BUTTE, Mont. - The Montana Western Bulldog volleyball team defeated Carroll College in their opening game of the Frontier Conference Tournament in a five-set thriller. The Bulldogs rallied together for another victory, this time against nationally ranked No. 15 Montana Tech. The Bulldogs defeated the Orediggers 3-1 to punch their ticket to the Frontier Conference Tournament Final. Today's wins mark the Bulldog's first tournament wins since 2013 and 2002.
"I am very proud of how the team stepped up to these great opportunities today. Each person on the team contributed to our success today. They showed a ton of heart and hustle, which is what Bulldog athletics is all about." Head Coach
Katie Lovett said after the games.
Game vs. Carroll College
The Bulldogs defeated Carroll College in the opening game of the Frontier Conference Tournament in a five-set thriller. The Bulldogs game struggled in the opening set to keep up with the strong Carroll attack. The Fighting Saints put up 12 kills on a .242 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs ultimately lost by a score of 13-25, but were able to find a way to regroup and came back in the second set with a vengeance. The Bulldogs fought their way back from a 23-19 deficit to win the second set 26-24. Carroll also struggled to push through a set high 10 hitting errors.
The Bulldogs came back out in set three going on a 7-2 scoring run to start the set. Carroll brought it within two at 13-11, but the Bulldogs jumped back out and pushed their lead even further. They won the set by a score of 25-15. The Bulldogs hit an impressive .410 as a team and racked up 19 kills in the set. Carroll was able to take set four by a score of 16-25 on their best hitting set of the day, going .400 and adding 17 kills. Despite the tough set four, the Bulldogs persevered and won the fifth and deciding set by a score of 16-14.
Game vs. Montana Tech
The No. 6 seeded Bulldogs came out in the game against the No. 1 seeded Orediggers with nothing to lose, but everything to gain. They worked through a tough first set that saw the Orediggers win 19-25 after playing a very evenly matched set. The Bulldogs were then able to pull all of the momentum to win the next three straight sets. Set two started out with the Orediggers going up 12-8, but the Bulldogs rallied together and went on a 9-0 run to bring the score to 17-12.
The Bulldogs continued to push until they finished off the Orediggers 25-16 in the set. Tied at 16 all in the third set, the Bulldogs outscored the Orediggers 9-2 to take the set 25-18 on a set hitting percentage of .255. Despite a late Montana Tech surge in the fourth set, the Bulldogs continued to shine and won the final set 25-23. The Bulldogs out hit the Orediggers 59-44 in the match. They also hit for .222 in the match and had the advantage in team blocks with 12-5.
"Today was amazing, everyone came out and just left everything on the court and played with a lot of heart and I think it really showed! I am really proud of us and I look forward to another great day tomorrow!" sophomore setter
Kaylee Fritz said after the games.
Notables
- Today's wins mark the Bulldog's first tournament wins since 2013 and 2002.
- The Bulldogs snagged their first win against Carroll College since 2014 and were 1-39 in the last 40 matchups against the Fighting Saints.
- With the win over Montana Tech, the Bulldogs pick up their second win over Montana Tech this season. The last time the Bulldogs beat Montana Tech twice in one season was in 2011.
- Jazi Smith led the Bulldogs with 21 kills, 29 digs, and three assists against Carroll College. Kaylee Fritz totaled 53 assists and added an ace. Peyton Vogl (18) and Danyel Martin (13) both had double digit kills and combined for six blocks. Kelsey Goddard led the back row with 30 digs in the match.
- Five Bulldogs hit double-digits in kills. Jazi Smith led the way with 14 kills and three blocks. Danyel Martin and Peyton Vogl had 12 kills each. Jordan Olson and Kaylee Kopp added 10 each.
- Kaylee Fritz had an impressive day as she picked up 100 assists between the two games.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will face off with Rocky Mountain College at 2PM MST in Butte, Mont. for the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship. The last time the two teams faced, the Battlin' Bears defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 at home on senior night.
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