Cats Come Back for Season Opening Victory

Saturday, August 29

Easton, PA

9:00 am MT

Montana State University

1-0,0-0Big Sky

Delaware

0-1,0-0CUSA

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Montana St.	19	14	25	25	16	3
Delaware	25	25	21	21	14	2

Photo by: Brian Morse

8/29/2026 1:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

EASTON, Pa. – The Montana State Volleyball team opened the 2026 season on Saturday, notching their first mark in the win column with a five-set victory over Delaware at the Maroon and White Classic.

The Bobcats (1-0) started slowly and were unable to reach the 20-point mark in the first two sets, as the Blue Hens (0-1) held all the momentum. Delaware finished ahead with scores of 25-19 and 25-14.

"I thought we started quite slow and we were having a hard time really getting things going," head coach Matt Houk said. "We were out of system a ton and that's what made those first two sets really hard. We just had our backs against the wall the entire time."

At the turn of the court however, the Bobcats found their fight. Outside hitter Lauren Greeny hammered down an explosive kill for the first point of the set, acting as the catalyst for an energy shift in favor of MSU.

Greeny landed six kills in the third set as the Bobcat offense hit .500 collectively. Senior Joelie Spelts added an element of consistency throughout the match with four kills in the set, while freshman Elli Esko and sophomore Elli Tufto added three kills apiece.

"At the break between sets two and three, our athletes got a chance to lock in a little bit more," Houk said. "We made a switch to get Afton [Thomsen] out there for more passing help, and Nikki [Noble] was able to get going pretty well from a passing standpoint. Lauren Greeny, Joelie [Spelts] and Elli Esko all caught up offensively."

Perhaps an even bigger factor in the collective comeback was sophomore setter Maggie Rhew, who came off the bench to facilitate the offense at the end of the second set. In a standout performance, Rhew finished with a career-high 28 assists and added four kills of her own for the Bobcats.

"There's a lot to be said for Maggie Rhew coming in as the setter and changing the rhythm of things," Houk said. "She hasn't gotten a lot of opportunity to get out there and run a 5-1 like that. I'm really, really proud of her for handling that opportunity the way she did today."

The Bobcats completed the third and fourth sets with identical victories of 25-21, finding their way to a fifth. Through seven tie scores and four lead changes, Spelts was the standout of the deciding set adding four more kills to her game-total 13.

MSU led early, then fell behind to trail 11-8. Leading the offense, Spelts and Esko combined four seven kills, bringing the score to an even 14. The Blue Hens surrendered the set with a pair of attack errors to end the game, allowing MSU to claim the reverse sweep and their first victory of the season.

Three Bobcats reached double figures offensively with Spelts' 13, Greeny's 11 and Esko's 13 kills in the match. Greeny also added 13 digs, while libero Nicolette Noble recorded 17 in a defensive effort that improved each set. MSU had five service aces with two from Greeny and one each from Noble, Spelts and Keely Culler.

The tournament weekend continues Saturday evening as MSU takes on the host, Lafayette, at 5 p.m. MT and will conclude on Sunday with a morning match against Marist.

Montana State's home opener will be played Sept. 10, the first of a three-game tournament featuring North Dakota State and Portland. Single-match tickets 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.