Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
BILLINGS, Mont. – Lexi Biondi had 13 kills and a solid hitting performance of .391, but Montana State Billings put together a decisive run in each game on Thursday night to sweep Seattle Pacific in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.
 
Scores in Alterowitz Gymnasium were 25-19, 25-21, 25-20.
 
The percentage for sophomore outside hitter Biondi (Albuquerque, N.M.) was her third-highest of the season and the fourth-best of the year for SPU (7-17, 5-11 GNAC), which defeated Billings in four games last month in Seattle. Biondi also has two marks above .400 this season.

 

Senior outside hitter Ellie Britt added nine kills and hit .217. Freshman setter Symone Tran logged 27 assists, and senior libero Breanne Wiekamp had nine digs.
 
Montana State Billings (5-19, 4-11 GNAC) scored seven of the first 10 points in the match and never trailed in the opening game. The Falcons were still within striking distance at 16-12 when the Yellowjackets went on a 5-2 run to make it 21-14.
 
SPU was down 18-12 in Game 2, but rallied to get into at 18-18 and again at 19-19. Billings put the next three points on the board and six of the final eight to take a two-game lead.
 
The Falcons got off to a quick start in Game 3, going in front, 7-4. Montana State Billings rang up three in a row to knot it at 7-7, and it subsequently was tied at each of the next three points, up to 11-11.
 
A 6-1 Yellowjackets surge gave them a 17-12 lead. Seattle Pacific never came closer than two at 20-18.
 
"We never played at our full potential all night. It was just frustrating," Falcons coach Chris Johnson said. "That second set, it was tied at 18, and then we let it get away from us. We had some things go well. I thought Ellie and Lexi did well on the outside. But there were too many little things and other errors."
 
Seattle Pacific hit .155 for the night (36 kills-21 errors-97 attacks, and gradually raised its percentage as the match went along, going from .000 in the first game to .206 in the second and .286 in the third.
 
The Yellowjackets hit .287 (37-12-87), sparked by the .333 of outside hitter Ashlyn Ward, who had a team-high 10 kills.
 
Because the Falcons had a Tuesday match this week (a 3-0 sweep of Saint Martin's in Brougham) followed by Thursday's match in Montana, they will have Saturday off.
 
SPU plays its final two road matches of the season next week, visiting Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time. Then it's off to Ellensburg on Saturday night, Nov. 14, to face Central Washington at 7:00.

The Falcons and defending GNAC champion Crusaders went to five games last month in Seattle. Central left Brougham Pavilion with a three-game sweep.


NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
 
Montana State Billings 3, Seattle Pacific 0
                      
Game scores – 25-17, 25-21, 25-20.
 
Service aces – SPU 5 (5 players with 1), MSUB 7 (Kyndal Williams 3, Taylor Sherman 3).
Kills – SPU 36 (Lexi Biondi 13), MSUB 37 (Ashlynn Ward 10).
Assists – SPU 34 (Symone Tran 27), MSUB 36 (Williams 31).
Digs – SPU 32 (Breanne Wiekamp 9), MSUB 37 (Sherman 11).
Block assists / solo – SPU 4 / 0 solo (Luisa McInnis 2, Hannah Lautenbach 2), MSUB 14 / 0 solo (Miranda McConnell 4 / 0 solo, Abbie Mikelson 4 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 36-21-97--.155 (Biondi 13-4-23--.391), MSUB 37-12-87--.287 (Ward 10-1-27--.333).
Attendance – 215.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 7-17, 5-11 GNAC. Montana State Billings 5-19, 4-11 GNAC.
 
Next match --      Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene
                                Thursday, Nov. 12 / 6:00 p.m. PST
                                Johnson Sports Center / Nampa, Idaho