BUTTE, Mont. — The Montana Western volleyball team (16-2, 3-1) came out on top with a statement sweep over the No. 9 ranked Montana Tech Orediggers (14-4, 3-1). The Bulldogs won sets by scores of 25-22, 25-19, 25-20.
"The girls played really well tonight. Coming in to play Montana Tech, we knew it was going to be a tough environment. We knew it was a tough team," Head Coach
Katie Lovett said. "We really wanted to focus on ourselves and what we could do well and I think we did a really good job at that. Our serve receive passing was phenomenal tonight and it really set up a lot of different things for our offense. When our offense got their opportunities, they took advantage of it."
How it Happened
The Bulldogs and Orediggers started the match neck and neck before the Bulldogs rode a 7-1 scoring run to take a 20-13 lead. The Orediggers fought to get back into the match and tied the game at 22. Kills from
Jazi Smith and
Peyton Vogl, paired with a block error from the Orediggers boosted the Bulldogs to a first set victory.
The second frame saw UMW grab onto an early lead at 7-4 behind back-to-back blocks from
Kaitlyn Van Well and
Danyel Martin. The Bulldogs would remain in control for the remainder of the set, staying out in front of the Orediggers the entire way.
UMW rallied in the third set to a 13-5 lead. The Orediggers answered with their own 7-1 run that brought the game back withing two points. Kills from Vogl, Smith, and
KayLee Kopp pushed the Bulldogs along to a six-point lead. UMW was then able to ward off a late comeback from the Orediggers to claim the match at 25-20.
Notables
- Tonight's win marks the first victory in conference play over the Orediggers since 2011. The last win over the Orediggers came last season when the Bulldogs upset Montana Tech to advance to the conference tournament championship.
- Martin led the way with nine kills with no errors on 14 attempts, good for a .643 hitting percentage. She also led the front row with four blocks.
- Three Bulldog attackers recorded eight kills in the match: KayLee Kopp, Vogl, and Jordan Olson.
- Setters Kaylee Fritz and Sophie Worden combined for 33 assists. Worden also led with two aces on the way to a total of five for the Bulldogs.
- Kelsey Goddard had 23 digs alongside four assists.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will now travel to Great Falls, Mont. on Saturday Oct. 7 for a matchup against the University of Providence. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
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