HAVRE, Mont. — The Montana Western volleyball team (14-1, 1-0) opened conference play with a 3-0 sweep of the MSU-Northern Skylights (8-8, 0-1).
"It was a great first conference win against an extremely scrappy MSU-Northern," Head Coach
Katie Lovett said. "I was proud of how our offense stepped up and our blocking was a great first line of defense. I continue to be impressed with the poise and determination this team shows."
"It feels great to earn our first conference win. Northern is a really scrappy team so we knew going in it was going to be a fight," junior middle
Peyton Vogl said. "I think we did really well playing our game and going all out offensively and defensively. Everyone stepped up and did their job which helped us play really steady together. The conference is tough this year and there has not been a ton of sweeps, so to get one on the road tonight feels great and gives us some momentum going into the week."
How it Happened
The Bulldogs trailed at the start of the first set, falling to an 11-6 deficit early on. Thanks to a decisive 5-0 run, the Bulldogs tied the game at 11 following an explosive kill from
Jazi Smith. A pair of errors from the Skylights boosted the Bulldogs to a 13-11 lead. UMW built on the momentum and sealed the comeback with a 25-21 victory. Vogl led the Bulldogs with five kills and two blocks in the first frame.
Western wasted no time racing out to a 12-4 lead. A pair of kills from Vogl and
KayLee Kopp pushed the Bulldog lead to 16-7 and forced a Skylight timeout. UMW closed out the set on a 5-0 run to win 25-14.
The third set saw the two teams trading points, but the Bulldogs took the lead at 8-4 behind a pair of kills from Kopp and an ace from the hand of
Sophie Worden. The Skylights battled back, closing the gap behind a 7-1 run. Down two at 18-16, the Bulldogs were forced to call their first timeout since the first set. A timely block from the hands of Vogl and
Kaitlyn Van Well tied the game up at 21. UMW then capped off the match behind a kill from the lefty
Jordan Olson.
Notables
- For the first time since 2017, the Bulldogs won their opening conference match. It is also the first 3-0 sweep in a conference opener for Montana Western since 2002.
- Olson led the Bulldogs with 10 kills on a .529 hitting percentage. She also added a block and two digs.
- Smith and Vogl followed with a combined 17 kills. Smith had nine kills and 14 digs. Vogl had eight kills and five blocks.
- Kopp led the Bulldogs defensively with 17 digs, along with seven kills.
- Setters Kaylee Fritz and Worden combined for 29 assists and two aces (one apiece).
Up Next
The Bulldogs return for their home conference opener on Wednesday September 27 at 7 p.m. They will be taking on Carroll College (5-12, 0-1). The last meeting saw the Bulldogs win 3-1 on September 16.
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