Match 25
No. 20 University of Providence
(15-6, 4-2)
Friday, October 18
Kelvin Sampson Court
Butte, Montana
Live Video
Match 26
Montana State University-Northern
(6-12, 0-5)
Thursday, October 24
Armory Gymnasium
Havre, Montana
Live Video
Full Game Notes
Scouting No. 20 University of Providence
The University of Providence Argos (16-5, 4-2) are coming off back-to-back losses at the Grand View Women's Volleyball Tournament held in Des Moines, Iowa last weekend. The Argos, who were picked to win the conference in the preseason coaches poll, are currently third in the Frontier Conference standings behind Rocky Mountain College and Montana Tech. The Argos are led in kills by Kelsey Shaver who averages a conference leading 4.2 kills per set.
Last Time v. Providence
Montana Tech won a four-set thriller to open up Frontier Conference play against then No. 16 University of Providence (
26-24, 25-18, 17-25, 26-24) when the Diggers were ranked 18th in the NAIA. The Orediggers were led by freshman
Maureen Jessop who tallied a team-high 15 kills and finished the match with a .308 hitting percentage.
Gena McMillan and
Karina Mickelson were also in double figures with 12 and 10 kills respectively. Setter
McKenna Kaelber had 40 assists while
Sabrina Hopcroft and Mickelson each had 20 digs.
Scouting MSU-Northern
The Skylights of MSU-Northern (6-12, 0-5) are riding a seven match losing streak coming into a pair of matchups against Montana Western and Montana Tech. The Skylights are under the direction of head coach Jerry Wagner who previously guided the squad from 1984-1987. Wagner's coaching stops stretch from Oregon State, Montana State, Gonzaga, and Montana. Northern is led in their attack by Rylee Burmester who has 154 kills on the season and is hitting at a .105 clip.
Last Time v. Northern
Montana Tech cruised to victory over MSU-Northern when the two teams faced off in Butte on Sept. 21st. The Diggers defeated the Skylights in straight sets (25-20, 25-9, 25-16) and hit for a staggering .344 clip at the net. The Diggers doubled up Northern at the net with 42 kills to the Skylights 21.
Talking About IOWA
The Orediggers went 3-1 in the Grand View Women's Volleyball Tournament hosted in Des Moines, Iowa last weekend. The Diggers dropped their opening match to No. 15 Bellevue (Neb.) but bounced back to win their next three matches against RV Saint Francis, No. 12 Grand View, and Cardinal Stritch University. Montana Tech has excelled in tournament play this season going a combined 15-3.
Dynamic Digger Duo
Montana Tech's pair of
Maureen Jessop and
Karina Mickelson have climbed up the Kills per Set ranking in the Frontier Conference and are now ranked third and fourth respectively. Jessop and Mickelson's combined 520 combined kills are the most by any two teammates in the Frontier Conference (L-C State is second with 457).
Serving Aces
Montana Tech's
Gena McMillan is fourth in the Frontier Conference with 29 service aces while
Sabrina Hopcroft (24),
Karina Mickelson (23), and
Hannah Oggerino (22) rank eighth through tenth in the conference.
High Level Blockers
The Orediggers are second in the Frontier Conference averaging 2.4 blocks per set. Montana Tech's
Sydney Parks and
Heather Thompson are ranked second and third in league in total blocks with 82 and 81 respectively.
