Lady Yellowjackets Host Chaminade Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 24, 2004)
BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings
volleyball team returns to PacWest Conference play Monday and
Tuesday when the Yellowjackets host league leader Chaminade. The
Yellowjackets are having one of their best seasons ever at 11-8
overall and 3-4 in the PacWest. The Silverswords are tied with
Hawaii Pacific atop the PacWest standings at 7-1 in the
conference. Chaminade is 13-3 overall and ranked 25th in the
nation.
The Yellowjackets snapped a three-match
losing streak last Wednesday with a 3-0 sweep of cross-town rival
Rocky Mountain. MSU Billings dropped a pair of matches to
14th-ranked Hawaii Pacific last weekend.
Olivia
Munro (Sr., Toronto, Ontario) leads the Jackets with an
average of 4.37 kills per game, ranking her fourth in the
PacWest. She also averages a team-best 4.48 digs per game, third
in the PWC. Jessica
Bratton (So., Casper, WY) has been increasingly effective in
the second half of the season and now ranks fifth in the
conference at 4.31 kills per game.
Andrea
Donahue (Sr., Whitefish, MT) has continued to play well from
her middle blocker position for the Yellowjackets. She ranks
eighth in the nation and second in the conference with a .419
hitting percentage. She is also averaging 0.76 blocks per game.
Fellow middle blocker Alicia
Cazemier (Fr., Vauxhall, Alberta) is second in the PacWest and
29th in the nation for blocks at 1.25 per game.
Setter Natalie
Bills (So., Provo, UT) is 29th in the nation for assists,
handing out 12.69 per game. She has also been valuable on the
defensive side of the net, averaging 2.27 digs per game. Libero Alberta
Letoa (So., Laie, HI) is adding 3.45 digs per game,
fourth-most in the PacWest.
Chaminade hasn’t lost since September 24 when
they fell to Hawaii Pacific. The Silverswords have since avenged
that loss and have only MSU Billings and Western New Mexico
standing in their way to at least a tie for the conference
championship.
The Silverswords’ attack is anchored by their
two outside hitters. Kahala Kabalis is third in the PacWest with
4.40 kills per game, and Valasi Sepulona is seventh in the league
at 4.02 kpg. As a team, Chaminade leads the conference with an
average of 16.67 kpg. The Swords also lead the league in assists
and service aces.
Both matches this week will start at 7:00
p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium. Monday’s match will be the PacWest
Conference counter with Tuesday’s a non-conference Pacific Region
match. Chaminade is currently ranked fifth in the Pacific Region. |
