Cats Conquer Grizzlies in Conference Opener

Tuesday, September 22

Missoula, MT

7:00 pm MT

Montana State University

8-4,1-0Big Sky

Montana

4-8,0-1Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Montana St.	16	25	25	25	3
Montana	25	15	14	20	1

Box Score (PDF)

9/22/2026 11:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

MISSOULA, Mont. – The Montana State volleyball team earned the first Big Sky win of the season, opening the conference season with a 4-1 win in a rivalry matchup at Montana on Tuesday night.

The Bobcats (8-4, 1-0) will bring the Main Line Trophy back to Bozeman after downing the Grizzlies (4-8, 0-1) in four sets in front of a crowd of 3,012, claiming the first point in the 2026-27 Brawl of the Wild. The victory marks the sixth for t head coach Matt Houk, who is beginning his fourth season in the Big Sky conference in the win column.

"It's match one of an 18 match schedule," Houk said. "We have to keep the units in place, but tonight was definitely a good night for our kids. They should really enjoy the next 24 hours and then we have to wake up, turn the page and move on to UNC on Saturday."

Montana took the first set in Dahlberg Arena with a 25-16 win, but that would prove to be only victory of the night for the hosts. Steadying their breath, the Bobcats found success in the second, securing a 10 point win.

The third set held the largest margin of victory for MSU, with a 25-14 score as the team had its most efficient set of the night with 13 kills and a .345 hitting percentage. While the Grizzlies put up a fight in the fourth set, the Bobcats landed a match-high 15 kills en route to a 25-20 win, sealing the victory for the Cats.

"With any Cat-Griz game, there's always going to be those elevated emotions," Spelts said. "A big part of our team right now is our own personal consistency. We have a lot of talent on the team, and it was nice to feel steady for the first time this season."

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. Sophomore Elli Tufto matched Spelts' 12 kills, while freshman Taylor McDonald added eight in her rivalry debut.

After earning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors, sophomore libero Nicolette Noble averaged 5.25 digs per set, accounting for 21 of the team's total. Lauren Greeny and Teagan Jaynes accounted for 13 digs each, while Jaynes added 44 assists.

"Wins like this mean everything," Spelts said. "They mean everything to our campus, our program and to the state of Montana. Being able to play in a rivalry like this is super amazing. I feel a bunch of pride for the team and all the work we have been putting in."

The Bobcats resume Big Sky action on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Greely, Colo. When they take on the UNC Bears. Montana State returns to Bozeman on Oct. 1 for a matchup with Idaho. Single-game and season tickets to all MSU home matches 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.