Volleyball Drops Third Consecutive Match - Montana State University Athletics

Saturday, November 7

Bozeman, MT

7:00 pm MT

Montana State University

15-10,8-6Big Sky

Northern Arizona

17-9,10-4Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Northern Ariz.	25	25	25	3
Montana St.	12	20	11	0

Box Score (PDF)

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

11/7/2026 9:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State volleyball team lost its third consecutive match on Saturday night, falling 0-3 to Northern Arizona.

"I think the reality of it is that it was a bad match for us," head coach Matt Houk said. "To take nothing away from Northern Arizona, they played a wonderful match. They were really solid and did their jobs at a high level, and our responses weren't equivalent to that. That's the third match in a row where we've performed under our capabilities. It will be important for the athletes and the coaches to take stock of why this slip has occurred. This season is far from over, and we're going to have to find a way to rebound before next weekend."

The Bobcats (15-10, 8-6) had their closest score of the night in the second set, but it was too little, too late as the Lumberjacks (17-9, 10-4) completed the sweep with scores of 25-12, 25-20, and 25-11.

With lingering lackluster from Thursday night's performance, the Bobcats did not hold a lead throughout the first two sets.

Joelie Spelts was once again the leader of the offense, with seven kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Karli Heidemann was just behind with six kills, as 14 Bobcats saw the court in an attempt to hold off the Lumberjacks.

Freshman Taylor McDonald had one of the strongest performances of the weekend, finishing with five kills on Saturday night. McDonald tied with a team high six digs, matching Nicolette Noble. Teagan Jaynes was the assists leader with 22, while Maggie Rhew came in and added three.

"It's not fun to not play well," Houk said. "We have a lot of examples this year of playing well, and we performed pretty consistently over the conference season until that Utah Tech match. There's evidence that we are a good team, and that is an important piece to the team as we work through this on Sunday and Monday. The team needs to get to try to get to a place where they can be their best and their most consistent. You don't run from this; you look in the mirror and acknowledge your mistakes and your responsibilities and sit with the discomfort. That is how you work through these things."
The Bobcats continue the season on the road next week, traveling to Eastern Washington on Nov. 12 and Idaho on Nov. 14. MSU will return to Bozeman to round out conference play with senior night against Northern Colorado on Nov. 18 and the second Cat-Griz matchup of the season on Nov. 20. Tickets for the remainder of the season are on sale now.

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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.