Yellowjacket Volleyball Team Faces First PacWest Test Friday (Sept. 16, 2004)

BILLINGS, MT – At 6-1, the Montana State-Billings volleyball team is off to one of its best starts ever.  The Yellowjackets will face their first PacWest Conference team of the season on Friday and Saturday when they host Western New Mexico for a pair of matches.  Start time both nights is set for 7:00 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The only loss for the Yellowjackets so far has been to Alaska-Anchorage at UAA’s own tournament.   MSU Billings avenged that five-game loss the following night with a three-game sweep of the Seawolves in the tournament’s title match.  The Yellowjackets opened the home schedule last weekend with three easy wins over NAIA opponents Minot State and Montana State-Northern.

Western New Mexico will present the Lady Jackets with their stiffest test yet this season.  Picked to finish third in the top heavy PacWest Conference, the Mustangs are off to a 10-4 start.  They lost to Division I Texas-El Paso in four games on Tuesday.

Three of the conference’s most productive outside hitters of the young season will square off Friday night.  The Yellowjackets’ Jessica Bratton (So., OH, Casper, WY) and Olivia Munro (Sr., OH, Toronto, Ontario) rank second and fourth respectively in the conference for kills per game.  Bratton is averaging 4.83 kpg while Munro is knocking down 4.52.  Munro also leads the PacWest, averaging 5.22 digs per game.

The Mustangs’ Liz Narkon, a sophomore outside hitter from Honolulu, leads the league with a 4.85 kpg average.  She also ranks eighth in the league for hitting percentage (.290) and had 26 kills against UTEP on Tuesday.

Along with veterans Bratton and Munro, three newcomers have played significant roles for MSU Billings so far this season.  Setter Natalie Bills (So., Provo, UT) leads the PacWest and is ranked eighth in the nation for assists per game at 13.61.  Bills played sparingly last season before an injury sidelined her for the year.

Middle blockers Andrea Donahue (Sr., Whitefish, MT) and Alicia Cazemier (Fr., Vauxhall, Alberta) have both been productive in their first year with the Yellowjackets.  Donahue is second in the PacWest for hitting percentage (.438) and Cazemier leads the league in blocks per game (1.33). 

Following the weekend series with the Mustangs, the Yellowjackets take to the road for five straight road matches.  They start with a September 21 match at Rocky Mountain College followed by four straight PacWest matches in Hawaii.