Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information cover photo Jim Potter
HAVRE, Mont. – The no. 19 ranked Montana Western women's volleyball team (12-5, 4-3) won their second straight game this week after they reverse swept the MSU-Northern Skylights this afternoon by scores of 19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-19, and 15-8.
Senior Jazi Smith hit a milestone in her Bulldog career, hitting 1,000 career digs after she racked up 23 digs in the game.
"One of the team's goals today was to be resilient and they definitely achieved that goal. Being down two sets is a tough way to come back but they were able to get refocused and really have some grit against a really good team," Head Coach Katie Lovett said. "Northern played lights out and made us work for each and every point."
How It Happened
The Skylights got out to an early lead in the first set, jumping out to a 12-6 lead early on. Back-to-back kills from Peyton Vogl got the Bulldogs back in the game and they were able to close the gap to just two points. MSU-N fought back for some momentum and utilized their own 7-2 run to take a lead big enough to keep them in front of the Bulldogs for the remainder of the set, winning it 25-19.
Set two mirrored the first, seeing the Skylights take a massive 17-10 lead from the start. The Bulldogs got back into it and tied the game at 17 all behind a 7-0 run that saw Taylor Petersen serve up back-to-back aces. A kill from Jordan Olson to tie the game at 18 was the last points UMW would be able to pull as the Skylight ran on a 7-0 run to win the set 25-18.
Western got the jump early in third, seeing another pair of aces from Petersen early in the set. The Bulldogs then went up 14-9 as Dani Brown banged in a pair of kills from the outside. The Skylights brought the game within four late in the set, but UMW capped off the set win at 25-18.
A 7-1 Bulldog run got Western out to another early 10-7 lead in the fourth frame. After combining for a .241 hitting percentage and a set high 19 kills in the set, the Bulldogs would force a deciding fifth set after winning 25-19.
After jumping out to a 9-3 lead behind three kills from Olson, the Bulldogs were able to run away with the reverse sweep and win the final frame 15-8.
Notables
The Bulldogs have won six straight matches against the Skylights and seven of the last eight since the 2022 season.
Senior Smith hit a milestone in her Bulldog career, hitting 1,000 career digs after she racked up 23 digs in the game. She also added 16 kills in the matchup.
Olson had another impressive game, leading the Bulldogs after a career-high 17 kills and seven blocks in the game.
Petersen impressed with four service aces and led the offense with 29 assists.
Kelsey Goddard led in the back row with 30 digs and added 13 assists.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will take a week off from Frontier play and will compete at the North Star/Frontier Crossover hosted by Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont. The Bulldogs will take on RV Valley City State (N.D.) on Thursday Oct. 10 at 5 p.m.
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