Montana Tech volleyball starts their post season journey Saturday when they host Bushnell University in the 42^nd Annual Women's Volleyball Open Round of the NAIA National Championship. The match starts at 5 p.m. on Kelvin Sampson Court in the HPER Complex.

Bushnell (21-7), who is receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25, finished fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season and lost to No. 8 Corban in the Cascade conference tournament. The Beacons won their last three regular season matches, but lost the previous four. Bushnell finished the conference schedule with a 16-6 record. The Beacons are averaging 12.69 kills per set with a .214 hitting percentage while averaging 1.98 blocks.

The Beacons are led by junior outside hitter Shay Coons who is averaging 3.4 kills per set with a .210 hitting percentage. Coons has 40 total blocks on the season. Junior right side Halle Neumann is second on the team in kills per set with 2.36 and has a .250 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Payton Jones has a team-high 72 blocks this season and is averaging 1.84 kills per set.

The No. 15 Orediggers (21-9) finished second in the Frontier Conference regular season standings. Tech exited the Frontier Conference Tournament in the semifinal round falling to Carroll College 3-1. Tech won the last four matches of the regular season. The Orediggers are averaging 12.59 kills per set and a team hitting percentage of .218. Tech is averaging 2.44 blocks per set and 2.2 aces.

The Orediggers had five student-athletes make the Frontier Conference All-Conference teams this year. Senior Karina Mickelson and juniors Maureen Jessop and McKenna Kaelber were selected to the first team. Juniors Taylor Henley and Olivia Muir were named to the second team.

Tech has three attackers leading the charge at the net this season. Jessop and Mickelson finished the season with over 300 total kills each. Jessop averaged 3.01 kills per set with a .246 hitting percentage and Mickelson averaged 2.9 kills and a .219 hitting percentage. Newcomer junior transfer Olivia Muir has been a productive addition finishing the season with 263 kills averaging 2.58 per set with a .169 hitting percentage.

Setter McKenna Kaelber was second in the Frontier Conference in assists per set with a 10.19 average and finished with 1,060 assists on the season.

Middle blockers Henley and Sydney Parks lead the Orediggers in blocking this season and were both in the top five in the conference in total blocks. Henley finished with 107 total blocks and parks had 114. Henley also had 215 kills averaging 2.07 per set and Park finished with 103 with a 1.49 average.

Libero Sarah Hopcroft leads the defense for the Orediggers. Hopcroft had 556 total digs this season averaging 5.35 per set. Hopcroft was third on the team in service aces with 38 this year.

The winner of Saturday's match moves on to the NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The NAIA Volleyball National Championship starts November 30.