Cats Complete Fourth Consecutive Win - Montana State University Athletics

Thursday, October 29

Cedar City, UT

6:30 pm MT

Montana State University

15-7,8-3Big Sky

Southern Utah

1-20,0-10Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Montana St.	25	25	25	3
Southern Utah	17	18	22	0

Box Score (PDF)

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

10/29/2026 9:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Montana State volleyball team earned its fourth straight conference win, sweeping Southern Utah on Thursday night. The Bobcats (15-7, 8-3) completed their third three-set win against a Big Sky opponent this season, outpacing the Thunderbirds (1-20, 0-11) in every area of the stat sheet.

"Getting the sweep felt good," head coach Matt Houk said. "Anytime you get done in three, get back to the hotel a little bit earlier, start working on recovery and rest, I think that's a really positive night. I think the team did what they needed to do to get the night done."

Set one went swiftly, with Montana State controlling the lead from point No. 1 to 25. The Bobcats hit .323 with 16 kills coming in the first set alone, led by six from Joelie Spelts who hit .857.

Allowing just one more Thunderbird point in the second set, Montana State closed out at 25-18, despite a late set run from Southern Utah. Teya Yeomans ended the set for MSU, making her first kill since September. The Bobcats held the home team to a negative hitting percentage, while landing 10 of 22 of their own attempts. Spelts and Karli Heidemann added three kills apiece, each hitting .750.

"Karli and Joelie were really steady, and I thought they played like seniors should play," Houk said. "We were able to lean on both of them and give them the ball in moments when we had to get out of trouble, and they took care of it. They also handled the other portions of their game well. I thought Karli passed all right, defended and served great, and you know Joelie looked pretty good at the net. I'm sure if you asked her, she'd want a few of those blocking attempts back because she just missed a couple, but overall it was very workmanlike by both."

Southern Utah put up it's strongest effort of the night in the third and final set extending the score to 22, but 13 Bobcat kills, with six from Heidemann, propelled MSU to the finish line and prevented the Thunderbirds from extending the opportunity to earn their first Big Sky win of the season.

At the end of the night, Montana State finished with 39 kills to Southern Utah's 27 and bested their opponents with a .213 hitting percentage, 39 digs, 35 assists and six service aces. Heidemann's 11 kills were best on the court, paired with three aces. Spelts was also in double digits, hitting .643 with 10 kills.

In just three sets, Teagan Jaynes had 31 assists, improving her position at No. 10 on MSU's career list now at 1,770. Libero Nicolette Noble led the Bobcats with 13 digs, as well as adding a pair of aces from the service line, solidifying her campaign as one of the best defensive players in the Big Sky.

"Every night, Nikkis is a kid we can lean on," Houk said. "She is just is kind of a rock right now. She does her job. She does it really consistently, and you know, I just I think the team has a ton of trust in her. She can pass with a ton of range and help people out. She also just keeps us in rallies. Tonight she scooped three or four balls in tough situations that gave us more opportunities in transition. Those plays are quantifiable as a dig, but I'm not sure they're quantifiable as the energy that gets created, the opportunity gets created. Her impact on the game doesn't show up on the stat sheet sometimes."

The Bobcats, who stand at second place in the conference, head to Saint George on Friday for a rematch with undefeated Utah Tech. First serve is set for 7 p.m. MT.

"Momentum is always important," Houk said. "But I think if we know anything about the game of volleyball, that every night truly is its own night. The way we have been playing has been great, and I think the team has been extremely consistent in showing a ton of maturity, which is what we're going to need tomorrow. It's number one versus number two tomorrow. Utah Tech is extremely talented and takes care of their jobs at a really high level, and we're going to have to bring our best."

Montana State returns to Bozeman for its penultimate homestand to host Portland State and Northern Arizona on Nov. 5 and Nov. 7. Tickets for the remainder of the 2026 season are on sale now.

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