Lady Yellowjacket Volleyball Team Starts with Win (Sept. 2, 2004)
Box Score

ANCHORAGE, AK – The Montana State-Billings women’s volleyball team started the 2004 season on the right foot Thursday night, sweeping Harding University, 3-0, at the eleventh annual Aspen Hotels Invitational hosted by University of Alaska-Anchorage.  Four Yellowjackets (1-0) notched double figures for kills in the season’s opening match.  Harding (3-1) lost for the first time in four matches this season.

The Yellowjackets had a strong night at the net, posting a team hitting percentage of .236.  MSU Billings hit higher than .236 in only two matches during the entire 2003 season.  Newcomers Andrea Donahue (Sr., MB, Whitefish, MT) and Alicia Cazemier (Fr., MB, Vauxhall, Alberta) anchored the attack, hitting .533 and .320 respectively.  Donahue led all players with 18 kills on 30 attempts with just two hitting errors.  Cazemier added 10 kills on 25 attempts with just two errors.  Cazemier also recorded three solo blocks and four block assists.

MSU Billings cruised to a 30-14 win in game one, hitting a blistering .462 as a team.  The Yellowjackets closed the match with wins of 30-28 and 30-26.

Olivia Munro (Sr., OH, Toronto, Ontario) began her climb toward the school career record for kills, knocking down 14 with a .200 hitting percentage.  She entered the year needing just 150 kills to break the all-time kills record at the school.  Munro also led all players with 17 digs. 

Jessica Bratton (So., OH, Casper, WY) joined Munro, Donahue and Cazemier in double-digit kills with 16.  Setter Natalie Bills (So., S, Provo, UT) handed out 48 assists and added 14 digs.  Libero Alberta Letoa (So., L/DS, Laie, HI) added 12 digs and three service aces.

The Yellowjackets opened the season with a victory for the first time since 2001 when they began the season with a six match winning streak.  That was the same year that the Jackets posted the program’s best record at 15-15.

MSU Billings continues round robin play on Friday when the Yellowjackets face Lincoln Christian at 1:30 p.m.  They then play the nightcap against host Alaska-Anchorage at 7:30 p.m.  Friday’s matches will determine seeding for Saturday’s championship and consolation matches.