No. 19 Montana Tech volleyball hosts two matches at the HPER Complex this week. Carroll College is in the Mining City on Wednesday for a match at 7 p.m. The Orediggers face Rocky Mountain on Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Orediggers (17-8, 3-3) took No. 9 Providence to five sets last Friday but couldn't quite stop the league leading Argos falling 3-2. Tech has lost their last three matches, but all three were against NAIA Top 25 teams.

With the Argos in the top spot in the Frontier, Montana Tech currently sits in third place in the standings just behind Carroll at 4-2. MSU-Northern and Rocky Mountain are in a tie for fourth at 2-4, and Montana Western is in sixth at 1-5.

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 will release a new poll on Wednesday. The Orediggers have been ranked in the Top 20 of the national poll since the first edition was released on September 16^th. The Orediggers highest rank was No. 15 in the second poll of the season.  

The Orediggers have swept the Saints (9-10, 4-2) twice this season, including a nonconference match at the Frontier Conference Preview Tournament. The Saints have won three out of their last four matches. Carroll is averaging 12.86 kills per set and a team hitting percentage of .165. Senior middle hitter Taelyr Krantz leads the Saints attack and the Frontier Conference with a 3.42 kills per set average. Krantz also has a .285 hitting percentage. The senior has 205 kills on the season. Krantz also leads the Frontier in blocks per set with 1.22. Freshman Elizabeth Heuiser is second on the team with 2.48 kills per set and a .267 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Lexie Gleaseman is averaging 2.13 kills per set.

Rocky (10-14, 2-4) have lost four straight matches since defeating the Orediggers on October 2^nd. The Orediggers dropped a five-set thriller to the Battlin' Bears in Billings. Junior outside hitter Kyra Oakland leads the Bears averaging 2.58 kills per. 
Freshman outside hitter Makenna Bushman is second on the squad averaging 2.13 kills per set.

Tech leads the Frontier in team hitting percentage with .217 average. The Orediggers also lead the league in total kills with 1,090 on the season.

Senior outside hitter Karina Mickelson is second in the Frontier Conference in kills with 256 on the season. Mickelson had 13 kills against Providence last week and has hit double-digit kills in 5 of her last 6 matches. She is averaging 2.91 kills per set.

Maureen Jessop is fourth in the league in total kills with 240. The junior outside hitter is averaging 2.82 kills per set with a .221 hitting percentage.

Setter McKenna Kaelber is second in the Frontier Conference in assists. The junior from Pasco, Washington is averaging 9.89 assists per set. Kaelber also averages .54 blocks per set and has 141 digs on the season.

The Orediggers are ranked second in the Frontier Conference in total blocks with 216 on the season. Rocky is just ahead of Tech with 217 blocks. Sydney Parks and Taylor Henley are in the top 10 in blocks in the Frontier. Parks ranks third averaging 1.13 blocks per set. Henley ranks seventh in the conference with a 1.0 block per set average.