Bobcats Best Bison in Five Set Thriller

Thursday, September 10

Bozeman, MT

7:00 pm MT

Montana State University

5-2,0-0Big Sky

North Dakota State

4-2,0-0Summit League

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
North Dakota St.	25	12	25	17	10	2
Montana St.	20	25	19	25	15	3

9/10/2026 10:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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By: Kate Cooney

BOZEMAN, Mont. – In front of a record setting crowd, the Montana State Volleyball team downed North Dakota State in a 3-2 tilt on Thursday night.

The Bobcats (5-2) first victory on their home court did not come easily as they battled with Bison (4-2) in front of 1,155 fans. The energy in Shroyer Gym could be felt from the first serve to the final point, marking the highest season-opening crowd during the tenure of head coach Matt Houk.

"We've been so excited about how the community of Bozeman and the state of Montana have supported us. We're seeing how much volleyball is growing across the country, we're seeing these nationally televised games, and the sport is really popular right now. We had a big student section and all these community members showing up to watch really high level volleyball. I'm so grateful to all of them for showing up, and I hope they will continue to show up and see what an exciting event it is."

MSU and NDSU posted even stat lines throughout the match, with momentum alternating between the sets. The Bobcats trailed early in the first set, coming up short at 20-25, but answered with a .706 hitting percentage and 14 kills to claim the second 25-12.

"I think the first home match of the year is always hard," Houk said. "You're playing in front of fans, we had such a great student section tonight, it's really easy to get tight and start putting what you want to have happen ahead of how you have to do it. I think that was part of the ups and downs of it tonight"

The Bison took set three 19-25, but the Bobcats fed off the energy of the crowd and won the fourth 25-17, forcing a fifth set. 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.

"NDSU is a really good team," Houk said. "They have multiple weapons and defend at a really high level. They make it hard on you to score. We had to work really hard from the service line to knock them out of system. It felt like it was a little bit of a roller coaster. We were hitting .706 one set and then we're hitting .024 the next. I'm really proud of the athletes for sticking with it. We were down 6-1 in set five, and it would be really easy to say we can't do this, it's done. But they stuck with it and they chipped away and I think that's a good sign of this program's maturing, which is what we were hoping for."

Lauren Greeny had a notable performance in her Shroyer Gym debut, leading the team with 14 kills while hitting .344. Though she is no stranger to the Blue and Gold of MSU, the golfer-turned-outside hitter recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 digs.

Karli Heidemann joined the double-double club with 13 kills and 10 digs pf her own, along with a pair of service aces. Joelie Spelts was the third Bobcat in double digits, marking her fourth straight performance with 10-plus kills.

Following a pre-match recognition for Teagan Jaynes, who reached the 1,000 career assists mark a week ago, the sophomore setter totaled 41 of 50 assists for the Bobcats, playing an instrumental role in the offensive efforts. Meanwhile on the defensive side of the court, Nicolette Noble delivered another consistent performance with 20 digs and six assists.

"We can celebrate tonight, have a day off tomorrow and then we have to turn the page and get ready for another good team with Portland on Saturday," Houk said. "I hope our team can take some real positives away from how they were able to come out of the hole and stay with it in set five."

The 2026 Bobcat Invitational continues with an 11:00 a.m. matchup between North Dakota State and Portland on Friday, before concluding with a Saturday matinee between Montana State and Portland. Tickets for Saturday's 11 a.m. meeting as well as Montana State season tickets are available 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.