Bobcat volleyball season ends with loss in semi-finals

The MSU volleyball team traveled to Ogden, Utah, on Thursday, Nov. 18, to compete in the 2021 Big Sky Volleyball Championship. The Cats entered the tournament as the number four seed and faced off against fifth-seeded Northern Arizona. The game started off poorly for Montana State, with the team losing  the first and second sets, 16-25 and 24-26, respectively. The Bobcats stepped up during the third set, deploying their shut down defense, and held the Lumberjacks to only 15 points, winning the set 25-15. After the third set MSU powered through to the finish. The Cats won the fourth set 27-25 and the fifth set  15-11. I wrote in an earlier edition about how much heart this volleyball team has and coming back after being down two sets proves this again.

SThroughout the game, sophomore outside hitter Kira Thompson put on a serious show throughout the match, ending the game with 26 kills and 11 digs. Senior outside hitter Hannah Scott impressed the crowd with 15 kills and 14 digs. Both Thompson and Scott put up Double doubles that night. Senior setter Allie Lynch contributed to the win by ending the game with 34 assists.

After their first win, the Cats advanced to the semifinals. They faced Weber State, an opponent they lost to earlier this season, 2-3. This game was so close. Weber State won the first set 20-25. The Cats responded by winning 27-25. The opposition won the third set, 14-25. Again, MSU stayed in the game, winning 25-22. In the final set, Montana State fell to Weber, 12-15, after a hard-fought game. Northern Colorado beat Portland State in the other semifinal game and went onto defeat Weber in the final to claim the Big Sky Volleyball Championship Title.

A key player for the team, Scott ends her Bobcat career with impressive stats on the season. She registered a team high 330 points on the season and was honored with second-team All-Big Sky accolades. She is the 16th volleyball player in Bobcat history to hit the 1,000 kill mark, which she reached against Portland on Sept. 3.In the last game of the season, Thompson had another great performance, scoring a season high of 24 digs.

The Bobcats graduate outside hitter Emma West, libero Libby Christensen, setter Allie Lynch and outside hitter Hannah Scott. These athletes helped lead the Bobcats to four consecutive Big Sky tournaments and helped revive the Bobcat volleyball program.