Lady Jacket Volleyball Ready to Start ’04 Season (Aug. 31, 2004)

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings women’s volleyball team has spent the last half of August practicing and scrimmaging.  The Lady Jackets finally get the chance to suit up against outside competition this weekend when they travel to the eleventh annual Aspen Hotels Invitational hosted by University of Alaska-Anchorage. 

The Yellowjackets are trying to rebound from a tough 6-20 season in which they finished last in the PacWest Conference.  They will open 2004 against unbeaten Harding (3-0) on Thursday evening at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex in Anchorage.  MSU Billings will face Lincoln Christian (0-0) and Alaska-Anchorage (3-1) on Friday to conclude round robin play.  The round robin results will determine seeding for Saturday, where the Jackets will either play for third and fourth place at 5:00 p.m. or first and second place at 7:00 p.m.

The Yellowjackets are significantly more experienced this season and are anchored by All-PacWest outside hitter Olivia Munro (Sr., OH, Toronto, Ontario).  Munro is chasing the school record for career kills, needing 150 this season.  She has averaged just under 300 kills per year in the past two seasons and ranked sixth in the PacWest for kills per game last year at 4.04.

In all, eight of the eleven players on coach Pa’ulasi Matavao’s roster are returning from last season.  Matavao expects experience to contribute to an improved squad and also thinks the three newcomers will make an immediate impact. 

Harding got off to a 3-0 start to the season last weekend.  The West Division champions of the Gulf South Conference advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and posted a 30-9 overall record.  The Lady Bisons defeated Missouri Southern and Missouri Western in a pair of five-game matches last weekend.  Kate Kennedy and Shaila Farley are each averaging over 3.5 kills per game.

Lincoln Christian is playing its first matches of the season in Alaska this weekend.  The Angels were 36-4 last year and won the National Christian College Athletic Association Division II national title.  They return middle blockers Christen Owen and Amanda Cole.  Owen was the NCCAA co-national player of the year last year and Cole was a NCCAA second team All-American.

Alaska-Anchorage is a former Pacific West Conference member and holds a 30-4 all time record against the Yellowjackets.  The Seawolves opened the season with a 3-1 record at a tournament in Florida last weekend, losing to Florida Southern in five games.  UAA has won its own tournament the last two years and enters with an eight-match winning streak at the tournament.