Trip to Utah Brings Back-to-Back Games for Bobcat Volleyball

Thursday, October 29

Cedar City, UT

6:30 pm MT

Montana State University

Southern Utah

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

10/28/2026 9:22:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Match Notes - SUU & UTU

By: Kate Cooney

BOZEMAN, Mont. - The Montana State volleyball team heads to Utah for a pair of rematches with Southern Utah and Utah Tech, facing off on Thursday and Friday night, respectively. The Bobcats (14-7, 7-3) beat the Thunderbirds (1-19, 0-10) in four sets in their first meeting this season, while the Trailblazers (15-3, 10-0) took a five-set win in Bozeman.

Looking to extend a three-game win streak, the longest since the opening week of the season, MSU will make an attempt to down the two Big Sky foes on their home courts. While Utah Tech remains undefeated in Big Sky play, Southern Utah is on the opposite end of the standings and remains winless through 10 conference games. The Bobcats and Trailblazers are meeting for the third time in program history, tied at 1-1. Montana State leads the Thunderbirds 9-6 overall.

Thursday's match hosted by Southern Utah will begin at 6:30 p.m. MT, with live stats available. Friday night's game in St. George will begin at 7 p.m. MT, with live stats available. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

SPELTS STANDING OUT
Senior Joelie Spelts has been Montana State's most consistent star this season. Spelts was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week after helping the Bobcats to a pair of wins over Weber State and Idaho State, matching a career-high 17 kills vs. ISU. The senior leads MSU with 253 kills, averages 2.91 per set while hitting .402 (amongst the 30 best percentages in the NCAA). In the Bobcats' win over Idaho, Spelts established a new school record, hitting .846 with 11 kills on 13 attempts. Spelt's .846 marks the 15th best single-match percentage on 10-14 attempts in the NCAA this year.

KARLI'S KILLING IT
Senior outside hitter Karli Heidemann leads the Bobcats with 3.26 kills per set this season, the sixth-best average in the conference. After missing sets early in the season due to injury, Heidemann has returned to her regular role on MSU's offense, leading the team's kills in eight of the last 10 matches. Heidemann's 248 kills are second best amongst MSU, just five behind Joelie Spelts. With 18 service aces and 33 blocks, the senior has accounted for 286 Bobcat points.

TEE IT UP
Outside hitter and former MSU golfer, Lauren Greeny is high on the stat sheet in several categories after making her return to collegiate volleyball this season. After a knee injury sidelined her career as a freshman in high school, the 5th year's return to the court has exceeded expectations as she has totaled 223 digs, 183 kills, 34 assists, 21 aces, and 45 blocks across 86 sets this season.

SETTING UP SUCCESS
At the core of the Bobcat offense, sophomore Teagan Jaynes was named Big Sky Co-Offensive Player of the Week after an outstanding performance at NAU and PSU. Averaging 9.58 assists per set this season, Jaynes has already earned a spot at No. 10 on Montana State's career assists list at 1,739. She is second in the Big Sky with 805 sets this season, adding to 166 digs, 72 kills, and 25 service aces.

NOBLE EFFORTS
Sophomore libero Nicolette Noble was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career after logging a career-high 24 digs against Marist. Noble then bested her career mark at the Mercer Invitational, logging 28 digs in the preseason finale with Georgia State, en route to her second Big Sky weekly recognition. She earned her third Big Sky honor after repeating the 28 dig mark against Weber State. After surpassing 500 career digs against Southern Utah, she continues to lead the Bobcat defense with 356 digs and 21 starts at libero this season.

OFFENSIVE OPTIONS
Five Bobcats have surpassed triple digits on offense this season. Joelie Spelts leads the team with 253 kills, while Karli Heidemann sits just behind at 248. Lauren Greeny is up to 183, while Elli Tufto has 125 so far. Playing in just 52 sets this season, freshman Elli Esko is latest to make the mark, now with 127 kills. Setter Teagan Jaynes continues to distribute opportunities to the offense, targeting a variety of hitters and adding a challenge of her own as she has totaled 72 kills while hitting .231.

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Led by Nicolette Noble's 356 digs, three more Bobcats have surpassed the 100 mark this season. Lauren Greeny has racked up 223, Teagan Jaynes is up to 166, and Karli Heidemann was latest to the triple-digit club, now with 139. Settling into her role as defensive specialist, sophomore Afton Thomsen has recorded 99 digs with an increased presence on the court in conference play.

UNDER THE BIG SKY
Several Bobcats have found their way into the top of the Big Sky standings so far. Joelie Spelts holds the second-best hitting percentage at .402. Teagan Jaynes ranks second amongst setters, averaging 9.58 assists per set with 805 total. Jaynes also boasts the seventh-best aces per set average at 0.30, with a team-leading 25 aces so far. Karli Heidemann sits at sixth with a 3.26 kills per set average, and sixth averaging 3.76 points per set. Nicolette Noble ranks sixth with her 4.09 digs per set average. As a team, the Bobcats are third in the league with 13.17 kills per set and third with 16.49 points per set, second with a .236 hitting percentage, and second with 12.06 assists per set. 1,424.5 total points is the most by any team in the conference this season.

BIG WEEK FOR THE BOBCATS
In one of their most successful weeks this season, Montana State picked up two wins last week, one on the road at Weber State and the other at home in Bozeman. In Thursday's five-set fight, the Bobcats lost the first and third sets, but won the second, fourth, and fifth to down the Wildcats. After a day of travel on Friday, MSU returned to its home court to handily defeat second-place Idaho State, moving up to share the No. 2 spot in the conference standings with seven wins each. The Bobcats are behind only Utah Tech, who remain undefeated in Big Sky play.

TOOK THE MAIN LINE BACK TO BOZEMAN
In the 2026 Big Sky opener, the Bobcats downed the Montana Grizzlies in a four-set win. A trio of double-digit hitters paced the offense for the Bobcats, as Karli Heidemann led the team with 13 kills and added 11 digs. Senior Joelie Spelts was just behind with 12, hitting .409 on the night, in addition to eight blocks. As a team, the Bobcats led in nearly every category with 49 kills, 78 digs and 14 blocks to the Grizzlies' 44 kills, 73 digs and five blocks.

FIVE SET FIGHTING
Since the season opener against Delaware, eight of Montana State's games this season have finished after five sets, with six resulting in wins for the Bobcats. The Cats are 9-2 when winning the first set, and 6-1 when winning the first two.

PRESEASON PROGRESS
After concluding the non-conference season with a pair of wins at the Mercer Invitational, the Bobcats finished preseason play with a 7-4 record. Seven wins equal the most wins under Matt Houk since his inaugural season in 2023, when the Cats went 7-3 before Big Sky action began.

CAN'T BLOCK THE CATS
Montana State has allowed the second fewest blocks per set amongst Big Sky teams, averaging 1.67 per set. Through 78 sets, the Bobcats have been blocked just 130 times, making way for offensive opportunities.

BESTED THE BISON
In the first game of the Bobcat Invitational, Montana State downed North Dakota State 3-2 in a five-set fight. MSU and NDSU posted even stat lines throughout the match, with momentum alternating between the sets. MSU fell behind early in the decider as NDSU crept ahead to a 6-1 lead, but the Cats showed no quit and battled back to a tie at ten before a 5-0 run to secure the victory.

STARTED WITH A SWEEP
Montana State opened the season with a weekend sweep at the Maroon and White Classic. With three wins in two days, the Bobcats are off to their best start since Houk's inaugural season in 2023. The MSU trio of Elli Esko, Nicolette Noble and Joelie Spelts earned all-tournament honors in Easton. Esko made her collegiate debut, powering the offense with 33 kills and a .329 pct. Noble, also named tournament MVP, was a key component in the defense and passing game, while Spelts racked up 29 kills and 11 blocks.

KEEP AN EYE OUT
Sophomore setter Teagan Jaynes and senior blocker Joelie Spelts were named to the All-Big Sky Conference Preseason Volleyball team. The pair of Bobcats join nine athletes expected to play a significant role in Big Sky action this season. Montana State was selected to finish sixth as a team.

Follow the Bobcats
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.