CALDWELL, Idaho — The no. 15 ranked Montana Western women's volleyball team (1-1) opened their 2024 campaign on a high note as they downed the no. 5 ranked Viterbo (Wis.) in a five-set thriller early this morning.
The Bulldogs then struggled to get back into the groove later this evening as they lost in three straight sets to (RV) Morningside (Iowa).
How It Happened vs. No. 5 Viterbo
The Bulldogs and the V-Hawks stayed close throughout much of the first set, with the score remaining within three points before a pair of service aces from
Megan Hardman got UMW out to a 19-13 lead. The UMW firepower continued to take the set at 25-19 after combining for 12 kills on just four errors.
Excitement following the statement set one win faded as Viterbo clapped back and went on a 9-4 run to start the second frame. UMW would battle back to steal the lead at 18-17, but ultimately fell 25-22 in the end.
UMW found themselves down 11-5 early in the third set, but showed grit as they clawed their way back into the set. Kills from
Danyel Martin and
Jazi Smith kicked off a 5-1 run that brought the game back within two.
Viterbo held a tight grip on the fourth set, allowing just seven kills from the Bulldogs and took a convincing 25-13 win.
Despite the lopsided set four loss, UMW refused to lay down and ran behind five kills from Martin to upset the no. 5 V-Hawks 17-15.
How It Happened vs. (RV) Morningside
Despite matching the Mustangs point for point for much of the first half of the opening set, the Bulldogs struggled behind a slew of errors to fall 25-16 down the stretch.
The Bulldogs continued to battle for footing in the second set, rallying to an 18-15 lead following a solo block from
Kaitlyn Van Well. Morningside was undeterred by the three-point Bulldog lead and went on to claim momentum that would carry them to a 25-22 set two win.
Back-to-back kills from Smith and
Peyton Vogl got UMW rolling early to a 7-2 lead. Another round of UMW errors helped get the Mustangs back within three at 10-7. Riding a block from the combo of Van Well and Vogl, the Bulldogs claimed their largest lead of the game yet at 16-9. The Mustangs picked up momentum though and outscored the Bulldogs 16-9 down the stretch to finish the sweep.
Notables
- The Bulldog front combined for 38 blocks between the two matches, with Vogl leading the way with 10 total blocks between the two games.
- UMW struggled behind 28 serving errors on the day, with 19 against Viterbo.
- Martin led the Bulldogs in the first game with 15 kills and four blocks. Martin added another seven kills in the second match.
- Smith led the Bulldogs in the second game of the day with eight kills.
- Kelsey Goddard racked up 33 digs in the back row for the day.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will close out their weekend trip to Caldwell with another set of tough matches tomorrow. They will open the day at 11am against the host (RV) College of Idaho and close the weekend with another top 25 matchup with no. 3 ranked Eastern Oregon at 3pm.
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