BILLINGS, MT - In a contest much closer than the straight sets result would indicate, the SFU Clan volleyball team (9-1, 2-0 in GNAC play) earned a hard-fought victory over the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets (1-9, 0-2) on Friday night.

SFU is off to its best start in the NCAA era which began in 2010 and includes a conference win over nationally ranked Western Washington. Also, the Clan never began a season 9-1 when it competed in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) during the 2000s.

Friday, the Clan got 13 kills and 10 digs from outside hitter Emma Jennings, alongside 12 kills and 15 digs from fellow senior Devon May, but it was a breakout performance from freshman Betsie de Beer that solidified the Clan's secondary wave of offense against the Jackets. The West Vancouver native racked up 10 kills on just 21 swings to finish with a .429 hitting percentage, while adding 11 digs.

"On our side, we executed well offensively," assessed SFU head coach Gina Schmidt."Betsie got her first start of the season and had a great performance on the right side for us - she made contributions both in the front row and back row, providing us with additional depth on serve receive as well."

The first stanza saw Simon Fraser forge ahead quickly, establishing a 12-5 lead in the early going off the strength of seven combined kills from Devon and Tessa May. Weathering some ferocious play from Jackets outside hitter Stormy Siemion, the Clan held firm in the back half of the opening set, laying claim to the 25-20 win on a solid kill from Nicole Chevrier.

The second set was a much tighter affair from the onset, as the two sides traded shots until they stood deadlocked at 13-13. From there, the Clan created a bit of separation with a 3-0 run powered by a pair of Jennings kills, and never came close to relinquishing that lead, eventually sealing another 25-20 decision on a Devon May strike.

Up 17-9 in the final frame, SFU looked to have the contest well in hand before MSUB came roaring back with an 11-3 run to whittle down SFU's lead to just 21-20. Credit to the Clan for regaining their composure, as they scrapped to claim four of the sets next seven points, earning the match on back-to-back kills from de Beer and Devon May.

"[The Jackets'] outside hitters did a nice job of swinging aggressively and challenging our block," said Schmidt of her opponent. "They fought hard all match and made us earn every point."

One of the more impressive aspects of the performance against MSU Billings is that it comes just two days after that emotional five-set rollercoaster match against Western Washington.

"The quick turnaround from Wednesday's match was definitely not easy," Schmidt. "The girls invested a lot of emotional energy against the Vikings, so I was happy they were able to take care of business tonight after a long day of travel yesterday."

Schmidt's squad will now get a full week of rest in, as they are set to head home and prepare to host the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Friday, September 23. The two sides are set to get underway at 7:00 pm in SFU Burnaby's West Gym.