Bobcats Fall to St. Thomas in Tournament Opener

Thursday, September 3

St. Paul, MN

2:00 pm MT

Montana State University

3-1,0-0Big Sky

St. Thomas

1-2,0-0Summit League

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Montana St.	25	27	18	15	1
St. Thomas (MN)	27	25	25	25	3

9/3/2026 4:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kate Cooney

ST. PAUL, Minn. – On the opening day of the Tommie Invitational, the Montana State Volleyball team was handed its first loss of the season after a gritty 3-1 match with tournament host St. Thomas.

Neither team led by more than three points in the first set, as Montana State (3-1) and St. Thomas (1-2) flipped the lead back and forth. The Bobcats battled to extra points before Tufto's swing went just above the block for a St Thomas point. Houk challenged, but the original call was not overturned, and the Tommies took the first set 27-25.

Set two had an identical score to that of the first, but this time the Bobcats were victorious. In their only set win of the day, Montana State collected 14 kills with a .206 team hitting percentage.

To no surprise, the third set was another bout of tug-of-war, as MSU and St. Thomas continued to trade points until the Tommies gained late momentum and finished ahead of the Cats with a 25-18 score. The Bobcats lost momentum in the fourth and final set, which St. Thomas won 25-15.

A highlight for the Bobcats, Minnesota native Teagan Jaynes joined the 1,000 career assist club, reaching the milestone mark with her third of the day. Just a sophomore, Jaynes totaled 32 assists today, finding her favorite targets in Joelie Spelts and Ellie Tufto.

"1,000 assists is a great milestone for Teagan to hit so early in her career, head coach Matt Houk said. "She did a nice job of moving the ball around early tonight, then the passing broke down and it got much harder to run the show."

Spelts led the Bobcats with a season-high 15 kills and a .522 hitting percentage. Among the players returning to their home state, Tufto finished with nine kills while Alive Steman led the Bobcats blocking efforts with one solo and three assists. Defensively, libero Nicolette Noble and Afton Thomsen played a significant role, each recording double-digit digs.

"We have to respond to the adversity that we faced tonight," Houk said. "There are some lessons to be learned from sets three and four, and I believe this group will get themselves ready for the rest of the tournament."

Houk's team returns to the court to face his alma matter, Milwaukee, at 11 a.m. MT on Friday. Live stats will be available for the match, which is the first between the Cats and the Panthers since 2023.

The Bobcats' home opener will be played Sept. 10, the first of a three-game tournament featuring North Dakota State and Portland. Season and single-match tickets are on sale 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.