Spelts Leads Bobcats to Sweep with Record Setting Performance

Thursday, October 1

Bozeman, MT

7:00 pm MT

Montana State University

9-5,2-1Big Sky

Idaho

9-6,0-3Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Idaho	20	22	20	0
Montana St.	25	25	25	3

Box Score (PDF)

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Spelts Leads Bobcats to Sweep with Record Setting Performance

10/1/2026 10:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State volleyball team earned a 3-0 victory over Idaho on Thursday night, earning their 13^th straight win over the Vandals and improving to 2-1 in Big Sky play.

"It feels good it get it done in three," head coach Matt Houk said. "I think Idaho is a really good team that has some nice offensive weapons. They put a lot of pressure on you. Their outsides take really big swings and are really aggressive. I think they're hard to play against, so it's nice to get a win in three against a really nice team, a team that is improving every week.

As has become routine for the Cats this season, senior Joelie Spelts was a driving force of the offense, totaling 11 kills on 13 swings and hitting .846 to set a new program record for best hitting percentage in a single match. The previous record, counted with a minimum of 12 attack attempts, was .824 set by Cori Carper vs VCU in 1996.

"Joelie hitting .846 is a pretty good night," Houk said. "You get 11 kills on 13 swings with no errors; you're going to take that. You can't do that every night, but anytime you do that, you're going to be really happy about it."

Montana State won the opening point of the match, as Spelts landed her first kill of the night. The Bobcats held the lead for the majority of the set, though the Vandals kept it close, with neither team leading by more than five points. MSU rallied to the finish, working ahead to a 25-20 score.

Both teams went back and forth in the second set, trading scores through eight lead changes and 15 tie scores. Idaho defended two Bobcat set points, before one of the Vandals' 11 service errors ended the set in favor of the home team at 25-22.

The service line was a big factor for both teams, as the Bobcats had nine errors, but Afton Thomsen and Teagan Jaynes each tallied three aces to balance the percentage to .877. Alongside her serving success, Jaynes accounted for 30 of MSU's 35 assists.

Senior Karli Heidemann accounted for five of 15 kills by the Bobcats in the third set, as the team had its most productive effort hitting .367. Heidemann matched Spelts' 11 kills on the night, taking 27 swings.

The third and final set was all Bobcats, as MSU led from the first point to the last. Idaho was able to close the gap from 24-17 to 24-20, but Heidemann landed the final kill, solidifying the sweep for MSU. Freshman Elli Esko landed four kills, in a set-leading effort. 14 Bobcats saw the court, including Jolene Green Ewen, who landed her first career while making her collegiate debut.

"It was awesome to get Jolene a chance to get in there, to get Haven [Rich] a chance to get in there," Houk said. "Those are important moments for those guys to get experience on the court."

Defensive efforts were distributed across the floor for the Bobcats, who recorded 36 digs. Libero Nicolette Noble led the team for the 12^th time this season with nine digs. Meanwhile, Jaynes and Heidemann had six apiece and Lauren Greeny paired five digs with three kills.

Montana State returns to the court on Saturday, Oct. 3, for a 2:00 p.m. MT matchup with Eastern Washington in Shroyer Gym. Single-match and season tickets for MSU home games are available now.

"Shroyer was shaking again tonight, it was awesome," Houk said. "Our club baseball team does such a great job of getting our student section going. Those guys are top notch, and we need their energy. As they get excited and start doing their stuff, the rest of the crowd follows along. To be 1,000 strong in here creates a really big home court advantage for us."

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For the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Montana State women's volleyball team, follow the Bobcats @MSUBobcatsVB on X, Instagram, and Facebook. Information on the Montana State athletic program can be found online at msubobcats.com or by following @MSUBobcats on X, @MontanaStateBobcats on Instagram, and @Montana State Bobcats on Facebook.