Split Gives Jackets Berth in Alaska Final (Sept. 3, 2004) 
Box Score - Match 1
Box Score - Match 2

ANCHORAGE, AK – The Montana State-Billings women’s volleyball team earned a spot in the championship match of the Aspen Hills Invitational after splitting a pair of matches on Friday.  The Yellowjackets easily swept Lincoln Christian, 3-0, in the day’s early game before falling, 3-2, to host Alaska-Anchorage.  MSU Billings (2-1) and Alaska-Anchorage (6-1) will meet again Saturday night in the tournament’s championship match.  The Yellowjackets are 2-1 at the tournament, and the Seawolves are 3-0.

The Lady Jackets defeated Lincoln Christian 30-22, 30-16, 30-13 in the early match.  MSU Billings posted a blistering .352 team hitting percentage.  The last time the Lady Jackets had a hitting percentage over .352 was in the 2002 season with a .459 against MSU-Northern and again against Great Falls with a hitting percentage of .374. 

The Yellowjackets had three players with double-digit kills with Jessica Bratton (So., OH, Casper, WY) leading the way with 12.  Olivia Munro (Sr., OH, Toronto, Ontario) and Alicia Cazemier (Fr., MB, Vauxhall, Alberta) each added 11 kills.  Natalie Bills (So., S, Provo, UT) had 37 assists on the game along with four service aces.  Alexis Sandru ( So., OH, Twin Bridges, MT) added four service aces and 11 defensive digs.

Despite 20-kill performances from Munro and Bratton against Alaska-Anchorage, the Yellowjackets couldn’t stop the Seawolves’ 11-match winning streak at their own tournament.  MSU Billings won the first game, 30-28, before dropping the next two games, 32-30 and 30-28.  The Jackets rallied for a 30-28 win in game four, but faltered, 15-6, in the fifth and deciding game.

Bratton finished the match with 23 kills to lead all players.  Munro added 21 kills, but the Yellowjackets hit just .112 as a team.  Munro also had a match-high 32 digs.  Andrea Donahue (Sr., MB, Whitefish, MT) added 13 kills, and Kari Jones (Sr., MB, Hermiston, OR) finished with 10.  Donahue and Jones were each in on four blocks apiece.  Bills handed out a career-high 56 assists.

The Yellowjackets and Seawolves will meet at 7:30 p.m. ADT on Saturday for the tournament title.  Alaska-Anchorage is trying to win its own tournament for the third straight year.