Bobcats Best Bears in Tournament Opener

Thursday, September 17

Macon, GA

4:00 pm MT

Montana State University

6-3,0-0Big Sky

Mercer

5-5,0-0SoCon

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Montana St.	25	28	25	20	15	3
Mercer	23	30	7	25	10	2

Box Score (PDF)

9/17/2026 7:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

MACON, Ga. – The Montana State volleyball team notched its first win of the week at the Mercer Invitational, downing the hosting Bears in a five-set fight on Thursday night.

Karli Heidemann paced the Bobcats (6-3) with a career high 24 kills, while the team battled point for point with the Bears (5-5), resulting in their fourth 3-2 victory this season.

"I think we responded well to some tough situations today," Houk said. "One of the things we're hoping to do is smooth this thing out a little bit. That was our fifth five-set match, and oftentimes, we are different from set to set. That is the maturing that has to happen, learning how to become the same team in every set, regardless of what's going on. That's part of what preseason is about, trying to figure that out."

The Bobcats and Bears played tug-of-war, exchanging the lead six times with 11 even scores in the first set. Mercer led 23-20, but Montana State surged forward on a five-point scoring run capped by an ace from Lauren Greeny to end the first set in their favor.

Mercer jumped ahead early in the second, holding the lead through the media timeout. The Bobcats evened the score, fending off a 22-24 set point from the Bears and wrapped up six points in a row with the score tied at 25 each. Mercer came out with a 30-28 win after MSU pushed to extra points in their longest set of the season.

The third set began in a similar fashion, as the two teams traded points to a score of 7-7. The seventh point would be the last for the Bears, as Teagan Jaynes took over at the service line and stayed there for the remainder of the match.

Heidemann led with eight kills in the third set, as the Bobcats hit .481 collectively. 14 digs and four blocks shut out the Bears as MSU's remarkable 19-0 scoring run resulted in a swift 25-7 victory in the set.

"Karli had to take on a heavy load tonight," Houk said. "Not only did she take a bunch of swings and get a career high amount of kills, but also you know they served her a ton, so she had to handle first contact a lot tonight. She's in her fourth year with us, she has a ton of experience, and those are the kinds of things that that those athletes have to do. I'm really happy for Karli that she went out and showed that kind of production. She would be the first to tell you it wasn't a perfect match, but it's not always about that. It's about staying with it and responding to your errors, and that's what she did, and those are signs that that she's growing up as well."

Despite the momentum gained by the Bobcats, set four was as even as the rest, trading scores to 13-13. MSU led the middle of the match until Mercer caught up, with tie scores at 18, 19, and 20 before taking a 21-20 lead. The Bears closed out the set with a 6-0 scoring run, forcing a fifth.

Montana State took advantage of an early lead in the deciding set, extending the score to 11-6 before Mercer answered with a three to reach 11-9. The Cats rallied to finish the 15-10, claiming their fourth five-set win of the season.

Joelie Spelts and Elli Tufto each had key contributions in the fifth set and joined Heidemann in the double-digit kill category, recording 12 and 10 respectively. Spelts led the team with a .500 hitting percentage, while Heidemann swung .340 on 53 attempts.

Three Bobcats found double-digit numbers in the defensive category as well, as Lauren Greeny recorded 12 digs and Nicolette Noble and Taylor McDonald each added 11. Montana State combined for 10 service aces and were led by Greeny's three, equaling the team's best mark this season.

"We've got a lineup right now that is doing some nice things," Houk said. "I think the bench is very prepared to come in and play their role. Afton Thomsen came off the bench today and did some nice things, and we made the switch with Taylor McDonald going to the opposite and Greeny going to the DS position which seemed to work out well for us."

The Bobcats return to the court on Friday at 1 p.m. MT to face Charleston Southern, before concluding non-conference play at 9 a.m. on Saturday against Georgia State.

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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.