Sept. 21, 2006
Box Score
Missoula, MT--Idaho State dropped a very close first game and then couldn't recover as Montana took a 3-0 (29-31, 19-30, 25-30) decision over the Bengals Thursday night at West Auxiliary Gym in Missoula, Montana.
The loss drops Idaho State to 5-10 overall, 1-2 in Big Sky Conference play. Montana, which has now won five straight matches, improves to 5-6 overall, 2-0 in league play.
"We had so many missed opportunities in games one and three," said ISU head coach Mike Welch. "We were tied 29-29 in game one and we forced some errors that took us out of the match."
Nikki Havens was the lone Bengal to reach double-digit kills, tallying 11 scores on 31 attacks with 12 errors. Emily Waldron added nine kills on 34 attacks and six errors. Karli Maughan was probably most successful on the night at the net, collecting seven kills with just one error on 11 attacks for a .545 hitting mark. Maughan also matched a season high with five blocks on the night.
"Karli played big for us tonight," Welch said. "She showed the senior leadership out there. She played very well."
Christine Collette and Amanda Bevens shared the setting duties on the night. Bevens registered 16 assists while Collette had 15.
Cory Farnsworth led the defensive effort for ISU, recording 11 digs. Katie Hurst helped defensively with nine digs.
Idaho State connected on 38 kills with 30 errors on 126 attempts for a .063 attack percentage. The attack mark is the second lowest of the season for ISU. The Griz combined for 54 kills with 22 errors on 128 total attacks. UM recorded a .250 hitting percentage.
"We will regroup from the loss and get ready for Montana State on Saturday," Welch said. "It's go time for us. We need to step up and play like the elite college athletes we are."
Idaho State now continues road play at Montana State on Saturday. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on www.bigskytv.org.
