HLC VB Championship Set for Billings this Weekend (Nov. 1, 2006)

BILLINGS, MT – The most meaningful volleyball matches ever played at Alterowitz Gymnasium will take place this weekend when Montana State-Billings hosts the Heartland Conference Championship Tournament.  The winner of the four-team tourney will punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament while the other three teams will finish their seasons with a loss.  Tickets for tournament sessions will cost $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for students. 

Montana State-Billings earned the right to host the tournament with its runner up finish to Western New Mexico at last year’s conference tournament.  The conference volleyball regulations stipulate that the defending champion will host the following year’s conference tournament.  After WNMU left for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the honor fell to the Yellowjackets.

MSU Billings will enter as the tournament’s No. 1 seed.  The Yellowjackets were unbeaten in Heartland Conference play this season with a perfect 10-0 record.  They posted a school-record 23-4 overall record and are currently ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Southwest Region.  The Jackets were 19-1 in their final 20 regular season matches, with the lone loss during that span coming at home to Texas A&M-International.

The tournament will kick off Friday at 3:00 p.m. when No. 2 seed Dallas Baptist faces No. 3 St. Mary’s.  The second-seeded Patriots will come in as one of the hottest teams in the league.  They were 8-2 in the conference and won 13 of their final 14 matches.  Their only HLC losses were to MSU Billings.  The Rattlers earned the No. 3 seed by going 5-5 in the league and winning a tiebreaker over 5-5 St. Edward’s.  Friday’s second semifinal match between No. 1 MSU Billings and No. 4 St. Edward’s will start at 6:00 p.m. 

The winners of Friday’s matches will square off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, for the 2006 Heartland Conference Championship.  The champion will be the Heartland’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.  Making the tournament even more momentous is the fact that three of the four teams have never been to an NCAA Tournament.  MSU Billings, Dallas Baptist, and St. Mary’s are vying for their first-every trip to the NCAA’s postseason.  St. Edward’s has plenty of recent NCAA Tourney history, however, qualifying for the Big Dance in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Heartland Conference Championship Volleyball
Tournament Team Capsules

#1 Montana State University-Billings Yellowjackets
Overall Record: 23-4; HLC Record: 10-0

Coach: Pa’ulasi Matavao, 7^th season

2006 Results vs. Tournament Teams:
§         Dallas Baptist – 2-0
   MSUB 3, DBU 0 (Sep. 22 at MSUB); MSUB 3, DBU 1 (Sep. 23 at MSUB)
§         St. Edward’s – 2-0
   MSUB 3, SEU 1 ( Oct. 13 at MSUB); MSUB 3, SEU 0 (Oct. 14 at MSUB)
§         St. Mary’s – 2-0
   MSUB 3, STMU 0 (Oct. 27 at STMU); MSUB 3, STMU 0 (10/28 at STMU)

Top Players
§         Ali Watson, Sr. OH [4.13 kpg (1^st HLC), 3.88 dpg (7^th HLC), .206 att.% (7^th HLC)]
§         Alicia Cazemier, Jr. MB [3.59 kpg (6^th HLC), 1.56 bpg (1^st HLC), .317 att.% (1^st HLC)]
§         Natalie Bills, Sr. S [12.29 apg (1^st HLC), 0.48 sapg (1^st HLC)]
§         Jessica Bratton, Sr. OH [3.77 kpg (4^th HLC), .198 att.%]
§         Nicole Kruse, Jr. L [4.08 dpg (5^th HLC)]

Road to HLC Tournament
§         The Yellowjackets were a perfect 10-0 in Heartland Conference play this season to garner the top seed in this weekend’s tournament.  The Jackets were 9-0 in road matches, 8-1 in home matches, and 6-3 in neutral site matches.  They finished the regular season with nine-straight victories and won 19 of their last 20 matches.  MSUB is currently ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Southwest Region.

#2 Dallas Baptist University Patriots
Overall Record: 18-15; HLC Record: 8-2

Coach: Cathy Ray, 4^th season

2006 Results vs. Tournament Teams:
§         MSU Billings – 0-2
   MSUB 3, DBU 0 (Sep. 22 at MSUB); MSUB 3, DBU 1 (Sep. 23 at MSUB)
§         St. Edward’s – 2-0
   DBU 3, SEU 2 (Sep. 27 at SEU); DBU 3, SEU 2 (Oct. 25 at DBU)
§         St. Mary’s – 2-0
   DBU 3, STMU 0 (Sep. 29 at DBU); DBU 3, STMU 1 (Oct. 21 at STMU)

Top Players
§         Jenna Pry, Sr. OH [4.12 kpg (2^nd HLC); 3.75 dpg (8^th HLC); .164 att.%]
§         Brandi Moss, Sr. MB [3.50 kpg (7^th HLC); .240 att.% (6^th HLC); 0.96 bpg (3^rd HLC)]
§         Ashlee Hawkins, Sr. L [4.09 dpg (4^th HLC)]

Road to HLC Tournament
§         The Patriots were picked to finish second to last in the Heartland’s preseason coaches’ poll.  After a slow start, Coach Cathy Ray’s squad turned things around to finish the year as one of the Heartland’s hottest teams.  They had a 13-match winning streak snapped Wednesday at home by Central Oklahoma.  DBU earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament with an 8-2 conference record, winning eight Heartland matches in a row after dropping two matches at MSU Billings in September.  The Patriots’ last loss before this week came at Midwestern State on September 26.

#3 St. Mary’s University Rattlers
Overall Record: 18-15; HLC Record: 5-5

Coach: Todd Caughlin, 6^th season

2006 Results vs. Tournament Teams:
§         Dallas Baptist – 0-2
   DBU 3, STMU 0 (Sep. 29 at DBU); DBU 3, STMU 1 (Oct. 21 at STMU)
§         MSU Billings – 0-2
   MSUB 3, STMU 0 (Oct. 27 at STMU); MSUB 3, STMU 0 (10/28 at STMU)
§         St. Edward’s – 1-1
   SEU 3, STMU 2 (Sep. 13 at STMU); STMU 3, SEU 1 (Oct. 11 at SEU)

Top Players
§         Samantha Weber, Jr. MB [3.74 kpg (5^th HLC); .306 att.% (2^nd HLC); 1.15 bpg (2^nd HLC)]
§         Mallary Moehrig, So. OH [2.90 kpg (9^th HLC); 0.35 sapg (10^th HLC); .193 att.%]
§         Courtney Matula, Jr., S [11.07 apg (2^nd HLC); 0.44 sapg (3^rd HLC)]
§         Valerie Teeter, So., L [4.50 dpg (3^rd HLC)]

Road to HLC Tournament
§         The Rattlers were picked to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll and did just that.  They were .500 in conference play and just a shade over .500 overall.  The Rattlers were up and down throughout the season, never winning more than four matches in a row and never losing more than three in a row.  Their longest winning streak came in early September.  STMU posted a 3-7 record in October, including a 2-6 mark in its final eight matches.  The Rattlers’ only conference win against an HLC Tournament team was against #4 St. Edward’s.

#4 St. Edward’s University Hilltoppers
Overall Record: 7-24; HLC Record: 5-5

Coach: Sean Donahue, 4^th season

2006 Results vs. Tournament Teams:
§         Dallas Baptist – 0-2
   DBU 3, SEU 2 (Sep. 27 at SEU); DBU 3, SEU 2 (Oct. 25 at DBU)
§         MSU Billings – 0-2
   MSUB 3, SEU 1 ( Oct. 13 at MSUB); MSUB 3, SEU 0 (Oct. 14 at MSUB)
§         St. Mary’s – 1-1
   SEU 3, STMU 2 (Sep. 13 at STMU); STMU 3, SEU 1 (Oct. 11 at SEU)

Top Players
§         Lindsey Douglas, So. OH [3.87 kpg (3^rd HLC); .200 att.% (8^th HLC); 3.39 dpg (9^th HLC)]
§         Kristen Lozano, Sr. MB [2.99 kpg (8^th HLC); .263 att.% (4^th HLC)]
§         Stephanie Martin, Sr. S [10.43 apg (3^rd HLC)]
§         Kelsey Teal, So. L [4.68 dpg (1^st HLC)]

Road to HLC Tournament
§         The Hilltoppers made it to the conference tournament by winning the matches they needed to win.  Only one team in the Heartland had fewer overall wins that St. Ed’s, but the Toppers managed an even .500 record in conference play.  They started the conference season with four-straight wins, enough to distance themselves from the fifth place team.  Down the homestretch, the Hilltoppers were 1-12 overall and 1-4 against conference teams.  Their only win against an HLC Tournament team was against St. Mary’s in early September.