DILLON, Mont. – The No. 11 Montana Tech Orediggers opened the Frontier Conference Preseason Tournament with host institution Montana Western. The match went five sets with the Orediggers coming out on top at the end 16-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 15-7.

The Orediggers (9-2) and Bulldogs (10-1) have the top two records in the league after the initial nonconference stretch to start the season. Each team had only played the fifth set once this fall before today's match.

The first set stayed near even with the teams wrapped up at 9-9. The Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run building a comfy lead taking the first frame. The Orediggers had their worst hitting performance of the season in the first hitting for .000 in the first set and finishing with seven hitting errors and just seven kills.

The Orediggers turned the table in the second quickly running the score to 7-1 and led by as many as 13. Tech hit for .226 in the second finishing with 11 kills.

The third set played even for most of the frame before the Bulldogs nudged ahead in the final points. Western hit for .238 with 14 kills. The Orediggers outhit the Bulldogs with 16 kills but the eight hitting errors cost the set.
Down 2-1, the Orediggers took control in the final two frames. Tech led by as many as eight in the fourth and hit for .304 in the final set.

Tech outhit the Western 52-45 and finished with a .120 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs hit for .043 in the match.

Olivia Muir had a match-high 16 kills and Maureen Jessop finished with 14.

Olivia LaBeau also hit double-figures with 10 kills finished with a .286 hitting percentage.

Taylor Henley had seven kills and no errors with a .368 hitting percentage. Henley had a match-high eight blocks with five solo stops.

Rhys Layton had 43 assists.

Jelena Jablanov had 24 digs and Emma Green finished with 18.

Kaylee Kopp led the Bulldogs with 12 kills. Kopp was the only Bulldog to hit double-figures.

The Orediggers have the (RV) Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears next. Tech takes on Rocky tomorrow at 11 a.m.