BILLINGS, Mont. – Western Oregon volleyball was able to force a fifth game with Montana State Billings before falling (25-17, 23-25, 17-25, 25-21, 13-15) on Saturday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
 
The Wolves fell to 6-11 overall and sit in eighth place at the midway point of league play with a 3-7 GNAC record. MSUB broke a four-match skid improving to 3-16 and 2-8 in conference action.
 
After falling behind 8-2 and 13-10 in the fifth set, the Wolves clawed back to tie it up at 13-all on a pair of Amanda Short kills and an attack error after MSUB's Ashlynn Ward contacted a ball still completely on the Wolves' side of the net. The Yellowjackets regrouped after a timeout and scored the final two points on a Ward kill and a combo block to end the match.
 
WOU outside hitter Alisha Bettinson had her ninth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 21 digs while adding two assists and a block.
 
Paige Orth had a team-high 14 kills on .281 hitting, three blocks, and six digs for the Wolves. Short added 13 kills and five digs, and libero Christie Colasurdo had a match-high 25 digs. Setter Maddie Mehciz had 51 assists and eight digs.
 
Ward finished a block shy of a double-double with 17 kills and nine block assists. Stormy Simeon added 15 kills and Lexa de Jesus had 10 kills. MSUB setter Angala Jensen posted a double-double with 44 assists and 17 digs.
 
Western Oregon returns home to host Saint Martin's on Thursday (7 p.m.) in the annual Breast Cancer Awareness and Seattle Pacific on Saturday (7 p.m.) on Alumni Night at the New P.E. Building.