@UNCBearsVB Closes Road Trip In State of Montana

Friday, October 28

Bozeman, Mont.

7:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

Montana State

10/26/2016 9:11:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

UNC heads to Montana for a pair of games to close out a four match road trip

By: Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado volleyball is back on the road this week when they head to Montana for a pair of games. UNC will look to close out its four match road trip with a winning record as they take on Montana State on Friday, October 28 and close it out against Montana the next night.

Montana State Gameday | Montana Gameday

Match Notes: Northern Colorado | Big Sky | Montana State | Montana

Quick Sets
• Northern Colorado is coming off a weekend spilt against Weber State and Idaho State. Both of the team's matches went five sets, with UNC defeating WSU and falling to ISU.

• Senior setter Ashley Guthrie recorded her second career triple-double in the match vs Weber State. She finished the match with 60 assists, 14 digs and 10 kills.

• Emily O'Neil led UNC's attack last week, finishing it with the second most assists and top attack percentage. She had 27 kills and hit .397 for the week. O'Neil also added in six total blocks for the matches.

• In the match against Idaho State, UNC had three different players finished the match with over 20 digs. Makenna Meier led the way with 24, with Kortney Lockey (22) and Ashley Guthrie (21) not far behind.

• This will be the second time in three weeks that Northern Colorado has played Montana and Montana State. The first meetings between the teams came in Greeley, where the Bears swept past both foes.

• UNC had a big block at times last week, averaging 1.70 blocks per set, including seven solo blocks. Kim Weissmann, Emily O'Neil and Alex Kloehn all had two solo blocks on the week.

Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado will look to close its four match road trip out on a high note, when they head to the Montana schools. The Bears split its matches last week, defeating Weber State in five, and falling to Idaho State in five.

Known for setting, Ashley Guthrie continued to excel at that this weekend, but also had a big defensive weekend as well. She averaged 3.50 digs per set for the weekend to go with her 10.90 assists, 1.70 kills and 0.30 blocks. In Friday night's match against Weber State she recorded her second career triple-double, finishing with 10 kills, 60 assists and 14 digs in the five set victory over Weber State. She followed up that performance with another big night against Idaho State. She had 49 assists along with 21 digs and seven kills. The 21 digs were one shy of her career high 22.

A beneficiary from Guthrie's strong play was middle blocker Emily O'Neil, who had a big week for UNC, first tying her career high in kills with 11 at Weber State, and then following it up with a new career high 16 against Idaho State. Not only did she have big kill numbers, but was also very efficient, hitting .316 for the week. She led the team in both matches in attack percentage with .375 vs WSU and .412 vs ISU. She also added in one ace, six blocks and five digs.

Along with O'Neil, teammates Kortney Lockey, Alex Kloehn and Kim Weissmann also had over 2.00 kills per set last week. Lockey led the team with 3.00 in the pair of matches, while Kloehn had 2.40 and Weissmann had 2.70.

UNC's backline defense also had a strong weekend, led by the leadership of Makenna Meier and her 3.90 digs per set. Lockey added in 3.00 digs per set, while Taylor Els had 2.30 digs a set.

Scouting Montana State
Since facing the Bears two weeks ago, MSU has gone 1-1 in its matches, falling to conference leader Northern Arizona in three, before picking up a sweep against Southern Utah last Saturday.

The trio of Natalie Passeck, Caitlin Lonergan and Chase Doughty continue to lead MSU's offense with Lonergan leading them all averaging 2.68 kills per set.

Montana State's 6-2 system has the duo of Katie Rutecki and Sydney Mathison setting up the Bobcat attack. Combined the pair is averaging 9.39 assist a set.

Defensively, MSU is at the bottom of the Big Sky for digs per set with 12.54 on the year.

With just three weeks left in Big Sky play, MSU is in the hunt for one of the last spots at the Big Sky Tournament. The Bobcats trail Weber State by a game in the standings for the eighth spot. The Wildcats also hold the tie breaker over Montana State with a five set victory earlier this season.

Montana
Montana enters the week on an eight game losing streak, since winning their second Big Sky match of the season back in September.

A big part of the Griz struggle has been its league worst attack percentage of .113. UM's offense has struggled to be consistent, but Alexis Urbach has led the team with 2.48 kills per set and is hitting a team high .218.

The team's 6-2 system is ran by setters Raegan Lindsey and Ashley Watkings who are both averaging over 4.00 assists per set.

On the defensive end, Sadie Ahearn sets the team up. Her leadership in the libero position has led her to 3.87 digs per set, and helping set up the team's block that is averaging 1.40 blocks a set. McKenzie Kramer leads the team in blocks at a rate of 0.67 per set.

The young Griz team looks to be out of the Big Sky Tournament race, but has been playing the top teams in the conference tough, usually taking at least one set off all of the team's it has played.

Last Time vs
Montana State
Northern Colorado started the match strong against Montana State, as they out-hit MSU .423-.045 in the first set and rode that momentum the rest of the way to a sweep. UNC used a well balanced attack with four players finishing the match with eight or more kills. While the offense was clicking, the defense slowed down Montana State, holding them to a .080 attack percentage.

Montana
Northern Colorado got back to its winning ways the last time they faced Montana, sweeping past the Griz. In all three sets UNC hit over .300, leading to a .355 attack percentage for the match. Timarie Nymeyer led the high powered Bear's attack with 14 kills, hitting .480 in the match.

On the Date
October 28
UNC will play on October 28 for the first time since 2010. The team holds a five game win streak on the date, including winning their past two on the road on the date. Overall, UNC is 13-7 on the 28th. In road matches the Bears hold a 6-3 advantage.

October 29
Bolstering a seven game win streak on the date, UNC has had plenty of success on it with a 10-4 record. Last season the Bears played on the date against Portland State at home, earning the sweep. The past five matches played on the date have ended in Northern Colorado sweeps.

Down the Stretch They Come
As the final three weeks of the regular season approach, all eyes turn towards the Big Sky race to host the conference tournament over November 17-19.
• Northern Arizona holds the edge in race with a 9-1 conference record going into the week. The Lumberjacks hold a game lead over North Dakota who is leading the North Division. the two teams will face each other on the last week of the year.
• Also in the race to host looks to be Idaho State, Sacramento State and Northern Colorado. ISU and Sac State, along with NAU hold the tie breaker over the Bears.
• UNC trails UND by a game in the Big Sky North division, with one game still remaining between the two teams to end the year.

RPI Report
For the second straight week, Northern Colorado holds the second spot in the RPI ranks for the Big Sky Conference. UNC which ranks No. 122 this week, only behind Northern Arizona at 104. This week's opponents in Montana and Montana State rank No 269 and 226, respectively.

Leading the Sky
The offense has been clicking during Big Sky play, as the team leads the conference in kills (14.97), attack percentage (.256) and assists (13.89) during conference games. Senior setter Ashley Guthrie leds the conference with 11.89 assists per set.

Triple-Double
For the second time in her career, Ashley Guthrie recorded her second ever triple-double. Against Weber State last Friday night, Guthrie had 60 assists, 14 digs and 10 kills. It was the first triple-double at UNC since Guthrie had her first in 2013 also against Weber State. In that triple-double she had 50 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs. She is one of 24 players to have a triple-double this season in the NCAA.

Records Are Made to be Broken
With a pair of five set matches last week, UNC had some personal and team records set, or put into the top 10 list for the program.
• Emily O'Neil both tied and broke her personal high in kills with 11 vs Weber State and then followed it up with 16 the next night against Idaho State.
• After recording her second career triple-double on Friday, Ashley Guthrie followed is up with a 21 dig performance on Saturday, just one shy of her career high.
• Kortney Lockey set a new career high in digs with 22 against ISU. Her previous high came earlier this year when she had 18 vs Oregon State.
• The 79 kills against Weber State tied a program DI record, the Bears had recorded that many kills two other times in a match. Earlier this year vs North Dakota State and in 2007 vs Sacramento State.
• Saturday night's 102 digs were one shy of the team's Division I record.

Everybody Digging In
In last Saturday's match against Idaho State, everyone was contributing on the defensive end by grabbing a dig. The team finished with 102 digs for the match, and had three players with 20+. Makenna Meier lead the team with 24, while teammates Kortney Lockey (22) and Ashley Guthrie (21) weren't far behind. Kayla Uyemura also added in 15 digs, while Taylor Els just missed out on double figures as well with nine.

Big Sky Efficient
Last season, Timarie Nymeyer led the Big Sky in attack percentage at a clip of .324, and she is starting to make her way to the top of the conference again this year. Since conference play began, she has hit .362 and is currently ranked second in the conference for those matches only.

Teammate Emily O'Neil has worked her way into the top 10 of the Big Sky attack percentage as well, hitting .324 on the year to rank sixth.

Blockin' Solo
Alex Kloehn is no stranger to making the big block for UNC, and 40 times in her career she has done so all by herself. Her two solo blocks last weekend now has her one shy of Ashley Lichenberg and Andrea Spaustat's 41 for a tie for third place in the programs DI history. She currently has 18 solo blocks this season, tying her career high for a season that she set last year, and five off the programs DI best 23 set by Brianna Strong in 2013.

Setting the Way
Senior setter Ashley Guthrie has been setting the way for the Bears for the past four year, and the numbers are starting to add up. On September 24th she recorded her 4,000th career assist, becoming just the sixth player in program history to do so. She currently sits at 4,404 assists, with her sights set on Tatjana Smith's mark of 4,747 to crack the top 5.

Guthrie is averaging 10.89 assists per set this season to rank second in the Big Sky only behind Sacramento State's Kennedy Kurtz 11.16. She also ranks 25th in the NCAA in sets per set.

1-2 Punch
The duo of Kortney Lockey and Kim Weissmann provide Northern Colorado with a tough 1-2 punch on the pins. Lockey leads the team with 3.23 kills per set, while also adding in 2.95 digs a set. Her right arm was leaned on heavily to begin the season, and the numbers proved it. Against North Dakota State during the first weekend Lockey set a career high with 27 kills in the five set victory. She also has set a new career high in digs this season, with 22 against Idaho State.

Weissman had to work her way back from an offseason knee injury during non-conference play, but has come on strong during Big Sky play. She is averaging 2.84 kills per set in ten conference matches, and has added in 12 total blocks over them.

Digging Bones
UNC had been digging up a lot of balls this season, ranking fifth in the Big Sky in digs per set at a rate of 16.42. That places the team 39th in the nation. Makenna Meier leads the team with 4.41 digs per set, ranking her seventh overall in the Big Sky, and 101st in the NCAA. She turned in a career-high 31 dig effort against Northern Arizona on September 22, and ended up winning the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. That mark is the most by any UNC player in the DI era for a four set match. After Meier, four other Bears are getting over 2.00 digs a set.

Double Trouble
The Bears have a double trouble duo up the middle with Alex Kloehn and Emily O'Neil. Kloehn leads the way for the two with 2.55 kills a set and 0.74 blocks a set. She is second on the team with a .293 hitting percentage. O'Neil is not far behind Kloehn with 1.92 kills and 0.52 blocks a set, while hitting .324 for the year. Last weekend she hit .375 and .412 in the team's matches.

Adding to a Legacy
Entering her 12th year as the head coach at Northern Colorado, Lyndsey Oates has made a name for herself. During her time at the helm she has led the program into the Division I era and seen plenty of success. She has led four teams to NCAA Tournament appearances and five to Big Sky championships. Along with those accomplishments, Oates has also been a three time recipient of the Big Sky Coach of the Year honor (2009, 2011, 2014). She added to that legacy on September 15 in the victory over Air Force by accomplishing win No. 200 for her career.

Marathon Set
Northern Colorado and Houston Baptist played in one of the longest sets in NCAA history on September 3rd. UNC and HBU ended up playing in a set that had the final score of 45-43 in favor of the Huskies. That tied the record set by Manhattan and Rider in 2010.

In the set, Kortney Lockey reached double figures in kills with 11, while teammate Kayla Uyemura had 11 digs.

Veteran Leadership
Head coach Lyndsey Oates has a plethora of veterans to lean on this season with 12 returns on the team. Of those 12 players, 10 are letter winners.

Preseason Expectations
Preseason expectations are nothing new to the Northern Colorado volleyball program. This season the Bears are once again expected to compete for the Big Sky title, being picked second in the preseason poll. UNC is also seeing national attention, receiving votes in the VolleyballMag.com preseason Top 25.

Freshman Five
UNC brought in five new faces for the 2016 season in freshmen Anna Graham, Taylor Els, Alyssa Chisholm, Sarah Wyland and Kaitlyn Detlefsen. Even with the 12 returners on the team, don't be surprised to see the freshmen to be key contributors as well.

Making the Grades
For the fifth straight season UNC volleyball earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association academic honor. The team posted a GPA over 3.30 to earn the honor. The Bears also had 12 players from last year's team earn All-Big Sky Academic honors as well.

On the Tube
Northern Colorado will be on a TV near you again this season thanks to CET Sports. For the second straight year CET Sports will carry select UNC volleyball games. This year's matches broadcasted will be a pair of intra-state rivalries with Colorado State on August 30th and Denver on September 7th.

Big Sky TV
In a partnership with EverSport.tv all home Big Sky school matches will be streamed for free on Big Sky TV once again for 2016. The Northern California-based company will provide service for streaming all Big Sky football, volleyball and basketball events both on PC or laptop along with any tablet and phone through the Watch Big Sky app.

UNC Bears Focus
Back again this year for all Northern Colorado athletics fans is the UNC Focus presented by Advantage Bank. The UNC Focus is a weekly radio show. The Voice of the Bears Troy Coverdale will host it each Wednesday night on 1310 KFKA from 5pm-6pm.

Looking Ahead
Northern Colorado returns home for its final homestand of the year. The Bears will take on a pair of Big Sky North Division foes for the matches in Idaho on November 3 and Eastern Washington on November 5, both matches are set for 7 pm. Before the match on the fifth, UNC will honor its three seniors in Ashley Guthrie, Makenna Meier and Audrey Landry.