Bobcats Rally Chops Down Lumberjacks

Thursday, October 2

BOZEMAN

7 p.m.

Montana State University

7-7,2-1Big Sky

Northern Arizona

12-4,2-1Big Sky

Northern Ariz.

Montana St.

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

10/2/2025 10:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

“Sets three and four were just two good volleyball teams making lots of good volleyball shots,” Houk said. “It was kind of like whoever was going to get the chance to side-out at the end was going to have the chance to win the set. I thought that was really fun volleyball to be a part of.”

By: Tom Schulz

Montana State senior libero Lauren Lindseth set the tone early with stellar defensive play as the Bobcats settled in rallying for a 21-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-21, 15-13 victory over Northern Arizona to knock off the previously undefeated in Big Sky play Lumberjacks on Thursday night in Shroyer Gym.

Lindseth, a native of Great Falls, recorded a career-high 35 digs to spark the Montana State (7-7, 2-1) defense. The Bobcat offense fed of its defense outhitting Northern Arizona (12-4, 2-1) .220 to .205 and owning a 73-62 advantage in kills. MSU also recorded a season-high 101 digs as five players reached double-digit saves.

"The way Lauren played defense right away set the tone and maybe the expectation for us, that this is what we're going to do, and this is what we need out of everybody," said MSU head coach Matt Houk. "And it also probably caused them to make some different decisions on what they were going to do."

NAU went on a 6-1 run midway through the opening set and held on for a four-point win. The Bobcats quickly turned the table in the second frame jumping out to a 12-6 lead following a Madilyn Siebler block. Freshman Teagan Jaynes closed out the game on a setter dump.

"We had a really good response in the second set," Houk said. "I thought we played a good set of volleyball in set one, but obviously it didn't finish in a way that we wanted. We showed some maturing not letting certain things determine what we were going to do in the next set and the sets to come."

Sets three and four featured 22 ties and five lead changes. The Lumberjacks captured the third set, before the Bobcats answered with an identical result in the fourth, forcing a fifth and deciding set.

"Sets three and four were just two good volleyball teams making lots of good volleyball shots," Houk said. "It was kind of like whoever was going to get the chance to side-out at the end was going to have the chance to win the set. I thought that was really fun volleyball to be a part of."

Four times in the fifth set the Bobcats held a three-point cushion. Leading 13-10 in the waning moments, Northern Arizona pulled to within 13-12 before a Camryn Greenwald block gave MSU match point. NAU fought off one match point before freshman Elli Tufto closed out the contest with a kill.

For the first time this season, the Bobcats had five players in double-digit kills. Karli Heidemann matched a career-best 21 kills to pace MSU. Also reaching double figures were Siebler 13, Greenwald 12, Joelie Spelts 11, and Tufto 10.

Jaynes finished the match with a season-best 56 assists, to go along with six kills, 13 digs and three blocks.

Defensively, aside from Lindseth and Jaynes, also producing double digit digs were Heidemann, Afton Thomsen, and Nicolette Noble who each posted career-high totals of 17, 14 and 13 saves, respectively.

Tufto and Spelts led MSU at the net with four blocks apiece as the Bobcat outblocked the Lumberjacks 9-6.

"That was a complete team victory," Houk said. "We had a lot of people involved. Just look at the set distribution, a lot of people got to take a lot of swings tonight and not only that, we've got five diggers in double digit digs. That's a big deal.

"And I think we were cleaner as a blocking team against a team that's a good attacking team that doesn't make a lot of errors."

Montana State hosts reigning regular season Big Sky champion Northern Colorado on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Shroyer Gym.