MISSOULA — The Montana Grizzlies volleyball program lost nine players last season and have nine players who are either a freshman or a redshirt freshman in 2019.
However, that didn't seem to matter much during the Grizzlies' first game against North Dakota on Friday afternoon.
The Griz came out hot, taking a 15-11 lead in the first set. The Griz then rolled to an easy 25-14 win in the first set. Redshirt freshman Casey Stites was all over the place setting her teammates up for kills left and right.
Seniors Janna Grimsrud and Missy Huddleston were great the entire day and especially in the first set winning a number of points.
The Griz simply rolled from there. In the second and third sets they easily won again. Because it was an exhibition match the two teams played out the five sets. The Griz took the fourth before UND got its first and only set of the day in the fifth.
Although the seniors were good on Friday, the freshman talent really stood out. True freshman Amethyst Harper from Fresno, California was winning points on blocks and spikes all day long.
The Griz may be young and still have lots of questions marks, but they looked solid to start their 2019 season.
Their first real game is Aug. 30 against UC Davis in the Aggie Invitational.
