PHOENIX, Ariz. — Montana volleyball knew that the Grand Canyon Invitational would provide an incredible challenge to open the season, and they learned from their lessons in the first two matches to pick up an impressive win over Oregon State on Sunday.
The Grizzlies, in head coach Allison Lawrence's first match against her alma mater, dominated defensively to pick up a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21) win over the Beavers.
The defense proved to be the key to victory with the Grizzlies blocking 15 Oregon State attacks and holding the Beavers to just .066 hitting.
Maddie Pyles had a near triple-double, finishing with 10 digs, nine kills, and seven blocks. The do-it-all junior was named to the All-Tournament team as a result of her play over the previous three days.
"We just celebrated Maddie Pyles big-time in the locker room," Lawrence said. "Her presence, regardless of outcome or production or whether we were able to get her the ball, she was just so eager to make the next play and bring people with her. She stepped up in ways that we needed. She was a huge catalyst for the belief to get back on track."
The new-look Montana team that features four new starters in 2024 has had some growing pains early in the tournament. Lawrence and her staff seemed to figure out the right recipe on Sunday as the Grizzlies were solid all around the floor.
"We fought through some really big lows this weekend, both coaches and athletes, in terms of what got us the most in rhythm, including today," Lawrence said. "We came in to this match in a different lineup from last night even though we ended up playing better at the end. I love our reset mindset, and I just think we fought to find our own rhythm and our own game. It was really great to see."
Pyles helped spark the consistency, but the other pillar that stood tall for Montana all weekend long was the blocking. It was on full display on Sunday as they blocked 15 Oregon State attacks, led by Sierra Dennison with eight. It was the most blocks by a Grizzly team since Nov. 7, 2019.
The Grizzlies held Oregon State to .066 hitting. Last season, they held their opponent under .100 hitting for the match on just two occasions. Montana had 10 blocks in Saturday's loss as well, maintaining a defensive consistency throughout the weekend.
"It was unbelievable effort from Sierra, Brenley (Hansen), and Sydney (Pierce), and everyone else," Lawrence said. "We didn't get a ton of kills out of the middle and we weren't able to set them consistently, but they did what was in front of them so well and allowed us to really slow teams down on defense, which has been a big goal of ours for years."
Casi Newman had a great day at the setter position, recording a season-high 40 assists while taking over as the primary setter after splitting time in the opening two matches. Newman also had six digs, four kills, and three blocks.
The dynamic duo of Clark and Kremer came alive late in the match to lead the Grizzlies to victory. Clark had 18 kills on .188 hitting while Kremer had 16 kills (.214) and 13 digs for her first double-double of the year.
They were particularly effective late in the match, combining for 10 kills in the decisive fourth set.
But it took the whole team to pick up the win as 11 different Grizzlies saw floor time. Brenley Handsen had four blocks, Alexis Batezel had 19 digs, and several other Grizzlies played key service and return roles.
Jackie Howell also made a big impact on the match. The senior, who is returning from a knee injury that cost her the entire 2023 season, was a difference maker in her role.
"I thought Jackie Howell, in her first tournament back after sitting out, served really well and came in and passed today," Lawrence said. "Her first contact was so good and I think she was a big reason we were able to maintain consistency, so big props to her."
Montana, similar to the way they started the first two matches of the tournament, came out of the gates well. They built an early lead behind the defense, as three of their first five points of the match came on blocks with Pyles involved in all of them.
They used a 3-0 run to take an 8-5 lead and kept the Beavers at an arms length for a majority of the first set. Clark ended strongly, but she also got out to a hot start with three early kills on better than .400 hitting that allowed Montana to take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout.
Newman utilized her IQ and attacking ability later in the set to find an opening in the defense with a dump that capped off a 3-0 Grizzly run and gave them a 22-17 lead. They would close it out 25-21 to win their first set of the season.
The Grizzlies had six blocks in the opening set and also got five points off Oregon State service errors. It allowed them to win the set with ease despite hitting just .061.
They kept the momentum rolling early on in the second set with Pyles continuing her stellar play. They jumped out 8-5, and then extended the lead to 13-7 while hitting over .500 through the early portion of the set.
Then Oregon State put together a miraculous run, scoring 12 consecutive points to take control of the second set. Montana didn't back down, reeling off a 3-0 run and then later a 4-0 run to get back within a few points, but they would drop the second 22-25.
Outside of the long run, Montana had been dominant, and they were quickly able to shake off the dropped set. They used a little run of their own in the third, scoring five straight points after a huge kill from Kremer to take a 14-9 lead. The Beavers would tighten the gap in the most hotly contested set of the match.
The teams traded points and were tied at 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 with neither team able to separate. Finally, Montana closed it out on a kill from Clark and then an error by the Oregon State attack, winning the third 26-24.
It was Montana that was forced to play from behind in the fourth after an early 5-0 run from the Beavers. Batezel provided some key diving plays on defense to help save points and allow Montana to climb back in and tie it up at 9-all.
OSU responded with four straight points to force a Grizzly timeout at 13-9. Both teams were below .200 in the set at the time. It was about then that the Grizzly pins got hot, as Clark and Kremer started to take over the match.
Oregon State was up 19-17, and then 21-20 as they looked to force a fifth set. Montana wasn't going to let it get that far, as they scored three straight to retake the lead and force a Beaver timeout. The break didn't help as a Grizzly block and a Beaver error out of it sealed things up for Montana at 25-21.
It's just the third win against Oregon State in program history and the first since 1980, snapping a six-match losing streak to the Beavers.
The weekend slate was incredibly difficult for Montana, playing against the reigning WAC and Mountain West conference champions along with an improved Oregon State side that should compete in the WCC this year.
There were learning moments to be had in the first two losses, but on Sunday the Grizzlies showed their potential when it all comes together.
"I think the point of the non-conference is to embrace the struggle that is finding out what kind of team you can be and what works," Lawrence said. "We do have a lot of new pieces and the message to the team after was that we're going to need all those pieces. There are going to be plenty of matches in the future where we are going to need all the lineups that we used this weekend, so being able to lock in and be that adaptable match-by-match will be a huge strength of ours if we can embrace the struggle with that."
They responded to the adversity that they faced and will now take some momentum back home with them as they prepare for week two. They will be playing within the friendly confines of Dahlberg Arena as they host the Ellesyn Invitational Sponsored by Homewood Suites & Erck Hotels.
The Grizzlies will enter the tournament 1-2 overall but with the feeling that they have learned much about themselves in the process.
"I think the really ugly moments allowed us to have breakthroughs this weekend," Lawrence said. "We could not have made the breakthroughs without the breakdowns, so I'm proud of the team for fighting for both, we really needed it."
