Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana
Wildcats Drop 3-1 Match to Montana
11/21/2009 5:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
After winning the first set Weber State dropped three in a row and lost their second to last match of the season 3-1 to Montana Friday night at the Swenson Gym. The Grizzlies won the match 27-29, 25-22, 25-12, 25-23 and clinched the fourth and final spot in next week's Big Sky Tournament.
The loss drops Weber State to 7-21 overall and 4-11 in the Big Sky with one match remaining on the season.
The Wildcats won an exciting first set, which saw 15 ties and nine lead changes. Montana held a 24-23 lead and had set point before a kill by Caitlyn Anderson tied the score back up. The Grizzlies had another chance at 27-26 but the 'Cats didn't give up. With the score tied at 27, WSU got back-to-back kills by Chelsea Bair and Carissa Noble to seal the first set victory.
Weber State held a 21-18 lead in the second set and appeared to be in control when Montana went on a 5-0 run and took a 23-21 lead. Whitney Hobbs recorded three kills in that five point stretch. The Grizzlies went on to win the set on another kill by Hobbs.
It was all Montana in the third set as they jumped out to a quick 14-6 lead and never looked back. The fourth set had 12 ties but Montana broke away from a 23-23 tie with two kills to seal the victory and a spot in the conference tournament.
Both teams recorded 51 kills but Weber State had 13 more hitting errors. Montana hit .266, compared to .144 for the Wildcats. The Grizzlies also had 15 team blocks, compared to just six for Weber State. The Wildcats also posted 11 service errors.
“Montana's defense and blocking and our hitting errors was the difference in the match tonight,” said WSU head coach Al Givens. “Our hitting errors cost us and many of them came on blocks by Montana. I credit them for playing well and executing when they needed to.”
Chelsea Bair recorded 15 kills to lead Weber State but she also had 13 hitting errors and hit just .045. Jenna Leggat had 14 kills and nine digs and Caitlyn Anderson recorded nine kills and a team-high 15 digs. Mikelle Kap recorded ten digs for Weber State.
The Wildcats will finish the 2009 season Saturday night when they host Montana State at 7:00 p.m. It will be the final match for WSU's five seniors: Caitlyn Anderson, Chelsea Bair, Amy Fackrell, Jenna Leggat, and Jocilyn Taylor.
