Weber State Volleyball Claims Big Sky Regular Season Conference Crown

OGDEN, Utah – When Jeremiah Larsen took the reigns of the Weber State volleyball program in 2015, he was taking control of a squad that had won a total of 14 matches in the previous two seasons, hadn’t had a winning record in seven seasons, and, perhaps worst of all, hadn’t hoisted a trophy of any kind since 1988.

That’s all changed now.

After defeating the Montana State Bobcats (10-3) in four sets (25-21, 29-27, 15-25, 25-18) on Saturday, Weber State (14-1) clinched first place for the upcoming Big Sky Conference tournament and was able to lift its first trophy in over three decades.

Coming into Saturday’s Cat fight, Montana State, who was second place in the Big Sky coming into the match, still had a chance to win the regular season title, but they’d be forced to sweep Weber State in the Swenson Gym, which has become a Wildcat fortress over the last few of seasons. Weber State, on the other hand, just needed to split the series in order to claim the first place prize.

🏆BIG SKY CHAMPS 🏆#PurpleReign #WeAreWeber #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/rszxWpZ7cX

— Weber State Volleyball (@weberstatevb) March 20, 2021

The Wildcats didn’t want to wait until Sunday to get their hands on the trophy. 

In a scrappy, see-saw first set that saw seven lead changes and 16 ties, neither team was able to seize control and truly build an offensive rhythm. It was tied at 20 before Weber State was finally able to gather some momentum and put the Bobcats away. Senior setter, Ashlyn Power, found ways to get her fellow seniors Rylin Adams and Sam Schiess the ball, allowing them to combine for three of the Wildcats’ final five points in a 25-21 opening triumph.

Wildcats clinch the Big Sky regular season title!

Hear from Rylin Adams on the win below. #PurpleReign #BigSkyVB #WeAreWeber #Invictus pic.twitter.com/GLVlyiXqct

— Weber State Volleyball (@weberstatevb) March 20, 2021

A furious Wildcat attack jumped out to a 16-9 lead in the second set behind powerful hitting from all-conference outside hitter Dani Nay, and freshman middle blocker Caroline Broadhead. Bobcats head coach Daniel Jones, took a timeout to try to stop the WSU momentum. Montana State hitters Hannah Scott and Kira Thomsen led a comeback and even took the lead at 27-26, but Nay, who was a superstar in today’s match, closed things out with three consecutive kills.

The tides appeared to turn at the beginning of the third set as Montana State dominated from the get-go. The Wildcats had a 3-2 lead, but that was the last that they’d see of it. Weber State committed seven attacking errors and the Bobcat offense was absolutely humming with pin-point passing accuracy, terrific timing and efficiency to crush Weber State’s hopes of a sweep. Montana State took the set, 25-15.

Hear from @2Tall_Larsen following the history-making match! #PurpleReign #BigSkyVB #WeAreWeber #Invictus pic.twitter.com/UxAXOctpoW

— Weber State Volleyball (@weberstatevb) March 20, 2021

The fourth, and what proved to be the final, set was when Weber State’s stars shined the brightest. Power, one of the best players in school history, stepped up to the service line to open the set, and promptly served two aces. The lead teetered back and forth between the two teams when WSU scored five in a row giving them a 10-8 lead, prompting a Bobcat timeout. After a couple of kills from sophomore Emma Mangum and a few Montana State attacking errors, Adams took over. The reigning Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for her performance against Idaho State, Adams added three more kills to her tally, helped Weber State jump out to an 18-13 lead, and the Wildcats wouldn’t look back. 

With a 24-18 lead, one point away from giving Weber State it’s first trophy since ‘88, freshman Makayla Sorensen stepped to the service line. The crowd rose to its feet, clapped in unison, and Sorensen’s serve tickled the tape, trickled over the net and found the floor.

Wildcats clinch the Big Sky regular season title!

Hear from Dani Nay on the win below. #PurpleReign #BigSkyVB #WeAreWeber #Invictus pic.twitter.com/63xZ6Pypl6

— Weber State Volleyball (@weberstatevb) March 20, 2021

That was it.

The Wildcats brought out a trophy and celebrated on their home floor in front of a limited audience which was mostly made up of friends and family.

While there’s no doubt that today was a seminal moment in program history, it’s clear that this team is focused on the future. Following the match, Adams, the first recruit that Larsen ever signed to WSU, said, “Our goals are not […] to take the regular season championship. Our goals are to consistently get better every single day. This is a good opportunity for us to learn and to grow and to be ready for the conference tournament.”

WILDCATS WIN!!! Weber State officially has won the Big Sky Conference Regular Season Title!#PurpleReign #BigSkyVB #WeAreWeber #Invictus pic.twitter.com/4FbYMmleA9

— Weber State Volleyball (@weberstatevb) March 20, 2021

Coach Larsen, when asked what it was like to see his team finally hoist a trophy, mentioned, “Like our players said today, it’s not ever about winning the regular season championship, it’s about winning the conference (tournament) championship. For us, that was never our goal to be the regular season champions, it’s about being the conference tournament champs, but it was a surreal day, for sure.”

Saturday was a red-letter day for Weber State volleyball, but with the mindset, foundation and talent that this team has, it’s hard to imagine that their success will stop here. 

Their final match of the season will be on Sunday afternoon at 4:30. The contest against the Bobcats will be available for streaming on www.watchbigsky.com or Pluto TV.

[ss-signup design_id=”2289525″]