seized the momentum to sweep the Bobcats 28-26, 25-19, 25-14, Thursday night in Butler-Hancock Pavilion. The Bobcats were paced by Scott with 14 kills and a .353 attack mark. She also added seven digs and four blocks. Passeck also chipped in from the outside with eight kills and a .269 attack mark. Defensively, the Bobcats were paced by Rizzo with 20 digs.
THE NITTY GRITTY:
The NCAA has put out its Nitty Gritty RPI for the week and the Bobcats are listed at No. 215. That's 44 spots up from last year's finish of 259. This season, MSU has defeated five teams ranked ahead of them, including North Dakota (93), Pacific (117), Gonzaga (128), Utah State (195) and UC Santa Barbara (201). This weekend, MSU will face Sacramento State (103) and Montana (246). North Dakota and Portland State (96) are the only Big Sky schools listed in the top 100.
BLOCK PARTY:
Montana State averaged a whopping 3.31 blocks per game en route to winning the Utah State Tournament in early September and have continued its impressive effort averaging 2.06 bps, which is eighth in the Big Sky and ranks 157th in the nation. MSU's best block party of the season came in its win over Pacific on Sept. 2 as the Cats out-blocked the Tigers 20-6. Freshman Kelsie White posted a school-record and career-best 14 block assists, and finished the match with 15 total blocks. Sophomore Evi Wilson also enjoyed a career performance with seven blocks, while Kiana Black chipped in five block assists against the Tigers. White's 1.12 blocks per set ranks sixth in the Big Sky and is 108th in the nation. The Layton, Utah product has notched the tenth highest blocks per set average in the nation for freshmen. In addition, White's 15 total blocks against Pacific are the highest total in the nation for a five-set match this season.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ____________:
Thirteen of MSU's 16 players on its roster have been in the program for two years or less. This season, the Bobcats welcomed six freshmen. Only three players (Kiana Black, Natalie Passeck and Chase Doughty) remain on the roster from the 2015 campaign, which was the first under then head coach JJ Riley and top assistant (now head) coach Daniel Jones.
DIGGING IT:
Sophomore libero Allyssa Rizzo, along with defensive specialists and freshmen Lexie Goroski, Libby Christensen and Allie Lynch have accounted for over half of MSU's digs this season. The foursome has averaged an impressive 7.36 saves per game over the last 21 matches. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed as both Rizzo and Goroski were named to the Utah State All-Tournament team. Rizzo paces MSU in the back row averaging 4.60 digs, while Goroski chips in 1.81, Lynch 1.38 dps and Christensen 1.21. Rizzo's 4.60 digs per set is the third best mark in the Big Sky Conference this fall and ranks 70th in the nation.
BLACK AND WHITE:
Montana State middle blockers senior Kiana Black and freshman Kelsie White have been outstanding for the Bobcats this season. The duo has combined for 294 kills (3.54 kps) and 154 blocks (1.86 bps), while hitting .219 from the field. Black, a native of Wenatchee, Wash., has also added 26 service aces on the season, including a career-high five aces against Air Force. She had her best hitting outing of the season with 20 kills and a .447 attack mark in MSU's upset victory over North Dakota on Saturday night. White, a product of Layton, Utah, has guided MSU defensively, averaging 1.12 blocks per set. Against Pacific, she registered 14 blocks assists, establishing a new MSU school-record. White broke the mark of 13 block assists previously held by Karen Weyler ('94) and Mindy Nowak ('98). Offensively, White is averaging 1.59 kills per set, while hitting .218. The 6-4 true-freshman posted a season-best 13 kills in Montana State's win over Weber State on Oct. 5 in Ogden, Utah.
SETTING STANDARDS:
Senior Katie Rutecki and sophomore Sydney Mathison have shared the setting position this season. Rutecki, a native of Burbank, Calif., received her first start of the year against Eastern Washington on Sept. 23. She has started the last six matches for the Bocbats and has averaged 10.5 assists per set over that span. Rutecki dished out a career-high 60 assists in MSU upset win at North Dakota on Saturday. She is averaging 9.92 aps in Big Sky play, which is the eighth best total in the league. Mathison, a product of Phoenix, Arizona has played in 63 sets and is averaging 6.94 assists per set. Mathison registered a career-high 55 assists in MSU's 3-2 win over Weber State and averaged 10.0 assists per set on Oct. 5.
PINTEREST:
For most of the season to date, juniors Natalie Passeck and Chase Doughty, along with sophomores Evi Wilson, Savannah Laws and freshman Hannah Scott have manned the pins for the Bobcats. Passeck has led all MSU outside hitters averaging 3.14 kills per set, while Scott has chipped in 2.33, Doughty 2.22, Wilson 1.53 and Laws 1.42 kills per contest. In Montana State's win over Southern Utah on Oct. 21, Passeck paced the Cats with a career-high 22 kills. The Parker, Colorado product has been in double-digit kills on 12 occasions this fall. Doughty and Wilson each notched a career-high 14 kills against Gonzaga on Aug. 26. Doughty matched her career-high with 14 kills in MSU's win over UCSB, as well. Wilson, a native of Vancouver, Wash., tallied her first career double-double against Gonzaga posting 14 kills and 11 digs. Doughty, a product of Pleasant View, Utah, has also found success at the net for MSU, logging a career-best seven block assists versus Gonzaga. Laws recorded a season-best ten kills at Eastern Washington, while Scott's best offensive performance came in MSU's win over Weber State on Oct. 5 with a team-high 18 kills. For the match, she hit .357 (18-3-42) from the floor.
Players Mentioned
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